(a)(1) The Commission on Official Legal Publications may sell official legal publications and electronic bulletin board services at such prices and upon such terms as to payment and security as it may fix and may sue in its name or take such other legal measures as may be appropriate to enforce payments of accounts due it.

(2) The commission may appoint a selling agent or agents to handle the sales, and a publishing agent or agents to attend to the publication and distribution, under its supervision, of official legal publications, upon such terms as it deems to be in the best interest of the state.

(3) The commission may enter into contracts with publishing and printing concerns and others in any state for the printing or photolithographing and for the binding of such volumes as may be necessary and for the storage of volumes.

(4) The commission shall have custody of the electroplates and stereotypes of the volumes of reports and may repair and replace them from time to time when necessary for proper printing therefrom. It may sell any electroplates or stereotypes when in its opinion they are no longer of use to the state.

(b) (1) Money received from sales permitted under this section shall be deposited with the State Treasurer as provided by law and shall be credited to the General Fund. Overpayments made to the commission in an amount not to exceed five dollars shall not be refunded but shall be deposited in the General Fund. Claims for refunds due to overpayment shall be presented within one year after they accrue or shall be deemed to be waived, except that claims for refunds due to overpayments made prior to October 1, 1995, may be presented within one year of October 1, 1995.

(2) Bills contracted and expenses incurred by the commission for the purposes specified in this section and sections 51-215a, 51-216a and 51-216c shall be paid from moneys appropriated from the General Fund.

(c) The commission shall (1) furnish official legal publications free of charge to courts of record and law libraries within the state, and to public officers, departments, agencies, boards and commissions within the state, according to their legitimate needs as determined by the commission, and (2) furnish the Connecticut Law Journal free of charge to any member of the General Assembly making a request therefor during the term for which he is elected.

(d) If the town clerk of any town certifies to the commission, and the commission, upon investigation, determines, that volumes of reports in the possession of the town clerk are not of substantial use to the people of the town, the volumes shall be delivered to the commission or its agent for the use of the state or for sale to the public on behalf of the state. The commission may utilize for the purposes of this section any volumes which may be turned over to the state by the town clerks or other public officers or agencies.