Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00918 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	LCO No. 4393 1 of 33
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 918
6	6	January Session, 2019
7	7	LCO No. 4393
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
11	11	AND ELECTIONS
12	12
13	13
14	14	Introduced by:
15	15	(GAE)
16	16
17	17
18	18
19	19
20	20	AN ACT CONCERNING SU PPLEMENTAL GRANTS FOR CERTAIN
21	21	CANDIDATES UNDER THE CITIZENS' ELECTION PROGRAM.
22	22	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
23	23	Assembly convened:
24	24
25	25	Section 1. Section 9-700 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
26	26	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 2
27	27	As used in [sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive] this chapter and 3
28	28	section 2 of this act: 4
29	29	(1) "Commission" means the State Elections Enforcement 5
30	30	Commission. 6
31	31	(2) "Depository account" means the single checking account at the 7
32	32	depository institution designated as the depository for the candidate 8
33	33	committee's moneys in accordance with the provisions of subsection 9
34	34	(a) of section 9-604. 10
35	35	(3) "District office" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-11
36	36	372. 12 Raised Bill No. 918
37	37
38	38
39	39
40	40	LCO No. 4393 2 of 33
41	41
42	42	(4) "Eligible minor party candidate" means a candidate for election 13
43	43	to an office who is nominated by a minor party pursuant to subpart B 14
44	44	of part III of chapter 153. 15
45	45	(5) "Eligible petitioning party candidate" means a candidate for 16
46	46	election to an office pursuant to subpart C of part III of chapter 153 17
47	47	whose nominating petition has been approved by the Secretary of the 18
48	48	State pursuant to section 9-453o. 19
49	49	(6) "Fund" means the Citizens' Election Fund established in section 20
50	50	9-701, as amended by this act. 21
51	51	(7) "General election campaign" means (A) in the case of a candidate 22
52	52	nominated at a primary, the period beginning on the day following the 23
53	53	primary and ending on the date the treasurer files the final statement 24
54	54	for such campaign pursuant to section 9-608, or (B) in the case of a 25
55	55	candidate nominated without a primary, the period beginning on the 26
56	56	day following the day on which the candidate is nominated and 27
57	57	ending on the date the treasurer files the final statement for such 28
58	58	campaign pursuant to section 9-608. 29
59	59	(8) "Major party" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-372. 30
60	60	(9) "Minor party" has the same meaning as provided in section 9-31
61	61	372. 32
62	62	(10) "Municipal office" has the same meaning as provided in section 33
63	63	9-372. 34
64	64	(11) "Primary campaign" means the period beginning on the day 35
65	65	following the close of (A) a convention held pursuant to section 9-382 36
66	66	for the purpose of endorsing a candidate for nomination to the office of 37
67	67	Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, 38
68	68	State Treasurer or Secretary of the State or the district office of state 39
69	69	senator or state representative, or (B) a caucus, convention or town 40
70	70	committee meeting held pursuant to section 9-390 for the purpose of 41
71	71	endorsing a candidate for the municipal office of state senator or state 42 Raised Bill No. 918
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73	73
74	74
75	75	LCO No. 4393 3 of 33
76	76
77	77	representative, whichever is applicable, and ending on the day of a 43
78	78	primary held for the purpose of nominating a candidate for such 44
79	79	office. 45
80	80	(12) "Qualified candidate committee" means a candidate committee 46
81	81	(A) established to aid or promote the success of any candidate for 47
82	82	nomination or election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 48
83	83	Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer, Secretary of the 49
84	84	State, state senator or state representative, and (B) approved by the 50
85	85	commission to receive a grant from the Citizens' Election Fund under 51
86	86	section 9-706, as amended by this act. 52
87	87	(13) "Qualifying contribution" means a contribution that is applied 53
88	88	toward the amount required to receive a grant under section 9-705, as 54
89	89	amended by this act. 55
90	90	(14) "Supplemental qualifying contribution" means a contribution 56
91	91	received in order to qualify for a supplemental grant under section 2 of 57
92	92	this act or received in accordance with subdivision (3) of subsection (c) 58
93	93	of section 9-702, as amended by this act. 59
94	94	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2020) (a) (1) (A) The qualified 60
95	95	candidate committee of a major party candidate for the office of 61
96	96	Governor who has a primary for nomination to said office may be 62
97	97	eligible, in accordance with the provisions of this section, to receive a 63
98	98	supplemental grant from the Citizens' Election Fund for the primary 64
99	99	campaign in addition to a grant received pursuant to subdivision (1) of 65
100	100	subsection (a) of section 9-705 of the general statutes. 66
101	101	(B) The amount of a supplemental grant for the primary campaign 67
102	102	pursuant to this subdivision shall be determined pursuant to 68
103	103	subsection (b) of this section, but in no case shall exceed the maximum 69
104	104	amount provided for in this subparagraph. In the case of a primary 70
105	105	held in 2022, the maximum amount of such supplemental grant for the 71
106	106	primary campaign shall be seventy-five per cent of the grant for the 72
107	107	primary campaign authorized under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) 73
108	108	of section 9-705 of the general statutes. 74 Raised Bill No. 918
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110	110
111	111
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113	113
114	114	(2) (A) The qualified candidate committee of a candidate for the 75
115	115	office of Governor that received a grant from the Citizens' Election 76
116	116	Fund for the general election campaign pursuant to section 9-705 of the 77
117	117	general statutes, as amended by this act, may be eligible, in accordance 78
118	118	with the provisions of this section, to receive a supplemental grant 79
119	119	from the fund for the general election campaign in addition to a grant 80
120	120	received pursuant to subsection (a) of section 9-705 of the general 81
121	121	statutes. 82
122	122	(B) The amount of a supplemental grant for the general election 83
123	123	campaign pursuant to this subdivision shall be determined pursuant to 84
124	124	subsection (b) of this section, but in no case shall exceed the maximum 85
125	125	amount provided for in this subparagraph. In the case of an election 86
126	126	held in 2022, the maximum amount of such supplemental grant for the 87
127	127	general election campaign shall be seventy-five per cent of the 88
128	128	applicable grant for the general election campaign authorized under 89
129	129	section 9-705 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, for such 90
130	130	qualified candidate committee described in subparagraph (A) of this 91
131	131	subdivision. 92
132	132	(b) (1) Any qualified candidate committee described in subsection 93
133	133	(a) of this section is eligible to receive a supplemental grant for a 94
134	134	primary campaign, if applicable, and for a general election campaign if 95
135	135	(A) the qualified candidate committee receives supplemental 96
136	136	qualifying contributions for a supplemental grant under section 9-704 97
137	137	of the general statutes, as amended by this act, (B) the qualified 98
138	138	candidate committee returns all contributions that do not meet the 99
139	139	criteria for supplemental qualifying contributions under section 9-704 100
140	140	of the general statutes, as amended by this act, (C) the participating 101
141	141	candidate agrees to limit such candidate's qualified candidate 102
142	142	committee's campaign expenditures in accordance with the provisions 103
143	143	of section 9-702 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and (D) 104
144	144	the qualified candidate committee submits an application, and the 105
145	145	State Elections Enforcement Commission approves such application, in 106
146	146	accordance with the provisions of this section and subsections (a) and 107
147	147	(b) of section 9-706 of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 108 Raised Bill No. 918
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149	149
150	150
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153	153	(2) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall review each 109
154	154	application described in subdivision (1) of this subsection in 110
155	155	accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of section 9-706 of the 111
156	156	general statutes, as amended by this act. If the commission approves 112
157	157	the application of any such qualified candidate committee described in 113
158	158	subdivision (1) of this subsection, the amount of any supplemental 114
159	159	grant payable to such committee shall be equal to three times the 115
160	160	amount of contributions received by such committee that qualify as 116
161	161	supplemental qualifying contributions for a supplemental grant under 117
162	162	section 9-704 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, but in no 118
163	163	case shall the amount of such supplemental grant exceed the 119
164	164	maximum amount applicable to such committee under subsection (a) 120
165	165	of this section. The commission shall authorize the payment of such 121
166	166	supplemental grant in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) 122
167	167	of section 9-706 of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 123
168	168	Sec. 3. Section 9-702 of the general statutes is repealed and the 124
169	169	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 125
170	170	(a) There is established a Citizens' Election Program under which (1) 126
171	171	the candidate committee of a major party candidate for nomination to 127
