Notes to the Financial Statements

June 30, 1999

Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

a. Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements of the State of Connecticut have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as prescribed in pronouncements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), except for the financial statements of the University of Connecticut Foundation, Incorporated (an affiliated organization). Those statements are prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles as prescribed in pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

b.  Financial Reporting Entity
As required by generally accepted accounting principles, the accompanying financial statements include (1) all funds, agencies, boards, commissions, and account groups that comprise the State's legal entity, (2) legally separate organizations for which the State is financially accountable (component units), and (3) a legally separate organization for which the nature and significance of its relationship with the State is such that exclusions would cause the State's financial statements to be misleading (affiliated organization). Financial accountability exists if (1) the State appoints a voting majority of the organization's governing board, and (2) the State is able to impose its will on the organization, or there is a potential for the organization to provide specific financial benefits to, or impose specific financial burdens on the State.

Component Units
Component units are reported in the combined financial statements either in a separate column (discrete presentation) or in combination with similar funds of the State (blending presentation).

Discretely Presented Component Units
This column includes legally separate organizations for which the State appoints a voting majority of the organization's governing board and is contingently liable for the organization's debt or provides significant funding for the organization's programs (applies only to the Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated). The financial data of the following organizations is included in this column.

Connecticut Development Authority
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. It was created to stimulate industrial and commercial development within the State through its Self-Sustaining Bond, Umbrella, and Insurance programs as well as other economic development programs.

Connecticut Housing Finance Authority
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. It was created for the purpose of increasing the housing supply and encouraging and assisting in the purchase, development, and construction of housing for low and moderate income families and persons throughout the State. The Authority's fiscal year is for the period ending on December 31, 1998.

Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. It is responsible for implementing the State Solid Waste Management Plan by determining the location of and constructing solid waste management projects; owning, operating, and maintaining waste management projects; or making provisions for operation and maintenance by contracting with private industry.

Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. It was created to assist students, their parents, and institutions of higher education to finance the cost of higher education through its Bond funds.

Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. The purpose of the Authority is to assist certain health care institutions, institutions of higher education, and qualified for-profit and not-for-profit institutions in the financing and refinancing of projects to be undertaken in relation to programs for these institutions.

Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated
The Authority is a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. It was established to stimulate and promote technological innovation and application of technology within Connecticut and encourage the development of new products, innovations, and inventions or markets in Connecticut by providing financial and technical assistance.

Condensed financial information for the major component units is disclosed in Note 20. Complete financial statements of the individual component units can be obtained from their respective administrative offices.

Blended Component Unit
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation was created in July 1996 as a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the State. The purposes of the Corporation are to manage the State's lottery in an entrepreneurial and businesslike manner and to provide continuing and increased revenue to the people of the State through the lottery. The State appoints a voting majority of the Corporation's governing board, and the Corporation provides revenue to the State. In the combined financial statements, the Corporation is included in the Enterprise funds group (Primary Government).

Affiliated Organization
The University of Connecticut Foundation, Incorporated is a nongovernmental nonprofit corporation created exclusively to solicit, receive, and administer gifts and financial resources from private sources for the benefit of all campuses and programs of the University of Connecticut.

The Foundation is not financially accountable to the University. However, the Foundation is included as a component unit because the nature and significance of its relationship to the University are such that exclusion would cause the University's financial statements to be misleading. The Foundation is reported in a separate column in the higher education funds group (Primary Government).

c. Fund Accounting  
The financial activities of the State are accounted for in individual funds and account groups.

A fund is a fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash and other financial resources, together with all related liabilities and residual equities or balances, and changes therein, which are segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions or limitations. In the financial statements, individual funds are classified in four fund categories and component units. The four fund categories are governmental funds, proprietary funds, fiduciary funds, and higher education funds.

Account groups are accounting entities used to account for the State's general fixed assets and long-term debt. These account groups are not funds because they do not reflect available financial resources and related liabilities. In the financial statements, the account groups are the general fixed asset account group and the general long-term debt account group.

Because the State of Connecticut has a significant number of legal funds, a functional basis combining presentation was chosen to facilitate the preparation and readability of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). More detailed information on the legal funds can be found in the Annual Report of the Comptroller - a "modified cash" basis document also produced by the Office of the Comptroller.

Following is a description of the fund categories, account group, and component units used in the accompanying financial statements.

