Connecticut 2017 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00985 Compare Versions

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11 General Assembly Raised Bill No. 985
22 January Session, 2017 LCO No. 4946
3- *_____SB00985GAE___032817____*
3+ *04946_______GAE*
44 Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
55 Introduced by:
66 (GAE)
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88 General Assembly
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1010 Raised Bill No. 985
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1212 January Session, 2017
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1414 LCO No. 4946
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16-*_____SB00985GAE___032817____*
16+*04946_______GAE*
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1818 Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
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2020 Introduced by:
2121
2222 (GAE)
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2424 AN ACT CONCERNING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DUE TO AN EMPLOYER OTHER THAN THE STATE UNDER THE STATE CODE OF ETHICS.
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2626 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
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2828 Section 1. Section 1-85 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2017):
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3030 (a) A public official, including an elected state official, or state employee has an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties or employment in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, if [he] such official or employee has reason to believe or expect that [he, his] such official or employee, such official's or employee's spouse, [a] dependent child, employer other than the state, spouse's employer or a business with which [he] such official or employee or such official's or employee's spouse or dependent child is associated will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct monetary loss, as the case may be, by reason of his or her official activity. A public official, including an elected state official, or state employee does not have an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as prescribed by the laws of this state, if any benefit or detriment accrues to [him, his] such official or employee, such official's or employee's spouse, [a] dependent child, employer other than the state, spouse's employer or a business with which [he, his] such official or employee or such official's or employee's spouse or [such] dependent child is associated as a member of a profession, occupation or group to no greater extent than any other member of such profession, occupation or group. [A] Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a public official, including an elected state official or state employee who has a substantial conflict may not take official action on the matter.
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3232 (b) If an elected state official has a substantial conflict regarding a matter that concerns a direct monetary gain or direct monetary loss for the other employer of such official or the employer of such official's spouse, such official shall either excuse himself or herself from the matter or prepare a written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the matter requiring action, the nature of the conflict and explaining why, despite the conflict, such official is able to vote and otherwise participate fairly, objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such official shall submit a copy of such statement to the Office of State Ethics and enter a copy of the statement in the journal or minutes of the state agency to which such official has been elected, or, if such agency does not have a journal or minutes, submit the copy to such agency.
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3434 Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 1-86 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2017):
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3636 (a) Any public official or state employee, other than an elected state official, who, in the discharge of such official's or employee's official duties, would be required to take an action that would affect a financial interest of such official or employee, such official's or employee's spouse, parent, brother, sister, child, [or] the spouse of a child, employer other than the state, employer of the official's or employee's spouse or a business with which such official or employee is associated, other than an interest of a de minimis nature, an interest that is not distinct from that of a substantial segment of the general public or an interest in substantial conflict with the performance of official duties as defined in section 1-85, as amended by this act, has a potential conflict of interest. Under such circumstances, such official or employee shall, if such official or employee is a member of a state regulatory agency, either excuse himself or herself from the matter or prepare a written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the matter requiring action and the nature of the potential conflict and explaining why despite the potential conflict, such official or employee is able to vote and otherwise participate fairly, objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such public official or state employee shall [deliver] submit a copy of the statement to the Office of State Ethics and enter a copy of the statement in the journal or minutes of the agency. If such official or employee is not a member of a state regulatory agency, such official or employee shall, in the case of either a substantial or potential conflict, prepare a written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the matter requiring action and the nature of the conflict and deliver a copy of the statement to such official's or employee's immediate superior, if any, who shall assign the matter to another employee, or if such official or employee has no immediate superior, such official or employee shall take such steps as the Office of State Ethics shall prescribe or advise.
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4141 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
4242 Section 1 October 1, 2017 1-85
4343 Sec. 2 October 1, 2017 1-86(a)
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4545 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
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4747 Section 1
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4949 October 1, 2017
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5151 1-85
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5353 Sec. 2
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5555 October 1, 2017
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5757 1-86(a)
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59+Statement of Purpose:
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61+To apply substantial conflict of interest provisions in the state code of ethics for public officials and state employees to conflicts involving the public official's or state employee's nonstate employer or spouse's employer.
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61-GAE Joint Favorable
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63-GAE
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65-Joint Favorable
63+[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.]