172	172	the office of state senator or state representative in 2008, or thereafter, 128
173	173	or the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, 129
174	174	State Comptroller, Secretary of the State or State Treasurer in 2010, or 130
175	175	thereafter, may receive a grant from the Citizens' Election Fund for the 131
176	176	candidate's primary campaign for said nomination, and (2) the 132
177	177	candidate committee of a candidate nominated by a major party, or the 133
178	178	candidate committee of an eligible minor party candidate or an eligible 134
179	179	petitioning party candidate, (A) for election to the office of state 135
180	180	senator or state representative at a special election held on or after 136
181	181	December 31, 2006, or at a regular election held in 2008, or thereafter, 137
182	182	or (B) for election to the office of Governor, Attorney General, State 138
183	183	Comptroller, Secretary of the State or State Treasurer in 2010, or 139
184	184	thereafter, may receive a grant from the fund for the candidate's 140
185	185	general election campaign for said office. 141 Raised Bill No. 918
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187	187
188	188
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190	190
191	191	(b) (1) Any such candidate committee is eligible to receive such 142
192	192	grants under sections 9-705 and 9-706, as amended by this act, for a 143
193	193	primary campaign, if applicable, and a general election campaign if 144
194	194	[(1)] (A) the candidate certifies as a participating candidate under 145
195	195	section 9-703, as amended by this act, [(2)] (B) the candidate's 146
196	196	candidate committee receives the required amount of qualifying 147
197	197	contributions under section 9-704, as amended by this act, [(3)] (C) the 148
198	198	candidate's candidate committee returns, or transmits to the State 149
199	199	Elections Enforcement Commission for deposit in the Citizens' Election 150
200	200	Fund, all contributions that do not meet the criteria for qualifying 151
201	201	contributions under section 9-704, as amended by this act, [(4)] (D) the 152
202	202	candidate agrees to limit the campaign expenditures of the candidate's 153
203	203	candidate committee in accordance with the provisions of subsection 154
204	204	(c) of this section, and [(5)] (E) the candidate submits an application 155
205	205	and the commission approves the application in accordance with the 156
206	206	provisions of section 9-706, as amended by this act. 157
207	207	(2) After receiving a grant under sections 9-705 and 9-706, as 158
208	208	amended by this act, a qualified candidate committee of a candidate 159
209	209	for the office of Governor may then qualify for a supplemental grant 160
210	210	under section 2 of this act. 161
211	211	(c) (1) A candidate participating in the Citizens' Election Program 162
212	212	shall limit the expenditures of the candidate's candidate committee (A) 163
213	213	before a primary campaign and a general election campaign, to the 164
214	214	amount of qualifying contributions permitted in section 9-704, as 165
215	215	amended by this act, and any personal funds provided by the 166
216	216	candidate under subsection (c) of section 9-710, (B) for a primary 167
217	217	campaign, to the sum of (i) the amount of such qualifying 168
218	218	contributions and personal funds that have not been spent before the 169
219	219	primary campaign, [and] (ii) the amount of the grant for the primary 170
220	220	campaign authorized under section 9-705, as amended by this act, (iii) 171
221	221	the amount of any supplemental grant for the primary campaign 172
222	222	authorized under section 2 of this act, if applicable, for a candidate for 173
223	223	the office of Governor, and (iv) the amount of any supplemental 174
224	224	qualifying contributions under subdivision (3) of this subsection, if 175 Raised Bill No. 918
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226	226
227	227
228	228	LCO No. 4393 7 of 33
229	229
230	230	applicable, for a candidate for the office of Governor, and (C) for a 176
231	231	general election campaign, to the sum of (i) the amount of such 177
232	232	qualifying contributions and personal funds that have not been spent 178
233	233	before the general election campaign, (ii) any unexpended funds from 179
234	234	any grant for a primary campaign authorized under section 9-705, as 180
235	235	amended by this act, [and] or from any supplemental grant for a 181
236	236	primary campaign authorized under section 2 of this act, if applicable, 182
237	237	(iii) the amount of the grant for the general election campaign 183
238	238	authorized under section 9-705, as amended by this act, (iv) the 184
239	239	amount of any supplemental grant for the general election campaign 185
240	240	authorized under section 2 of this act, if applicable, for a candidate for 186
241	241	the office of Governor, and (v) the amount of any supplemental 187
242	242	qualifying contributions under subdivision (3) of this subsection for a 188
243	243	candidate for the office of Governor. 189
244	244	(2) The candidate committee of a minor or petitioning party 190
245	245	candidate who has received a general election campaign grant from 191
246	246	the fund pursuant to section 9-705, as amended by this act, shall be 192
247	247	permitted to receive contributions in addition to the qualifying 193
248	248	contributions subject to the limitations and restrictions applicable to 194
249	249	participating candidates for the same office, provided such minor or 195
250	250	petitioning party candidate shall limit the expenditures of the 196
251	251	candidate committee for a general election campaign to the sum of the 197
252	252	qualifying contributions and personal funds, the amount of the general 198
253	253	election campaign grant received and the amount raised in additional 199
254	254	contributions that is equivalent to the difference between the amount 200
255	255	of the applicable general election campaign grant for a major party 201
256	256	candidate for such office and the amount of the general election 202
257	257	campaign grant received by such minor or petitioning party candidate. 203
258	258	(3) After qualifying for a grant under section 9-705, as amended by 204
259	259	this act, a qualified candidate committee of a candidate for the office of 205
260	260	Governor that is eligible to receive a supplemental grant under section 206
261	261	2 of this act, regardless of whether such candidate committee satisfies 207
262	262	application deadlines under section 9-706, as amended by this act, may 208
263	263	receive supplemental qualifying contributions subject to the limitations 209 Raised Bill No. 918
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266	266
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269	269	and restrictions under section 9-704, as amended by this act. The 210
270	270	amount raised in supplemental qualifying contributions shall not 211
271	271	exceed an amount that is equivalent to one-third of the maximum 212
272	272	amount of the applicable grant for which such qualified candidate 213
273	273	committee would be eligible if such qualified candidate committee 214
274	274	received the maximum grant amount under section 2 of this act. 215
275	275	(d) For the purposes of this chapter and section 2 of this act, if a 216
276	276	qualified candidate committee receives a grant for a primary campaign 217
277	277	and has qualifying contributions that have not been spent before the 218
278	278	primary campaign, no expenditures by such committee during the 219
279	279	primary campaign shall be deemed to have been made from such 220
280	280	qualifying contributions until the primary campaign grant funds have 221
281	281	been fully spent. 222
282	282	(e) [No] Any grants or moneys paid to a qualified candidate 223
283	283	committee from the Citizens' Election Fund under this chapter or 224
284	284	section 2 of this act shall not be deemed to be public funds under any 225
285	285	other provision of the general statutes or any public or special act 226
286	286	unless specifically stated by such provision. 227
287	287	Sec. 4. Section 9-704 of the general statutes is repealed and the 228
288	288	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 229
289	289	(a) The amount of qualifying contributions that the candidate 230
290	290	committee of a candidate shall be required to receive in order to be 231
291	291	eligible for grants from the Citizens' Election Fund under section 9-705, 232
292	292	as amended by this act, shall be: 233
293	293	(1) In the case of a candidate for nomination or election to the office 234
294	294	of Governor, contributions from individuals in the aggregate amount 235
295	295	of two hundred fifty thousand dollars, of which two hundred twenty-236
296	296	five thousand dollars or more is contributed by individuals residing in 237
297	297	the state, except that in the case of a primary or election held in 2022, 238
298	298	or thereafter, the aggregate contribution amounts shall be first adjusted 239
299	299	under subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section and then 240
300	300	rounded to the nearest multiple of one hundred dollars with exactly 241 Raised Bill No. 918
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302	302
303	303
304	304	LCO No. 4393 9 of 33
305	305
306	306	fifty dollars rounded upward. The provisions of this subdivision shall 242
307	307	be subject to the following: (A) Except as provided in subparagraph 243
308	308	(C) of this subdivision and subsection (g) of section 9-610, (i) before 244
309	309	January 1, 2019, the candidate committee shall return the portion of 245
310	310	any contribution or contributions from any individual, including said 246
311	311	candidate, that exceeds one hundred dollars, (ii) on and after January 247
312	312	1, 2019, the candidate committee shall return the portion of any 248
313	313	contribution or contributions from any individual, including said 249
314	314	candidate, that exceeds two hundred fifty dollars, and (iii) any such 250
315	315	excess portion shall not be considered in calculating the aggregate 251
316	316	contribution amounts under this subdivision, (B) all contributions 252