Governmental Funds
1. General Fund - The General Fund is the general operating fund of the State. It is used to account for all financial resources which are not required to be accounted in other funds and which are spent for those services normally provided by the State (e.g. social assistance, education, correction, etc.).

2. Special Revenue Funds - These funds are used to account for the proceeds of specific revenue sources (other than expendable trusts, major capital projects, and higher education sources) that are legally restricted to expenditures for specified purposes. For example, motor fuel taxes levied to fund Department of Transportation costs.

3. Debt Service Fund - This fund is used to account for the accumulation of resources for, and the payment of, principal and interest on general long-term bonds and notes.

4. Capital Projects Funds - These funds are used to account for financial resources to be used for the acquisition or construction of major capital facilities and infrastructure projects (other than those financed by proprietary funds and higher education funds).

Proprietary Funds
1. Enterprise Funds - These funds are used to account for operations that (a) are financed and operated in a manner similar to private business enterprises  where the intent of the governing body is that the costs (expenses, including depreciation) of providing goods or services to the general public on a continuing basis be financed or recovered primarily through user charges; or (b) where the governing body has decided that periodic determination of revenues earned, expenses incurred, and/or net income is appropriate for capital maintenance, public policy, management control, accountability or other purposes.

2.Internal Service Funds - These funds are used to account for the financing of goods or services provided by one department or agency to other departments or agencies of the State, or to other governments, on a cost-reimbursement basis.

Fiduciary Funds
Trust and Agency Funds - These funds are used to account for assets held by the State in a trustee capacity or as an agent for individuals, private organizations, other governmental units, and other funds. These funds include expendable trust funds, nonexpendable trust funds, pension trust funds, an investment trust fund, and agency funds.

Account Groups
1.  General Fixed Asset Account Group - This account group includes all the fixed assets (excluding infrastructure) that are not accounted for in the proprietary and higher education funds.

2.  General Long-Term Debt Account Group - This account group includes all long-term obligations that are to be financed from governmental funds. These long-term obligations include the following:

• Unmatured principal on general obligation and transportation related bonds and notes.
• Other non-current liabilities for capital leases, compensated absences, unfunded pension costs, workers' compensation claims, and claims and judgements.

Higher Education Funds
The financial activities of the State's higher education institutions (University of Connecticut, State universities, and community-technical colleges) and an affiliated organization are accounted for in these funds, which are reported in a separate column in the combined financial statements (Primary Government).

The following fund categories and affiliated organization are included:

1. Current Funds - These funds are used to account for resources that will be expended in the near future for operating purposes. Included in the current fund category are unrestricted funds that the governing boards retain full control of, in achieving the institutions' purposes and restricted funds that may be utilized only in accordance with external restrictions.

2. Endowment Funds - These funds account for gifts that are restricted as to principal by the donorLoan Funds - These funds are used to account for loans to students and for resources available for such purposes.

3. Loan Funds - These funds are used to account for loans to students and for resources available for such purposes.

4. Plant Funds - These funds account for resources that have been or will be used for institutional property acquisition, renewal, and replacement, and resources accumulated for the retirement of debt associated with institutional properties.

5. Agency Funds - These funds are funds held by an institution as custodian or fiscal agent for others such as student organizations, individual students, or faculty members.

6. Affiliated Organization - This column accounts for the financial activities of the University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc., a component unit of the University of Connecticut.

Component Units
The component units include proprietary type organiza-tions that are legally separate from the State but that are considered part of the reporting entity.

d. Basis of Accounting
The accounting and financial reporting treatments applied to a fund is determined by its measurement focus and basis of accounting, which are described as follows:

Governmental Funds and Expendable Trust Funds
These funds are accounted for using a current financial resources measurement focus and a modified accrual basis of accounting. Under the current financial resources measurement focus, only current assets and liabilities are normally included on the balance sheet. Fund balance represents a measure of "available spendable resources." Under the modified accrual basis of accounting, revenues are recorded when they are susceptible to accrual (i.e. both measurable and available). The word "available" means that the revenue is collectible within the current period or soon enough thereafter to pay period liabilities. Expenditures are recorded when the related fund liability is incurred except for principal and interest on general long-term debt which are recorded as expenditures when due. Major revenue sources that are treated as susceptible to accrual include sales and use taxes, personal income taxes, public service corporation taxes, and special fuel taxes. Revenues from restricted grants (federal or other) are recorded when the related expenditure has been incurred. Medicaid revenue is recorded when the related receivable is recorded.

