State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Connecticut > Title21a > Chap416 > Sec21a-11

      Sec. 21a-11. (Formerly Sec. 19-171). Powers and duties of commissioner. The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, employ such agents and assistants as are necessary to enforce the provisions of the general statutes wherein said commissioner is empowered to carry out the duties and responsibilities assigned to him or his department. For the purpose of inquiring into any suspected violation of such provisions, the commissioner and his deputy and assistants shall have free access, at all reasonable hours, to all places and premises, homes and apartments of private families keeping no boarders excepted. On the tender of the market price, the commissioner or his deputy may take from any person, firm or corporation samples of any article which he suspects is sold, offered for sale, kept with intent to sell, made or manufactured contrary to any provision of this chapter or related chapters under the jurisdiction of said commissioner. He may analyze such samples or have them analyzed by a state chemist or by an experiment station or by the laboratories of the Department of Public Health, and a sworn or affirmed certificate by such analyst shall be prima facie evidence of the ingredients and constituents of the samples analyzed. If such analysis shows that any such sample does not conform to the requirements of law, and gives the commissioner or his deputy reasonable grounds for believing that any provision of this chapter or related chapters under his jurisdiction has been violated, he shall cause such violator to be prosecuted. Any person who refuses the access provided for herein to the commissioner, his deputy or assistants, or who refuses to sell the samples provided for herein, shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both. Evidence of violation of any provision of this section shall be prima facie evidence of wilful violation.

      (1949 Rev., S. 3884; 1951, S. 2070d; 1959, P.A. 412, S. 2; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)

      History: 1959 act substituted commissioner of consumer protection for commissioner of food and drugs, extended statute's application to enforcing provisions of general statutes, etc., instead of this chapter, changed technical language, deleted enumeration of violations and products involved and provided for analysis of samples by laboratories of state department of health; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 19-171 transferred to Sec. 21a-11 in 1983; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.

      See chapter 250 (Sec. 14-318 et seq.) re commissioner's duties re regulation of gasoline and motor oil sales.

      See Sec. 18-81q re regulation of repackaging and labeling of unused drug products returned to vendor pharmacies by Department of Correction.

      See chapter 734a (Sec. 42-103a) re regulation of apartment listing services.

      See Sec. 43-3 re designation of commissioner as state Commissioner of Weights and Measures.