317	317	received by (i) an exploratory committee established by said candidate, 253
318	318	or (ii) an exploratory committee or candidate committee of a candidate 254
319	319	for the office of Lieutenant Governor who is deemed to be jointly 255
320	320	campaigning with a candidate for nomination or election to the office 256
321	321	of Governor under subsection (a) of section 9-709, which meet the 257
322	322	criteria for qualifying contributions to candidate committees under this 258
323	323	section shall be considered in calculating the aggregate contribution 259
324	324	amounts, and (C) in the case of a primary or election held in 2022, or 260
325	325	thereafter, the two-hundred-fifty-dollar maximum individual 261
326	326	contribution amount provided in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision 262
327	327	shall be first adjusted under subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this 263
328	328	section and then rounded to the nearest multiple of ten dollars with 264
329	329	exactly five dollars rounded upward. 265
330	330	(2) In the case of a candidate for nomination or election to the office 266
331	331	of Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State 267
332	332	Treasurer or Secretary of the State, contributions from individuals in 268
333	333	the aggregate amount of seventy-five thousand dollars, of which sixty-269
334	334	seven thousand five hundred dollars or more is contributed by 270
335	335	individuals residing in the state, except that in the case of a primary or 271
336	336	election for Lieutenant Governor held in 2022, or thereafter, the 272
337	337	aggregate contribution amounts shall be first adjusted under 273
338	338	subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section and then rounded to the 274
339	339	nearest multiple of one hundred dollars with exactly fifty dollars 275 Raised Bill No. 918
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341	341
342	342
343	343	LCO No. 4393 10 of 33
344	344
345	345	rounded upward and in the case of a primary or election for Attorney 276
346	346	General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State 277
347	347	held in 2018, or thereafter, the aggregate contribution amounts shall be 278
348	348	first adjusted under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section and 279
349	349	then rounded to the nearest multiple of one hundred dollars with 280
350	350	exactly fifty dollars rounded upward. The provisions of this 281
351	351	subdivision shall be subject to the following: (A) Except as provided in 282
352	352	subparagraph (C) of this subdivision and subsection (g) of section 9-283
353	353	610, (i) before January 1, 2019, the candidate committee shall return the 284
354	354	portion of any contribution or contributions from any individual, 285
355	355	including said candidate, that exceeds one hundred dollars, (ii) on and 286
356	356	after January 1, 2019, the candidate committee shall return the portion 287
357	357	of any contribution or contributions from any individual, including 288
358	358	said candidate, that exceeds two hundred fifty dollars, and (iii) any 289
359	359	such excess portion shall not be considered in calculating the aggregate 290
360	360	contribution amounts under this subdivision, (B) all contributions 291
361	361	received by an exploratory committee established by said candidate 292
362	362	that meet the criteria for qualifying contributions to candidate 293
363	363	committees under this section shall be considered in calculating the 294
364	364	aggregate contribution amounts, and (C) in the case of a primary or 295
365	365	election held in 2022, or thereafter, the two-hundred-fifty-dollar 296
366	366	maximum individual contribution amount provided in subparagraph 297
367	367	(A) of this subdivision shall be first adjusted under subdivision (1) of 298
368	368	subsection (c) of this section and then rounded to the nearest multiple 299
369	369	of ten dollars with exactly five dollars rounded upward. 300
370	370	(3) In the case of a candidate for nomination or election to the office 301
371	371	of state senator for a district, contributions from individuals in the 302
372	372	aggregate amount of fifteen thousand dollars, including contributions 303
373	373	from at least three hundred individuals residing in municipalities 304
374	374	included, in whole or in part, in said district, except that in the case of 305
375	375	a primary or election held in 2018, or thereafter, the aggregate 306
376	376	contribution amount shall be first adjusted under subdivision (3) of 307
377	377	subsection (b) of this section and then rounded to the nearest multiple 308
378	378	of one hundred dollars with exactly fifty dollars rounded upward. The 309 Raised Bill No. 918
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380	380
381	381
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383	383
384	384	provisions of this subdivision shall be subject to the following: (A) 310
385	385	Except as provided in subparagraph (D) of this subdivision and 311
386	386	subsection (g) of section 9-610, (i) before December 1, 2017, the 312
387	387	candidate committee shall return the portion of any contribution or 313
388	388	contributions from any individual, including said candidate, that 314
389	389	exceeds one hundred dollars, (ii) on and after December 1, 2017, the 315
390	390	candidate committee shall return the portion of any contribution or 316
391	391	contributions from any individual, including said candidate, that 317
392	392	exceeds two hundred fifty dollars, and (iii) any such excess portion 318
393	393	shall not be considered in calculating the aggregate contribution 319
394	394	amount under this subdivision, (B) no contribution shall be counted 320
395	395	for the purposes of the requirement under this subdivision for 321
396	396	contributions from at least three hundred individuals residing in 322
397	397	municipalities included, in whole or in part, in the district unless the 323
398	398	contribution is five dollars or more, and (C) all contributions received 324
399	399	by an exploratory committee established by said candidate that meet 325
400	400	the criteria for qualifying contributions to candidate committees under 326
401	401	this section shall be considered in calculating the aggregate 327
402	402	contribution amount under this subdivision and all such exploratory 328
403	403	committee contributions that also meet the requirement under this 329
404	404	subdivision for contributions from at least three hundred individuals 330
405	405	residing in municipalities included, in whole or in part, in the district 331
406	406	shall be counted for the purposes of said requirement, and (D) in the 332
407	407	case of a primary or election held in 2020, or thereafter, the two-333
408	408	hundred-fifty-dollar maximum individual contribution amount 334
409	409	provided in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall be adjusted 335
410	410	under subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section and then 336
411	411	rounded to the nearest multiple of ten dollars with exactly five dollars 337
412	412	rounded upward. 338
413	413	(4) In the case of a candidate for nomination or election to the office 339
414	414	of state representative for a district, contributions from individuals in 340
415	415	the aggregate amount of five thousand dollars, including contributions 341
416	416	from at least one hundred fifty individuals residing in municipalities 342
417	417	included, in whole or in part, in said district, except that in the case of 343 Raised Bill No. 918
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419	419
420	420
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422	422
423	423	a primary or election held in 2018, or thereafter, the aggregate 344
424	424	contribution amount shall be first adjusted under subdivision (3) of 345
425	425	subsection (b) of this section and then rounded to the nearest multiple 346
426	426	of one hundred dollars with exactly fifty dollars rounded upward. The 347
427	427	provisions of this subdivision shall be subject to the following: (A) 348
428	428	Except as provided in subparagraph (D) of this subdivision and 349
429	429	subsection (g) of section 9-610, (i) before December 1, 2017, the 350
430	430	candidate committee shall return the portion of any contribution or 351
431	431	contributions from any individual, including said candidate, that 352
432	432	exceeds one hundred dollars, (ii) on and after December 1, 2017, the 353
433	433	candidate committee shall return the portion of any contribution or 354
434	434	contributions from any individual, including said candidate, that 355
435	435	exceeds two hundred fifty dollars, and (iii) any such excess portion 356
436	436	shall not be considered in calculating the aggregate contribution 357
437	437	amount under this subdivision, (B) no contribution shall be counted 358
438	438	for the purposes of the requirement under this subdivision for 359
439	439	contributions from at least one hundred fifty individuals residing in 360
440	440	municipalities included, in whole or in part, in the district unless the 361
441	441	contribution is five dollars or more, (C) all contributions received by an 362
442	442	exploratory committee established by said candidate that meet the 363
443	443	criteria for qualifying contributions to candidate committees under this 364
444	444	section shall be considered in calculating the aggregate contribution 365
445	445	amount under this subdivision and all such exploratory committee 366
446	446	contributions that also meet the requirement under this subdivision for 367
447	447	contributions from at least one hundred fifty individuals residing in 368
448	448	municipalities included, in whole or in part, in the district shall be 369
449	449	counted for the purposes of said requirement, and (D) in the case of a 370
450	450	primary or election held in 2020, or thereafter, the two-hundred-fifty-371
451	451	dollar maximum individual contribution amount provided in 372
452	452	subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall be adjusted under 373
453	453	subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section and then rounded to the 374
454	454	nearest multiple of ten dollars with exactly five dollars rounded 375
455	455	upward. 376
