General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7187
January Session, 2017 LCO No. 4188
*04188_______GAE*
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 7187
January Session, 2017
LCO No. 4188
*04188_______GAE*
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT EXEMPTING NECESSARY EXPENSES RECEIVED FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AT AN EVENT FROM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
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 Subsection (k) of section 1-84 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2017):
(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 from the sponsor of the event. 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. As used in this subsection, "active participant" means a speaker, panelist, moderator of a panel or presenter of an award who provides substantive official service to the sponsor of the event.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2017 1-84(k)
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2017
1-84(k)
Statement of Purpose:
To change the exemption from reporting necessary expenses for purposes of the Code of Ethics 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.
[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.]