Proprietary Funds, Nonexpendable Trust Funds, Pension Trust Funds, Investment Trust Fund, Component Units, and Affiliated Organization
These funds are accounted for using a flow of economic resources measurement focus and an accrual basis of accounting. Under the flow of economic resources measurement focus, all assets and liabilities are included on the balance sheet. Fund equity (proprietary funds and component units) is segregated into contributed capital and retained earnings components. Under the accrual basis of accounting, revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are recorded when incurred.

According to GASB Statement No. 20, these funds (except for the affiliated organization) must comply with all applicable GASB pronouncements and all applicable pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its predecessors as follows (provided those pronouncements do not conflict with or contradict GASB pronouncements):

Agency Funds
These funds are accounted for using a modified accrual basis of accounting. Agency funds are custodial in nature (assets equal liabilities) and do not measure nor report results of operations.

Higher Education Funds
These funds (excluding the affiliated organization) are accounted for using a current financial resources measurement focus and an accrual basis of accounting with the following exceptions:

• All assets and liabilities are included on the balance sheet.
• Depreciation expense related to plant fund fixed assets is not recorded, except for fixed assets reported by the University of Connecticut
• Revenues and expenditures of an academic term covering more than one fiscal year are reported in the fiscal year in which the program is predominately conducted.

e. Budgeting Process
By statute, the Governor must submit the State budget to the General Assembly in February of every other year. Prior to June 30, the General Assembly enacts the budget through the passage of appropriation acts for the next two fiscal years and sets forth revenue estimates for the same period for the following funds: the General Fund, the Transportation Fund, the Mashantucket Pequot Fund, the Workers' Compensation Administration Fund, the Banking Fund, the Consumer Counsel and Public Utility Control Fund, the Insurance Fund, the Criminal Injuries Fund, the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Fund and the Regional Market Operations Fund. Under the State Constitution, the Governor has the power to veto any part of the itemized appropriations bill and to accept the remainder of the bill. However, the General Assembly may separately reconsider and repass the disapproved items by a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House.

Budgetary control is maintained at the individual appropriation account level by agency as established in authorized appropriation bills and is reported in the Annual Report of the State Comptroller. A separate document is necessary because the level of legal control is more detailed than reflected in the CAFR. Before an agency can utilize funds appropriated for a particular purpose, such funds must be allotted for the specific purpose by the Governor and encumbered by the Comptroller upon request by the agency. Such funds can then be expended by the Treasurer only upon a warrant, draft or order of the Comptroller drawn at the request of the responsible agency. The allotment process maintains expenditure control over special revenue, enterprise, and internal service funds that are not budgeted as part of the annual appropriation act.

The Governor has the power under Connecticut statute to modify budgetary allotment requests for the administration, operation and maintenance of a budgeted agency. However, the modification cannot exceed 3 percent of the fund or 5 percent of the appropriation amount. Modifications beyond those limits, but not in excess of 5 percent of the total funds, require the approval of the Finance Advisory Committee. The Finance Advisory Committee is comprised of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Treasurer, the Comptroller, two senate members, not of the same political party, and three house members, not more than two of the same political party. Additional reductions of appropriations of more than 5 percent of the total appropriated fund can be made only with the approval of the General Assembly.

All funds except fiduciary funds use encumbrance accounting. Under this method of accounting, purchase orders, contracts, and other commitments for the expenditures of the fund are recorded in order to reserve that portion of the applicable appropriation. All encumbrances lapse at year-end and, generally, all appropriations lapse at year-end except for certain continuing appropriations (continuing appropriations are defined as carry forwards of spending authority from one fiscal budget into a subsequent budget). The continuing appropriations include: appropriations continued for a one-month period after year-end which are part of a program that was not renewed the succeeding year; appropriations continued the entire succeeding year, as in the case of highway and other capital construction projects; and appropriations continued for specified amounts for certain special programs. Carried-forward appropriations are reported as reservations of the fund balance in the financial statements.

