(a) The University of Connecticut may, when authorized by the board of trustees, borrow money from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority for any project for The University of Connecticut Health Center for which the authority would be authorized to make loans to a participating health care institution pursuant to chapter 187 and to refinance any such borrowing, and in connection with such borrowing, The University of Connecticut is authorized to enter into any loan or other agreement and to make such covenants, representations and indemnities as the board of trustees deems necessary or desirable to obtain such loans from the authority or to facilitate the issue of bonds by the authority to finance such loans, including agreements with providers of letters of credit, insurance or other credit facilities for such financings. Any such agreement, covenant, representation and indemnification shall be a full faith and credit obligation of The University of Connecticut. The University of Connecticut may secure such obligations by a pledge of the revenues to be derived from the operation or use of a clinical services project or projects, from rates, amounts, rents, fees, charges and other income and receipts from clinical services or from other general revenues of The University of Connecticut Health Center, provided any such pledge shall not violate any covenant of the state under section 10a-109u. Bonds of the authority issued pursuant to this section to finance a clinical services project for The University of Connecticut Health Center shall be deemed to have been issued to finance a project at a participating health care institution for purposes of chapter 187 and shall be eligible for the benefit of a special capital reserve fund created and established pursuant to subsection (a) of section 10a-186a.

(b) Any pledge made by The University of Connecticut pursuant to this section is and shall be deemed a statutory lien. The lien of any such pledge shall be valid and binding as against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract or otherwise against The University of Connecticut, irrespective of whether the parties have notice of the claims. Notwithstanding any provision of the Uniform Commercial Code, no instrument by which such a pledge is created need be recorded or filed. Any revenues or other receipts, funds, moneys or income so pledged and thereafter received by The University of Connecticut Health Center shall be subject immediately to the lien of the pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act and such lien shall have priority over all other liens, including without limitation the lien of any person who, in the ordinary course of business, furnishes services or materials to The University of Connecticut.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general statute or public or special act which may require that any revenue from the operation of facilities of The University of Connecticut Health Center or any other revenue of The University of Connecticut Health Center be paid to the State Treasurer for the payment of debt service on any bonds issued by the state for The University of Connecticut Health Center, any revenues pledged by the board of trustees pursuant to this section shall be applied first to the extent necessary to fulfill the obligations for which such revenues are pledged, and only thereafter to the State Treasurer.

(d) The Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority shall not borrow any money or issue any bonds or notes which are secured by a pledge of any revenues of The University of Connecticut Health Center, unless such borrowing or issuance has been approved by the State Treasurer and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or their deputies. In granting such approval the State Treasurer and the secretary shall consider the adequacy of revenues available to The University of Connecticut Health Center to pay (1) debt service on all the borrowings, bonds or notes issued by the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority for which revenues of The University of Connecticut Health Center are pledged, (2) debt service on all the bonds issued by the state for which revenues of The University of Connecticut Health Center are to be paid to the State Treasurer, and (3) debt service on any other borrowings for which the revenues of The University of Connecticut Health Center have been pledged.

(e) The state covenants with the authority and with the purchasers and all other subsequent owners and transferees of obligations issued by the authority for the benefit of The University of Connecticut Health Center pursuant to this section, in consideration of the financing by the authority and the acceptance of and payment for the securities of the authority, until all obligations of The University of Connecticut and all costs and expenses in connection with any action or proceeding in connection therewith, are fully met and discharged, unless expressly permitted or otherwise authorized by the terms of each contract and agreement made or entered into by or on behalf of The University of Connecticut with the authority or for the benefit of such other parties, that the state will not (1) create or cause to be created any lien or charge on the assets or revenues pledged to secure such obligations of The University of Connecticut, prior to or on parity with a lien or pledge created thereon pursuant to this section; (2) in any way impair the rights, exemptions or remedies of the authority or the owners of such bonds of the authority; and (3) limit, modify, rescind, repeal or otherwise alter the rights or obligations of The University of Connecticut to take such action as may be necessary to fulfill the terms of its obligations in connection with its borrowing from the authority; provided nothing in this section precludes the state from exercising its power, through a change in law, to limit, modify, rescind, repeal or otherwise alter this section if and when adequate provision is made by law for the protection of the authority and the holders of any outstanding securities of the authority, pursuant to the agreement of The University of Connecticut with the authority and pursuant to the indenture or other instrument under which the bonds of the authority are issued pursuant to this section. The University of Connecticut is authorized to include this covenant of the state, as a contract of the state, in any such agreement with the authority and in any credit facility or reimbursement agreement with respect to the obligations of The University of Connecticut or the obligations of the authority issued for the benefit of The University of Connecticut Health Center.

(f) The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction to enter judgment against The University of Connecticut found upon any express contract, including any indemnification provisions thereof, between The University of Connecticut and the authority, any trustee or underwriter for the authority's bonds issued pursuant to this section, or any bond insurer or other credit facility provider. Any action brought under this section shall be brought in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford. The jurisdiction conferred upon the Superior Court by this subsection includes any set-off, claim or demand whatever on the part of The University of Connecticut against any plaintiff commencing or joining an action under this subsection. Such action shall be tried to the court without a jury. All legal defenses except governmental immunity shall be reserved to The University of Connecticut. Any action brought under this section shall be privileged in respect to assignment for trial upon motion of either party.

(g) For purposes of this section, “clinical services” means clinical and patient services and programs, both in-patient and ambulatory, and including, but not limited to, university physicians' clinical operations, offered by The University of Connecticut Health Center, including, but not limited to, services at the John Dempsey Hospital, the faculty physician practice or at clinics or other facilities operated by The University of Connecticut Health Center elsewhere in the state, exclusive of educational and research functions; and “clinical services project” means a project to be used principally to provide or support clinical services.

(h) The powers granted pursuant to this section to The University of Connecticut shall be in addition to the powers granted by The University of Connecticut 2000 Act pursuant to sections 10a-109a to 10a-109y, inclusive.

(P.A. 05-255, S. 2; P.A. 06-196, S. 75.)

History: P.A. 05-255 effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 7, 2006.