456	456	(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (3) and (4) of 377 Raised Bill No. 918
457	457
458	458
459	459
460	460	LCO No. 4393 13 of 33
461	461
462	462	this subsection, in the case of a special election for the office of state 378
463	463	senator or state representative for a district, (A) the aggregate amount 379
464	464	of qualifying contributions that the candidate committee of a candidate 380
465	465	for such office shall be required to receive in order to be eligible for a 381
466	466	grant from the Citizens' Election Fund shall be seventy-five per cent or 382
467	467	more of the corresponding amount required under the applicable said 383
468	468	subdivision (3) or (4), as adjusted and rounded pursuant to the 384
469	469	applicable provisions of subsection (b) of this section, and (B) the 385
470	470	number of contributions required from individuals residing in 386
471	471	municipalities included, in whole or in part, in said district shall be 387
472	472	seventy-five per cent or more of the corresponding number required 388
473	473	under the applicable said subdivision (3) or (4). 389
474	474	(b) (1) For elections for the office of Governor or Lieutenant 390
475	475	Governor held in 2022, and thereafter, the aggregate contribution 391
476	476	amounts in subdivision (1) or (2), as applicable, of subsection (a) of this 392
477	477	section shall be adjusted by the State Elections Enforcement 393
478	478	Commission not later than January 15, 2022, and quadrennially 394
479	479	thereafter, in accordance with any change in the consumer price index 395
480	480	for all urban consumers as published by the United States Department 396
481	481	of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the period beginning on 397
482	482	January 1, 2017, and ending on December thirty-first in the year 398
483	483	preceding the year in which said adjustment is to be made. 399
484	484	(2) For elections for the office of Attorney General, State 400
485	485	Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State held in 2018, and 401
486	486	thereafter, the aggregate contribution amounts in subdivision (2) of 402
487	487	subsection (a) of this section shall be adjusted by the State Elections 403
488	488	Enforcement Commission not later than January 15, 2018, and 404
489	489	quadrennially thereafter, in accordance with any change in the 405
490	490	consumer price index for all urban consumers as published by the 406
491	491	United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during 407
492	492	the period beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending on December 408
493	493	thirty-first in the year preceding the year in which said adjustment is 409
494	494	to be made. 410 Raised Bill No. 918
495	495
496	496
497	497
498	498	LCO No. 4393 14 of 33
499	499
500	500	(3) For elections for the office of state senator or state representative 411
501	501	held in 2018, and thereafter, the aggregate contribution amounts in 412
502	502	subdivision (3) or (4), as applicable, of subsection (a) of this section 413
503	503	shall be adjusted by the State Elections Enforcement Commission not 414
504	504	later than January 15, 2018, and biennially thereafter, in accordance 415
505	505	with any change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers 416
506	506	as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of 417
507	507	Labor Statistics, during the period beginning on January 1, 2017, and 418
508	508	ending on December thirty-first in the year preceding the year in 419
509	509	which said adjustment is to be made. 420
510	510	(c) (1) For elections for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 421
511	511	Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of 422
512	512	the State held in 2022, and thereafter, the two-hundred-fifty-dollar 423
513	513	maximum individual contribution amount in subdivision (1) or (2), as 424
514	514	applicable, of subsection (a) of this section shall be adjusted by the 425
515	515	State Elections Enforcement Commission not later than January 15, 426
516	516	2022, and quadrennially thereafter, in accordance with any change in 427
517	517	the consumer price index for all urban consumers as published by the 428
518	518	United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during 429
519	519	the period beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending on December 430
520	520	thirty-first in the year preceding the year in which said adjustment is 431
521	521	to be made. 432
522	522	(2) For elections for the office of state senator or state representative 433
523	523	held in 2020, and thereafter, the two-hundred-fifty-dollar maximum 434
524	524	individual contribution amount in subdivision (3) or (4), as applicable, 435
525	525	of subsection (a) of this section shall be adjusted by the State Elections 436
526	526	Enforcement Commission not later than January 15, 2020, and 437
527	527	biennially thereafter, in accordance with any change in the consumer 438
528	528	price index for all urban consumers as published by the United States 439
529	529	Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the period 440
530	530	beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending on December thirty-first in 441
531	531	the year preceding the year in which said adjustment is to be made. 442
532	532	(d) The maximum amou nt of contributions that a qualified 443 Raised Bill No. 918
533	533
534	534
535	535
536	536	LCO No. 4393 15 of 33
537	537
538	538	candidate committee described in section 2 of this act may receive as 444
539	539	supplemental qualifying contributions in order to be eligible for a 445
540	540	supplemental grant from the Citizens' Election Fund under said 446
541	541	section shall be: 447
542	542	(1) In the case of a qualified candidate committee of a major party 448
543	543	candidate for the office of Governor who has a primary campaign for 449
544	544	nomination to said office, contributions from individuals in an 450
545	545	aggregate amount not to exceed one-third of the maximum amount of 451
546	546	the supplemental grant for a primary campaign under subsection (a) of 452
547	547	section 2 of this act, of which seventy-five per cent or more of the 453
548	548	aggregate amount is contributed by individuals residing in the state. 454
549	549	The qualified candidate committee shall return the portion of any 455
550	550	contribution or contributions from any individual that exceeds one 456
551	551	hundred dollars, and such excess portion shall not be considered in 457
552	552	calculating such amounts. 458
553	553	(2) In the case of a qualified candidate committee of a candidate for 459
554	554	election to the office of Governor, contributions from individuals in an 460
555	555	aggregate amount not to exceed one-third of the maximum amount of 461
556	556	the supplemental grant for a general election campaign under 462
557	557	subsection (a) of section 2 of this act, of which seventy-five per cent or 463
558	558	more of the aggregate amount is contributed by individuals residing in 464
559	559	the state. The qualified candidate committee shall return the portion of 465
560	560	any contribution or contributions from any individual that exceeds one 466
561	561	hundred dollars, and such excess portion shall not be considered in 467
562	562	calculating such amounts. 468
563	563	[(d)] (e) Each individual who makes a contribution of more than 469
564	564	fifty dollars to a candidate committee established to aid or promote the 470
565	565	success of a participating candidate for nomination or election shall 471
566	566	include with the contribution a certification that contains the same 472
567	567	information described in subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of section 9-473
568	568	608 and shall follow the same procedure prescribed in said subsection. 474
569	569	[(e)] (f) The following shall not be deemed to be qualifying 475 Raised Bill No. 918
570	570
571	571
572	572
573	573	LCO No. 4393 16 of 33
574	574
575	575	contributions under subsection (a) of this section, or supplemental 476
576	576	qualifying contributions under subsection (d) of this section, and shall 477
577	577	be returned by the treasurer of the candidate committee to the 478
578	578	contributor or transmitted to the State Elections Enforcement 479
579	579	Commission for deposit in the Citizens' Election Fund: 480
580	580	(1) A contribution from a principal of a state contractor or 481
581	581	prospective state contractor; 482
582	582	(2) A contribution of less than five dollars, and a contribution of five 483
583	583	dollars or more from an individual who does not provide the full name 484
584	584	and complete address of the individual; 485
585	585	(3) A contribution under subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of 486
586	586	this section, or under subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (d) of this 487
587	587	section, from an individual who does not reside in the state, in excess 488
588	588	of the applicable limit on contributions from out-of-state individuals in 489
589	589	subsection (a) or (d), as applicable, of this section; and 490
590	590	(4) A contribution made by a youth who is less than twelve years of 491
591	591	age. 492
592	592	[(f) After] (g) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this 493
593	593	subsection, after a candidate committee receives the applicable 494
594	594	aggregate amount of qualifying contributions under subsection (a) of 495
595	595	this section, or supplemental qualifying contributions under 496
596	596	subsection (d) of this section, the candidate committee shall transmit 497
597	597	any additional contributions that it receives to the State Treasurer for 498
598	598	deposit in the Citizens' Election Fund, except as provided in 499
599	599	subdivision (2) of this subsection. 500
600	600	(2) If a qualified candidate committee of a candidate for the office of 501
601	601	Governor is eligible for a supplemental grant under section 2 of this 502
602	602	act, the qualified candidate committee may use excess qualifying 503
603	603	contributions, the aggregate amount of which shall be not more than 504
604	604	twenty per cent of the applicable aggregate amount of qualifying 505