The budget is prepared on a "modified cash" basis of accounting under which revenues are recognized when received, except for certain taxes and Federal and other restricted grant revenues of the General and Trans-portation funds which are recognized when earned. Tax revenues recognized when earned include the following: sales and use, personal income, corporation, public service corporations, petroleum companies, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, gasoline, special motor fuel, and motor carrier road. Under the modified cash basis, expenditures are recognized when paid. A comparison of actual results of operations recorded on this basis and the adopted budget is presented in the financial statements for all governmental funds for which a budget is legally adopted.

f.  Budgetary vs. GAAP Basis of Accounting
The major differences between the budgetary (legal) and the GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis of accounting are as follows:

1.  Revenues are recorded when received in cash except for certain year-end accruals (budgetary basis) as opposed to revenues being recorded when they are susceptible to accrual (GAAP basis) (see Note 1d).

2.  Expenditures are recorded when paid in cash (budgetary basis) as opposed to expenditures being recorded when the related fund liability is incurred (GAAP basis) (see Note 1d).

3.  For budgetary reporting purposes, continuing appropriations are included with expenditures to determine the budgetary surplus or deficit because they are considered uses of spending authority for the fiscal year. But under the GAAP basis, continuing appropriations are not included as expenditures.

4.  Certain special revenue funds are not subject to legal budgets.

Because of the above differences, a reconciliation between the budgetary and GAAP basis is presented in Note 2.

g.  Assets and Liabilities
Cash and Cash Equivalents (see Note 4)
In addition to petty cash and bank accounts, this account includes cash equivalents - short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Cash equivalents include investments in the Short-Term Investment Fund ("STIF") and the Tax Exempt Proceeds Fund, Inc. ("TEPF"). TEPF is a short-term, tax-exempt money market fund reported under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Investments in STIF and TEPF are reported at the fund's share price.

Investments (see Note 4)
Equity in Combined Investment Funds is reported at fair value based on the funds' current share price.

External investment pool is reported at amortized cost.

Other investments are reported at fair value, except for the following investments which are reported at cost or amortized cost:

• Nonparticipating interest-earning investment contracts.
• Money market investments that mature within one year or less at the date of their acquisition.

Fair value is determined based on quoted market prices except for:

• The fair value of State bonds held by the Clean Water Fund (a nonexpendable trust fund) which is estimated using matrix pricing.
• The fair value of equity and debt securities held by the Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, a component unit. The fair value of those investments is determined by the Valuation Committee of the Corporation, after giving consideration to pertinent information about the companies comprising these investments, including but not limited to recent sales prices of the issuer's securities, sales growth and royalty payments, progress toward business goals, and other operating data.

The State invests in derivatives. STIF and the Combined Investment Funds hold these investments.

Inventories
Inventories are reported at cost. Cost is determined by the first-in first-out (FIFO) method. Inventories in the governmental funds consist of expendable supplies held for consumption whose cost was recorded as an expenditure at the time the individual inventory items were purchased. Reported inventories in these funds are offset by a fund balance reserve to indicate that they are unavailable for appropriation.

Fixed Assets and Depreciation
General fixed assets are reported at historical or estimated historical cost. Donated fixed assets are valued at estimated fair value on the date donated. Interest costs incurred during construction and infrastructure fixed assets (highways, bridges, etc.) is not capitalized. No depreciation is provided for general fixed assets. Fixed assets in the enterprise and internal service funds are reported at cost. Interest cost incurred during construction at Bradley International Airport is capitalized as part of the assets. Depreciation of the fixed assets is determined using the straight-line method and is based upon the assets' estimated useful lives.

Fixed assets in the higher education funds are reported at cost. No depreciation is recorded on these fixed assets, except for the University of Connecticut's fixed assets. Depreciation of the fixed assets is determined using the straight-line method and is based on the assets' estimated useful lives.

Fixed assets of the component units are reported at cost. Depreciation of the fixed assets is determined using the straight-line method and is based upon the assets' estimated useful lives.

Food Stamps
Food stamps distributed to recipients during the year are recognized as both an expenditure and a revenue in the operating statement.

Securities Lending Transactions (see Note 4)
Assets, liabilities, income, and expenses arising from securities lending transactions of the Combined Investment Funds are allocated ratably to the pension and nonexpendable trust funds based on their equity in the Combined Investment Funds.

Deferred Revenues
This liability account represents:

• Cash received by the State before the State has a legal claim to it (e.g. grant monies received before the incurring of qualifying expenditures).
• Revenues considered measurable but not available during the current period.

