General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5229
February Session, 2016 LCO No. 1012
*01012_______GAE*
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 5229
February Session, 2016
LCO No. 1012
*01012_______GAE*
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CHANGING CERTAIN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE CODES OF ETHICS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (k) of section 1-84 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(k) No public official, spouse of the Governor or state employee shall accept a fee or honorarium for an article, appearance or speech, or for participation at an event, in the public official's, spouse's or state employee's official capacity, provided a public official, Governor's spouse or state employee may receive payment or reimbursement for necessary expenses for any such activity in his or her official capacity. If a public official, Governor's spouse or state employee receives such a payment or reimbursement for lodging or out-of-state travel, or both, the public official, Governor's spouse or state employee shall, not later than thirty days thereafter, file a report of the payment or reimbursement with the Office of State Ethics, unless the payment or reimbursement is provided by the federal government or another state government. If a public official, Governor's spouse or state employee does not file such report within such period, either intentionally or due to gross negligence on the public official's, Governor's spouse's or state employee's part, the public official, Governor's spouse or state employee shall return the payment or reimbursement. If any failure to file such report is not intentional or due to gross negligence on the part of the public official, Governor's spouse or state employee, the public official, Governor's spouse or state employee shall not be subject to any penalty under this chapter. When a public official, Governor's spouse or state employee attends an event in this state in the public official's, Governor's spouse's or state employee's official capacity and as [a principal speaker] an active participant at such event and receives admission to or food or beverage at such event from the sponsor of the event, such admission or food or beverage shall not be considered a gift and no report shall be required from such public official, spouse or state employee or from the sponsor of the event.
Sec. 2. Section 1-96e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
Each registrant who pays or reimburses a public official or state employee ten dollars or more for necessary expenses, as defined in section 1-79, shall [, within thirty days, file a statement] include in the registrant's next financial report filed with the Office of State Ethics [indicating] pursuant to section 1-96 the name of such individual and the amount of the expenses.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2016 1-84(k)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2016 1-96e
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2016
1-84(k)
Sec. 2
October 1, 2016
1-96e
Statement of Purpose:
To change the exemption from reporting requirements from any public official, Governor's spouse or state employee who is a principal speaker at an event to any such official, spouse or employee who is an active participant at an event and to require lobbyists to report necessary expenses paid to a public official or state employee in their next financial report rather than as a separate report within thirty days.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]