605	605	contributions under subsection (a) of this section, as supplemental 506 Raised Bill No. 918
606	606
607	607
608	608
609	609	LCO No. 4393 17 of 33
610	610
611	611	qualifying contributions under subsection (d) of this section. If a 507
612	612	qualified candidate committee for the office of Governor is eligible for 508
613	613	a supplemental grant for a primary campaign under section 2 of this 509
614	614	act, the qualified candidate committee may use excess supplemental 510
615	615	qualifying contributions, the aggregate amount of which shall be not 511
616	616	more than twenty per cent of the applicable aggregate amount of 512
617	617	supplemental qualifying contributions for a primary campaign grant, 513
618	618	as supplemental qualifying contributions for a supplemental grant for 514
619	619	the general election campaign under section 2 of this act. 515
620	620	(h) The two-hundred-fifty-dollar maximum individual contribution 516
621	621	amount provided in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of subsection 517
622	622	(a) of this section shall apply to the aggregate total of each qualifying 518
623	623	contribution and each supplemental qualifying contribution. In the 519
624	624	case of a primary or election held in 2022, or thereafter, such maximum 520
625	625	individual contribution amount shall be first adjusted under 521
626	626	subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section and then rounded to the 522
627	627	nearest multiple of ten dollars with exactly five dollars rounded 523
628	628	upward. 524
629	629	[(g)] (i) As used in this section, "principal of a state contractor or 525
630	630	prospective state contractor" has the same meaning as provided in 526
631	631	subsection (g) of section 9-612, and "individual" shall include sole 527
632	632	proprietorships. 528
633	633	Sec. 5. Subdivision (2) of subsection (i) of section 9-705 of the general 529
634	634	statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 530
635	635	(Effective January 1, 2020): 531
636	636	(2) If a participating candidate is nominated at a primary and does 532
637	637	not expend the entire grant for the primary campaign authorized 533
638	638	under subsection (a), (b), (e) or (f) of this section, or does not expend 534
639	639	the entire supplemental grant for the primary campaign authorized 535
640	640	under section 2 of this act, if applicable, the amount of the grant for the 536
641	641	general election campaign shall be reduced by the total amount of any 537
642	642	such unexpended [primary campaign] grant for the primary campaign, 538 Raised Bill No. 918
643	643
644	644
645	645
646	646	LCO No. 4393 18 of 33
647	647
648	648	supplemental grant for the primary campaign and moneys; 539
649	649	Sec. 6. Subsections (b) to (g), inclusive, of section 9-706 of the general 540
650	650	statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 541
651	651	(Effective January 1, 2020): 542
652	652	(b) The application shall include a written certification that: 543
653	653	(1) The candidate committee has received the required amount of 544
654	654	qualifying contributions; 545
655	655	(2) The candidate committee has repaid all moneys borrowed on 546
656	656	behalf of the campaign, as required by subsection (b) of section 9-710; 547
657	657	(3) The candidate committee has returned any contribution of five 548
658	658	dollars or more from an individual who does not include the 549
659	659	individual's name and address with the contribution; 550
660	660	(4) [The] Except as provided in subsection (e) of section 9-704, as 551
661	661	amended by this act, the candidate committee has returned all 552
662	662	contributions or portions of contributions that do not meet the criteria 553
663	663	for qualifying contributions under section 9-704, as amended by this 554
664	664	act, and transmitted all excess qualifying contributions and 555
665	665	supplemental qualifying contributions to the Citizens' Election Fund; 556
666	666	(5) The treasurer of the candidate committee will: (A) Comply with 557
667	667	the provisions of chapter 155 and this chapter, and (B) maintain and 558
668	668	furnish all records required pursuant to chapter 155 and this chapter 559
669	669	and any regulation adopted pursuant to such chapters; 560
670	670	(6) All moneys received from the Citizens' Election Fund will be 561
671	671	deposited upon receipt into the depository account of the candidate 562
672	672	committee; 563
673	673	(7) The treasurer of the candidate committee will expend all moneys 564
674	674	received from the fund in accordance with the provisions of subsection 565
675	675	(g) of section 9-607 and regulations adopted by the State Elections 566
676	676	Enforcement Commission under subsection (e) of this section; 567 Raised Bill No. 918
677	677
678	678
679	679
680	680	LCO No. 4393 19 of 33
681	681
682	682	(8) If the candidate withdraws from the campaign, becomes 568
683	683	ineligible or dies during the campaign, the candidate committee of the 569
684	684	candidate will return to the commission, for deposit in the fund, all 570
685	685	moneys received from the fund pursuant to [sections 9-700 to 9-716, 571
686	686	inclusive, which] this chapter and section 2 of this act that said 572
687	687	candidate committee has not spent as of the date of such occurrence; 573
688	688	(9) All outstanding civil penalties or forfeitures assessed pursuant to 574
689	689	chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, against the current or any former 575
690	690	committee of the candidate have been paid, provided (A) in the case of 576
691	691	any candidate seeking nomination for or election to the office of 577
692	692	Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, 578
693	693	Secretary of the State or State Treasurer, any such penalty or forfeiture 579
694	694	was assessed not later than twenty-four months prior to the 580
695	695	submission of an application pursuant to this section; or (B) in the case 581
696	696	of any candidate seeking nomination for or election to the office of 582
697	697	state senator or state representative, any such penalty or forfeiture was 583
698	698	assessed not later than twelve months prior to the submission of an 584
699	699	application pursuant to this section; 585
700	700	(10) The treasurer has paid any civil penalties or forfeitures assessed 586
701	701	pursuant to chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, and has not been convicted 587
702	702	of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to, in a court of competent 588
703	703	jurisdiction, any (A) felony involving fraud, forgery, larceny, 589
704	704	embezzlement or bribery, or (B) criminal offense under this title, unless 590
705	705	at least eight years have elapsed from the date of the conviction or plea 591
706	706	or the completion of any sentence, whichever date is later, without a 592
707	707	subsequent conviction of or plea to another such felony or offense; 593
708	708	(11) The candidate has not been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo 594
709	709	contendere to, in a court of competent jurisdiction, a criminal offense 595
710	710	under this title unless at least eight years have elapsed from the date of 596
711	711	the conviction or plea or the completion of any sentence, whichever 597
712	712	date is later, without a subsequent conviction of or plea to another 598
713	713	such offense; and 599 Raised Bill No. 918
714	714
715	715
716	716
717	717	LCO No. 4393 20 of 33
718	718
719	719	(12) The candidate has never been convicted of or pled guilty or 600
720	720	nolo contendere to, in a court of competent jurisdiction, a felony 601
721	721	related to the individual's public office, other than a criminal offense 602
722	722	under this title in accordance with subdivision (11) of this subsection. 603
723	723	(c) The application shall be accompanied by a cumulative itemized 604
724	724	accounting of all funds received, expenditures made and expenses 605
725	725	incurred but not yet paid by the candidate committee as of three days 606
726	726	preceding the day the application is filed. Such accounting shall be 607
727	727	sworn to under penalty of false statement by the treasurer of the 608
728	728	candidate committee. The commission shall prescribe the form of the 609
729	729	application and the cumulative itemized accounting. The form for such 610
730	730	accounting shall conform to the requirements of section 9-608. Both the 611
731	731	candidate and the treasurer of the candidate committee shall sign the 612
732	732	application. 613
733	733	(d) In accordance with the provisions of subsection (g) of this 614
734	734	section, the commission shall review the application, determine 615
735	735	whether (1) the candidate committee for the applicant has received the 616
736	736	required qualifying contributions, (2) in the case of an application for a 617
737	737	grant from the fund for a primary campaign, the applicant has met the 618
738	738	applicable condition under subsection (a) of this section for applying 619
739	739	for such grant and complied with the provisions of subsections (b) and 620
740	740	(c) of this section, (3) in the case of an application for a grant from the 621
741	741	fund for a general election campaign, the applicant has met the 622
742	742	applicable condition under subsection (a) of this section for applying 623
743	743	for such moneys and complied with the provisions of subsections (b) 624
744	744	and (c) of this section, and (4) in the case of an application by a minor 625
745	745	party or petitioning party candidate for a grant from the fund for a 626
746	746	general election campaign, the applicant qualifies as an eligible minor 627
747	747	party candidate or an eligible petitioning party candidate, whichever is 628
748	748	applicable. If the commission approves an application, the commission 629
749	749	shall determine the amount of the grant payable to the candidate 630
750	750	committee for the applicant pursuant to section 9-705, as amended by 631
751	751	this act, or section 2 of this act, from the fund, and notify the State 632
752	752	Comptroller and the candidate of such candidate committee, of such 633 Raised Bill No. 918
753	753
754	754
755	755
756	756	LCO No. 4393 21 of 33
757	757
