The Department of Consumer Protection and any agent thereof authorized to conduct any inquiry, investigation or hearing under the provisions of this chapter shall have power to administer oaths and take testimony under oath relative to the matter of inquiry or investigation. The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may withhold from disclosure any complaints or inspections that result in an investigation conducted by the department under this chapter, or any other information obtained by the department during the course of an investigation conducted by the department under this chapter, until the earlier of (1) the date when the investigation is completed, (2) six months after the date when the complaint resulting in the investigation was filed, or (3) six months after the investigation was commenced. At any hearing ordered by the department, the department or such agent having authority by law to issue such process may subpoena witnesses and require the production of records, papers and documents pertinent to such inquiry. No witness under subpoena authorized to be issued by the provisions of this section shall be excused from testifying or from producing records, papers or documents on the ground that such testimony or the production of such records or other documentary evidence would tend to incriminate him, but such evidence or the records or papers so produced and any information directly or indirectly derived from such evidence, records or papers shall not be used in any criminal proceeding against him. If any person disobeys such process or, having appeared in obedience thereto, refuses to answer any pertinent question put to him by the department or its authorized agent or to produce any records and papers pursuant thereto, the department or its agent may apply to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford or for the judicial district wherein the person resides or wherein the business has been conducted, setting forth such disobedience to process or refusal to answer, and the court shall cite such person to appear before the court to answer such question or to produce such records and papers and, upon his refusal so to do, shall commit such person to a community correctional center until he testifies, but not for a longer period than sixty days. Notwithstanding the serving of the term of such commitment by any person, the department may proceed with such inquiry and examination as if the witness had not previously been called upon to testify. Officers who serve subpoenas issued by the department or under its authority and witnesses attending hearings conducted by it under this section shall receive like fees and compensation as officers and witnesses in the courts of this state to be paid on vouchers of the department on order of the Comptroller.

(1949 Rev., S. 4230; 1969, P.A. 297; P.A. 77-614, S. 165, 587, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 6, 127; 78-303, S. 80, 85, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 170, 191, 345, 348; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-139, S. 6; 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-195, S. 15, 83; 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 97-175, S. 1; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c), (d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1.)

History: 1969 act replaced jails with community correctional centers; P.A. 77-614 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-280 replaced “county” with “judicial district” and “Hartford county” with “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain”; P.A. 78-303 clarified and qualified name change enacted by P.A. 77-614; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-139 extended the prohibition against using evidence produced by a witness for prosecution to any information derived directly or indirectly from such evidence; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-195 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-175 added provisions re withholding information from disclosure and made technical changes; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Commissioner and Department of Consumer Protection with Commissioner and Department 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.

Reviewing court must extract from record certified to it legally admissible evidence pertinent to issue on appeal. 160 C. 1.