In subsequent periods, when the State has a legal claim to the cash received, or when the revenues become available, the liability for deferred revenues is removed from the balance sheet and revenue is recognized.

Capital Appreciation Bonds
Capital appreciation (deep-discount) bonds issued by the State, unlike most bonds, which pay interest semi-annually, do not pay interest until the maturity of the bonds. An investor who purchases a capital appreciation bond at its discounted price and holds it until maturity will receive an amount which equals the initial price plus an amount which has accrued over the life of the bond on a semiannual compounding basis. The net value of the bonds is accreted (the discount reduced), based on this semiannual compounding, over the life of the bonds. This deep-discount debt is reported in the general long-term debt account group at its net or accreted value rather than at face value.

Other Long-term Obligations
The portion of the net pension obligation, workers' compensation claims, capital leases, claims and judgements, and accumulated compensated absences that is expected to be liquidated with available expendable financial resources is reported as an expenditure and a fund liability of the governmental and expendable trust funds that will pay it. The remaining portion that is not expected to be liquidated with available expendable financial resources is reported in the general long-term account group. In the proprietary funds, higher education funds, and component units such obligations are recorded as fund liabilities.

Vacation and sick policy is as follows: Employees hired on or before June 30, 1977 can accumulate up to a maximum of 120 vacation days. Employees hired after that date can accumulate up to a maximum of 60 days. Upon termination or death, the employee is entitled to be paid for the full amount of vacation days owed. No limit is placed on the number of sick days that an employee can accumulate. However, the employee is entitled to payment for accumulated sick time only upon retirement, or after ten years of service upon death, for an amount equal to one-fourth of his/her accrued sick leave up to a maximum payment equivalent to sixty days.

The State recognized a liability to the federal government for excess earnings received from investing special tax obligation bond proceeds (rebatable arbitrage). This liability is reported as a liability for claims and judgements.

h.  Fund Equity
Contributed Capital
The amount of permanent fund capital in the enterprise funds, internal service funds, and component units, which is contributed by governments and others.

Reserved Retained Earnings
The portion of retained earnings in the enterprise funds and component units, which is legally restricted for specific future use.

Reserved Fund Balances
The portion of fund balances in the governmental, fiduciary and higher education fund types which is legally reserved for a specific future use or which is not available for appropriation or expenditure.

i. Revenues, Expenditures, and Interfund Transactions
Taxes
Certain tax revenues that accrue to the State are considered "available" if the payer incurs the obligation to the State before year-end and payment is received within sixty days after year-end (see Note 6).

Licenses, Permits, and Fees
These items are not susceptible to accrual and are recognized as revenues when the cash is collected.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements
The State has entered into interest rate swap agreements to modify interest rates on outstanding debt. Other than the net interest expenditures resulting from these agreements, no amounts are recorded in the financial statements (see Note 14).

Interfund Transactions
Interfund transactions are recorded as follows:

(1) Transfers, which are from funds that are receiving revenues to funds in which the resources are to be expended, are classified as operating transfers.

(2) Transactions that would be treated as revenues, expenditures or expenses if they involved organizations external to the State are treated similarly by the funds of the State.

(3) Reimbursements from one fund to another are treated as expenditures or expenses of the reimbursing fund and as a reduction of the expenditures or expenses of the reimbursed fund.

(4) Non-recurring or non-routine transfers of equity be-tween funds and capital contributions to proprietary funds are classified as equity transfers.

i.  Pension Trust Funds Transactions
Plan member contributions are recognized in the period in which the contributions are due. State contributions are recognized in the period in which the contributions are appropriated. Benefits and refunds are recognized when due and payable in accordance with the terms of each plan. Investment income and related expenses of the Combined Investment Funds (including securities lending transactions) are allocated ratably to these funds based on their equity in the Combined Investment Funds.

j.  External Investment Pool
Assets and liabilities of the Short-Term Investment Fund are allocated ratably to the External Investment Pool Fund based on its equity in the Short-Term Investment Fund (see Note 4). Pool income is determined based on distributions made to pool's participants.

k. Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

l. Total Columns - Memorandum Only
Total columns captioned "Memorandum Only" are presented only to facilitate financial analysis. Data in these columns do not present the financial position, the results of operations or cash flow in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles nor is such data comparable to a consolidation. 

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