758	758	amount. If the timing of the commission's approval of the grant in 634
759	759	relation to the Secretary of the State's determination of ballot status is 635
760	760	such that the commission cannot determine whether the qualified 636
761	761	candidate committee is entitled to the applicable full initial grant for 637
762	762	the primary or election or the applicable partial grant for the primary 638
763	763	or election, as the case may be, the commission shall approve the lesser 639
764	764	applicable partial initial grant. The commission shall then authorize 640
765	765	the payment of the remaining portion of the applicable grant after the 641
766	766	commission has knowledge of the circumstances regarding the ballot 642
767	767	status of the opposing candidates in such primary or election. Not later 643
768	768	than two business days following notification by the commission, the 644
769	769	State Comptroller shall draw an order on the State Treasurer for 645
770	770	payment of any such approved amount to the qualified candidate 646
771	771	committee from the fund. 647
772	772	(e) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall adopt 648
773	773	regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, on 649
774	774	permissible expenditures under subsection (g) of section 9-607 for 650
775	775	qualified candidate committees receiving grants from the fund [under 651
776	776	sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive] pursuant to this chapter and section 2 652
777	777	of this act. 653
778	778	(f) If a nominated participating candidate dies, withdraws the 654
779	779	candidate's candidacy or becomes disqualified to hold the office for 655
780	780	which the candidate has been nominated after the commission 656
781	781	approves the candidate's application for a grant under this section, the 657
782	782	candidate committee of the candidate who is nominated to replace said 658
783	783	candidate pursuant to section 9-460 shall be eligible to receive grants 659
784	784	from the fund without complying with the provisions of section 9-704, 660
785	785	as amended by this act, if said replacement candidate files an affidavit 661
786	786	under section 9-703, as amended by this act, certifying the candidate's 662
787	787	intent to abide by the expenditure limits set forth in subsection (c) of 663
788	788	section 9-702, as amended by this act, and notifies the commission on a 664
789	789	form prescribed by the commission. 665
790	790	(g) (1) Any application submitted pursuant to this section for a grant 666 Raised Bill No. 918
791	791
792	792
793	793
794	794	LCO No. 4393 22 of 33
795	795
796	796	for the primary or general election campaign under section 9-705, as 667
797	797	amended by this act, or a supplemental grant for the primary or 668
798	798	general election campaign under section 2 of this act, shall be 669
799	799	submitted in accordance with the following schedule: (A) By five 670
800	800	o'clock p.m. on the third Wednesday in May of the year that the 671
801	801	primary or election will be held at which such participating candidate 672
802	802	will seek nomination or election, or (B) by five o'clock p.m. on any 673
803	803	subsequent Wednesday of such year, provided no application shall be 674
804	804	accepted by the commission after five o'clock p.m. on or after the 675
805	805	fourth to last Friday prior to the primary or election at which such 676
806	806	participating candidate will seek nomination or election. Not later than 677
807	807	five business days following any such Wednesday or Friday, as 678
808	808	applicable, for participating candidates seeking nomination or election 679
809	809	to the office of state senator or state representative, or ten business 680
810	810	days following any such Wednesday or Friday, as applicable, for 681
811	811	participating candidates seeking nomination or election to the office of 682
812	812	Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, 683
813	813	State Treasurer or Secretary of the State or, in the event of a national, 684
814	814	regional or local emergency or local natural disaster, as soon thereafter 685
815	815	as is practicable, the commission shall review any application received 686
816	816	by such Wednesday or Friday, in accordance with the provisions of 687
817	817	subsection (d) of this section, and determine whether such application 688
818	818	shall be approved or disapproved. Notwithstanding the provisions of 689
819	819	this subsection, if an application for a grant for the general election 690
820	820	[grant] campaign under section 9-705, as amended by this act, or a 691
821	821	supplemental grant for the general election campaign under section 2 692
822	822	of this act, is received during the period beginning at five o’clock p.m. 693
823	823	on the Wednesday of the week preceding the week of the last primary 694
824	824	application deadline and ending five o’clock p.m. on the last primary 695
825	825	application deadline, as set forth in this subsection, the commission 696
826	826	shall review such application in accordance with the provisions of 697
827	827	subsection (d) of this section and determine whether it shall be 698
828	828	approved or disapproved not later than five business days or ten 699
829	829	business days, as applicable, after the first application deadline 700
830	830	following the last primary application deadline. For any such 701 Raised Bill No. 918
831	831
832	832
833	833
834	834	LCO No. 4393 23 of 33
835	835
836	836	application that is approved, any disbursement of funds by the 702
837	837	commission shall be made not later than twelve business days prior to 703
838	838	any such primary or general election. From the third week of June in 704
839	839	even-numbered years until the third week in July, the commission 705
840	840	shall meet twice weekly to determine whether or not to approve 706
841	841	applications for grants if there are pending grant applications. 707
842	842	(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 708
843	843	subsection, no application for a special election shall be accepted by 709
844	844	the commission after five o'clock p.m. on or after ten business days 710
845	845	prior to the special election at which such participating candidate will 711
846	846	seek election. Not later than three business days following such 712
847	847	deadline, or, in the event of a national, regional or local emergency or 713
848	848	local natural disaster, as soon thereafter as practicable, the commission 714
849	849	shall review any such application received by such deadline, in 715
850	850	accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, and 716
851	851	determine whether such application shall be approved or disapproved. 717
852	852	For any such application that is approved, any disbursement of funds 718
853	853	by the commission shall be made not later than seven business days 719
854	854	prior to any such special election. 720
855	855	(3) The commission shall publish such application review schedules 721
856	856	and meeting schedules on the commission's web site and with the 722
857	857	Secretary of the State. 723
858	858	Sec. 7. Section 9-701 of the general statutes is repealed and the 724
859	859	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 725
860	860	There is established the "Citizens' Election Fund", which shall be a 726
861	861	separate, nonlapsing account within the General Fund. The fund may 727
862	862	contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the fund. 728
863	863	Investment earnings credited to the assets of the fund shall become 729
864	864	part of the assets of the fund. The State Treasurer shall administer the 730
865	865	fund. All moneys deposited in the fund shall be used for the purposes 731
866	866	of [sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive] this chapter and section 2 of this 732
867	867	act. 733 Raised Bill No. 918
868	868
869	869
870	870
871	871	LCO No. 4393 24 of 33
872	872
873	873	Sec. 8. Subsections (b) and (c) of section 9-703 of the general statutes 734
874	874	are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 735
875	875	January 1, 2020): 736
876	876	(b) A candidate who so certifies the candidate's intent to abide by 737
877	877	the expenditure limits under the Citizens' Election Program set forth in 738
878	878	subsection (c) of section 9-702, as amended by this act, shall be referred 739
879	879	to in [sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive,] this chapter and section 2 of 740
880	880	this act as a "participating candidate", and a candidate who so certifies 741
881	881	the candidate's intent to not abide by said limits shall be referred to in 742
882	882	[sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive,] this chapter and section 2 of this act 743
883	883	as a "nonparticipating candidate". The commission shall prepare a list 744
884	884	of the participating candidates and a list of the nonparticipating 745
885	885	candidates and shall make such lists available for public inspection. 746
886	886	(c) A participating candidate may withdraw from participation in 747
887	887	the Citizens' Election Program before applying for an initial grant 748
888	888	under section 9-706, as amended by this act, by filing an affidavit with 749
889	889	the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which includes a written 750
890	890	certification of such withdrawal. A candidate who files such an 751
891	891	affidavit shall be deemed to be a nonparticipating candidate for the 752
892	892	purposes of [sections 9-700 to 9-716, inclusive,] this chapter and section 753
893	893	2 of this act and shall not be penalized for such withdrawal. No 754
894	894	participating candidate shall withdraw from participation in the 755
895	895	Citizens' Election Program after applying for an initial grant under 756
896	896	section 9-706, as amended by this act. 757
897	897	Sec. 9. Section 9-707 of the general statutes is repealed and the 758
898	898	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 759
899	899	Following the initial deposit of moneys from the Citizens' Election 760
900	900	Fund into the depository account of a qualified candidate committee, 761
901	901	no contribution, loan, amount of the candidate's own moneys or any 762
902	902	other moneys received by the candidate or the treasurer on behalf of 763
903	903	the committee shall be deposited into said depository account, except 764
904	904	(1) grants under section 9-705, as amended by this act, and 765 Raised Bill No. 918
905	905
906	906
907	907
908	908	LCO No. 4393 25 of 33
909	909
910	910	supplemental grants under section 2 of this act from the fund, [and] (2) 766
911	911	any supplemental qualifying contributions received in accordance 767
912	912	with the provisions of subsection (b) of section 9-704, as amended by 768
913	913	this act, or the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of section 769
914	914	9-702, as amended by this act, and (3) reimbursement from another 770
915	915	candidate committee for shared expenses [as provided] pursuant to 771
916	916	subsection (b) of section 9-610. 772
917	917	Sec. 10. Subsection (a) of section 9-711 of the general statutes is 773
918	918	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 774
919	919	January 1, 2020): 775
920	920	(a) If an expenditure in excess of the applicable expenditure limit set 776
921	921	forth in subsection (c) of section 9-702, as amended by this act, is made 777
922	922	or incurred by a qualified candidate committee that receives a grant 778
923	923	from the Citizens' Election Fund pursuant to section 9-706, as amended 779
924	924	by this act, (1) the candidate and treasurer of said committee shall be 780
925	925	jointly and severally liable for paying for the excess expenditure, (2) 781
926	926	the committee shall not receive any additional grants or moneys from 782
927	927	the fund for the remainder of the election cycle if the State Elections 783
928	928	Enforcement Commission determines that the candidate or treasurer of 784
929	929	said committee had knowledge of the excess expenditure, (3) the 785
930	930	treasurer shall be subject to penalties under section 9-7b, and (4) the 786
931	931	candidate of said candidate committee shall be deemed to be a 787
932	932	nonparticipating candidate for the purposes of [sections 9-700 to 9-716, 788
933	933	inclusive,] this chapter and section 2 of this act if the commission 789
934	934	determines that the candidate or treasurer of said committee had 790
935	935	knowledge of the excess expenditure. The commission may waive the 791
936	936	provisions of this subsection upon determining that an excess 792
937	937	expenditure is de minimis. The commission shall adopt regulations, in 793
938	938	accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing standards 794
939	939	for making such determinations. Such standards shall include, but not 795
940	940	be limited to, a finding by the commission that the candidate or 796
941	941	treasurer has, from the candidate's or treasurer's personal funds, either 797
942	942	paid the excess expenditure or reimbursed the qualified candidate 798
943	943	committee for its payment of the excess expenditure. 799 Raised Bill No. 918
944	944
945	945
946	946
947	947	LCO No. 4393 26 of 33
948	948
949	949	Sec. 11. Subsection (b) of section 9-712 of the general statutes is 800
950	950	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 801
951	951	January 1, 2020): 802
952	952	(b) (1) As used in this section, "excess expenditure" means an 803
953	953	expenditure made, or obligated to be made, by a nonparticipating or a 804
954	954	participating candidate who is opposed by one or more other 805
955	955	participating candidates in a primary campaign or a general election 806
956	956	campaign, which is in excess of the amount of the applicable limit on 807
957	957	expenditures for said participating candidates for said campaign [and 808
958	958	which is the sum of (A) the applicable qualifying contributions that the 809
959	959	participating candidate is required to receive under section 9-704 to be 810
960	960	eligible for grants from the Citizens' Election Fund, and (B) one 811
961	961	hundred per cent of the applicable full grant amount for a major party 812
962	962	candidate authorized under section 9-705 for the applicable campaign 813
963	963	period] as set forth in subsection (c) of section 9-702, as amended by 814
964	964	this act. 815
965	965	(2) The commission shall confirm whether an expenditure described 816
966	966	in a declaration filed under this subsection is an excess expenditure. 817
967	967	Sec. 12. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-716 of the general 818
968	968	statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 819
969	969	(Effective January 1, 2020): 820
970	970	(a) Not later than June 1, 2007, and annually thereafter, the State 821
971	971	Elections Enforcement Commission shall issue a report on the status of 822
972	972	the Citizens' Election Fund during the previous calendar year. Such 823
973	973	report shall include the amount of moneys deposited in the fund, the 824
974	974	sources of moneys received by category, the number of contributions, 825
975	975	the number of contributors, the amount of moneys expended by 826
976	976	category, the recipients of moneys distributed from the fund and an 827
977	977	accounting of the costs incurred by the commission in administering 828
978	978	the provisions of this chapter and section 2 of this act. 829
979	979	(b) Not later than January first in any year in which a state election 830
980	980	is to be held, the commission shall determine whether the amount of 831 Raised Bill No. 918
981	981
982	982
983	983
984	984	LCO No. 4393 27 of 33
985	985
986	986	moneys in the fund is sufficient to carry out the purposes of this 832
987	987	chapter and section 2 of this act. The commission shall issue a report 833
988	988	on said determination. 834
989	989	Sec. 13. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-601a of the general 835
990	990	statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 836
991	991	(Effective January 1, 2020): 837
992	992	(a) As used in this chapter, [and] chapter 157 and section 2 of this 838
993	993	act, "contribution" means: 839
994	994	(1) Any gift, subscription, loan, advance, payment or deposit of 840
995	995	money or anything of value, made to promote the success or defeat of 841
996	996	any candidate seeking the nomination for election, or election or for 842
997	997	the purpose of aiding or promoting the success or defeat of any 843
998	998	referendum question or the success or defeat of any political party; 844
999	999	(2) A written contract, promise or agreement to make a contribution 845
1000	1000	for any such purpose; 846
1001	1001	(3) The payment by any person, other than a candidate or treasurer, 847
1002	1002	of compensation for the personal services of any other person which 848
1003	1003	are rendered without charge to a committee or candidate for any such 849
1004	1004	purpose; 850
1005	1005	(4) An expenditure that is not an independent expenditure; or 851
1006	1006	(5) Funds received by a committee which are transferred from 852
1007	1007	another committee or other source for any such purpose. 853
1008	1008	(b) As used in this chapter, [and] chapter 157 and section 2 of this 854
1009	1009	act, "contribution" does not mean: 855
1010	1010	(1) A loan of money made in the ordinary course of business by a 856
1011	1011	national or state bank; 857
1012	1012	(2) Any communication made by a corporation, organization or 858
1013	1013	association solely to its members, owners, stockholders, executive or 859 Raised Bill No. 918
1014	1014
1015	1015
1016	1016
1017	1017	LCO No. 4393 28 of 33
1018	1018
1019	1019	administrative personnel, or their families; 860
1020	1020	(3) Nonpartisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns 861
1021	1021	by any corporation, organization or association aimed at its members, 862
1022	1022	owners, stockholders, executive or administrative personnel, or their 863
1023	1023	families; 864
1024	1024	(4) Uncompensated services provided by individuals volunteering 865
1025	1025	their time on behalf of a party committee, political committee, slate 866
1026	1026	committee or candidate committee, including any services provided 867
1027	1027	for the benefit of nonparticipating and participating candidates under 868
1028	1028	the Citizens' Election Program and any unreimbursed travel expenses 869
1029	1029	made by an individual who volunteers the individual's personal 870
1030	1030	services to any such committee. For purposes of this subdivision, an 871
1031	1031	individual is a volunteer if such individual is not receiving 872
1032	1032	compensation for such services regardless of whether such individual 873
1033	1033	received compensation in the past or may receive compensation for 874
1034	1034	similar services that may be performed in the future; 875
1035	1035	(5) The use of real or personal property, a portion or all of the cost of 876
1036	1036	invitations and the cost of food or beverages, voluntarily provided by 877
1037	1037	an individual to a candidate, including a nonparticipating or 878
1038	1038	participating candidate under the Citizens' Election Program, or to a 879
1039	1039	party, political or slate committee, in rendering voluntary personal 880
1040	1040	services at the individual's residential premises or a community room 881
1041	1041	in the individual's residence facility, to the extent that the cumulative 882
1042	1042	value of the invitations, food or beverages provided by an individual 883
1043	1043	on behalf of any candidate or committee does not exceed four hundred 884
1044	1044	dollars with respect to any single event or does not exceed eight 885
1045	1045	hundred dollars for any such event hosted by two or more individuals, 886
1046	1046	provided at least one such individual owns or resides at the residential 887
1047	1047	premises, and further provided the cumulative value of the invitations, 888
1048	1048	food or beverages provided by an individual on behalf of any such 889
1049	1049	candidate or committee does not exceed eight hundred dollars with 890
1050	1050	respect to a calendar year or single election, as the case may be; 891 Raised Bill No. 918
1051	1051
1052	1052
1053	1053
1054	1054	LCO No. 4393 29 of 33
1055	1055
1056	1056	(6) The sale of food or beverage for use by a party, political, slate or 892
1057	1057	candidate committee, including those for a participating or 893
1058	1058	nonparticipating candidate, at a discount, if the charge is not less than 894
1059	1059	the cost to the vendor, to the extent that the cumulative value of the 895
1060	1060	discount given to or on behalf of any single candidate committee does 896
1061	1061	not exceed four hundred dollars with respect to any single primary or 897
1062	1062	election, or to or on behalf of any party, political or slate committee, 898
1063	1063	does not exceed six hundred dollars in a calendar year; 899
1064	1064	(7) The display of a lawn sign by a human being or on real property; 900
1065	1065	(8) The payment, by a party committee or slate committee of the 901
1066	1066	costs of preparation, display, mailing or other distribution incurred by 902
1067	1067	the committee or individual with respect to any printed slate card, 903
1068	1068	sample ballot or other printed list containing the names of three or 904
1069	1069	more candidates; 905
1070	1070	(9) The donation of any item of personal property by an individual 906
1071	1071	to a committee for a fund-raising affair, including a tag sale or auction, 907
1072	1072	or the purchase by an individual of any such item at such an affair, to 908
1073	1073	the extent that the cumulative value donated or purchased does not 909
1074	1074	exceed one hundred dollars; 910
1075	1075	(10) (A) The purchase of advertising space which clearly identifies 911
1076	1076	the purchaser, in a program for a fund-raising affair sponsored by the 912
1077	1077	candidate committee of a candidate for an office of a municipality, 913
1078	1078	provided the cumulative purchase of such space does not exceed two 914
1079	1079	hundred fifty dollars from any single such candidate or the candidate's 915
1080	1080	committee with respect to any single election campaign if the 916
1081	1081	purchaser is a business entity or fifty dollars for purchases by any 917
1082	1082	other person; 918
1083	1083	(B) The purchase of advertising space which clearly identifies the 919
1084	1084	purchaser, in a program for a fund-raising affair or on signs at a fund-920
1085	1085	raising affair sponsored by a party committee or a political committee, 921
1086	1086	other than an exploratory committee, provided the cumulative 922
1087	1087	purchase of such space does not exceed two hundred fifty dollars from 923 Raised Bill No. 918
1088	1088
1089	1089
1090	1090
1091	1091	LCO No. 4393 30 of 33
1092	1092
1093	1093	any single party committee or a political committee, other than an 924
1094	1094	exploratory committee, in any calendar year if the purchaser is a 925
1095	1095	business entity or fifty dollars for purchases by any other person. 926
1096	1096	Notwithstanding the provisions of this subparagraph, the following 927
1097	1097	may not purchase advertising space in a program for a fund-raising 928
1098	1098	affair or on signs at a fund-raising affair sponsored by a party 929
1099	1099	committee or a political committee, other than an exploratory 930
1100	1100	committee: (i) A communicator lobbyist, (ii) a member of the 931
1101	1101	immediate family of a communicator lobbyist, (iii) a state contractor, 932
1102	1102	(iv) a prospective state contractor, or (v) a principal of a state 933
1103	1103	contractor or prospective state contractor. As used in this 934
1104	1104	subparagraph, "state contractor", "prospective state contractor" and 935
1105	1105	"principal of a state contractor or prospective state contractor" have the 936
1106	1106	same meanings as provided in subsection (f) of section 9-612; 937
1107	1107	(11) The payment of money by a candidate to the candidate's 938
1108	1108	candidate committee, provided the committee is for a nonparticipating 939
1109	1109	candidate; 940
1110	1110	(12) The donation of goods or services by a business entity to a 941
1111	1111	committee for a fund-raising affair, including a tag sale or auction, to 942
1112	1112	the extent that the cumulative value donated does not exceed two 943
1113	1113	hundred dollars; 944
1114	1114	(13) The advance of a security deposit by an individual to a 945
1115	1115	telephone company, as defined in section 16-1, for telecommunications 946
1116	1116	service for a committee or to another utility company, such as an 947
1117	1117	electric distribution company, provided the security deposit is 948
1118	1118	refunded to the individual; 949
1119	1119	(14) The provision of facilities, equipment, technical and managerial 950
1120	1120	support, and broadcast time by a community antenna television 951
1121	1121	company, as defined in section 16-1, for community access 952
1122	1122	programming pursuant to section 16-331a, unless (A) the major 953
1123	1123	purpose of providing such facilities, equipment, support and time is to 954
1124	1124	influence the nomination or election of a candidate, or (B) such 955 Raised Bill No. 918
1125	1125
1126	1126
1127	1127
1128	1128	LCO No. 4393 31 of 33
1129	1129
1130	1130	facilities, equipment, support and time are provided on behalf of a 956
1131	1131	political party; 957
1132	1132	(15) The sale of food or beverage by a town committee to an 958
1133	1133	individual at a town fair, county fair, local festival or similar mass 959
1134	1134	gathering held within the state, to the extent that the cumulative 960
1135	1135	payment made by any one individual for such items does not exceed 961
1136	1136	fifty dollars; 962
1137	1137	(16) An organization expenditure by a party committee, legislative 963
1138	1138	caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; 964
1139	1139	(17) The donation of food or beverage by an individual for 965
1140	1140	consumption at a slate, candidate, political committee or party 966
1141	1141	committee meeting, event or activity that is not a fund-raising affair to 967
1142	1142	the extent that the cumulative value of the food or beverages donated 968
1143	1143	by an individual for a single meeting or event does not exceed fifty 969
1144	1144	dollars; 970
1145	1145	(18) The value associated with the de minimis activity on behalf of a 971
1146	1146	party committee, political committee, slate committee or candidate 972
1147	1147	committee, including for activities including, but not limited to, (A) the 973
1148	1148	creation of electronic or written communications or digital photos or 974
1149	1149	video as part of an electronic file created on a voluntary basis without 975
1150	1150	compensation, including, but not limited to, the creation and ongoing 976
1151	1151	content development and delivery of social media on the Internet or 977
1152	1152	telephone, including, but not limited to, the sending or receiving of 978
1153	1153	electronic mail or messages, (B) the posting or display of a candidate's 979
1154	1154	name or group of candidates' names at a town fair, county fair, local 980
1155	1155	festival or similar mass gathering by a party committee, (C) the use of 981
1156	1156	personal property or a service that is customarily attendant to the 982
1157	1157	occupancy of a residential dwelling, or the donation of an item or 983
1158	1158	items of personal property that are customarily used for campaign 984
1159	1159	purposes, by an individual, to a candidate committee, provided the 985
1160	1160	cumulative fair market value of such use of personal property or 986
1161	1161	service or items of personal property does not exceed one hundred 987 Raised Bill No. 918
1162	1162
1163	1163
1164	1164
1165	1165	LCO No. 4393 32 of 33
1166	1166
1167	1167	dollars in the aggregate for any single election or calendar year, as the 988
1168	1168	case may be; 989
1169	1169	(19) The use of offices, telephones, computers and similar 990
1170	1170	equipment provided by a party committee, legislative caucus 991
1171	1171	committee or legislative leadership committee that serve as 992
1172	1172	headquarters for or are used by such party committee, legislative 993
1173	1173	caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; 994
1174	1174	(20) A communication, as described in subdivision (7) of subsection 995
1175	1175	(b) of section 9-601b; 996
1176	1176	(21) An independent expenditure, as defined in section 9-601c; 997
1177	1177	(22) A communication containing an endorsement on behalf of a 998
1178	1178	candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, 999
1179	1179	Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State 1000
1180	1180	Comptroller, Attorney General, state senator or state representative, 1001
1181	1181	from a candidate for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 1002
1182	1182	Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, Attorney 1003
1183	1183	General, state senator or state representative, provided the candidate 1004
1184	1184	(A) making the endorsement is unopposed at the time of the 1005
1185	1185	communication, and (B) being endorsed paid for such communication; 1006
1186	1186	(23) A communication that is sent by mail to addresses in the district 1007
1187	1187	for which a candidate being endorsed by another candidate pursuant 1008
1188	1188	to this subdivision is seeking nomination or election to the office of 1009
1189	1189	state senator or state representative, containing an endorsement on 1010
1190	1190	behalf of such candidate for such nomination or election from a 1011
1191	1191	candidate for the office of state senator or state representative, 1012
1192	1192	provided the candidate (A) making the endorsement is not seeking 1013
1193	1193	election to the office of state senator or state representative for a 1014
1194	1194	district that contains any geographical area shared by the district for 1015
1195	1195	the office to which the endorsed candidate is seeking nomination or 1016
1196	1196	election, and (B) being endorsed paid for such communication; or 1017
1197	1197	(24) Campaign training events provided to multiple individuals by 1018 Raised Bill No. 918
1198	1198
1199	1199
1200	1200
1201	1201	LCO No. 4393 33 of 33
1202	1202
1203	1203	a legislative caucus committee and any associated materials, provided 1019
1204	1204	the cumulative value of such events and materials does not exceed six 1020
1205	1205	thousand dollars in the aggregate for a calendar year. 1021
1206	1206	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
1207	1207	sections:
1208	1208
1209	1209	Section 1 January 1, 2020 9-700
1210	1210	Sec. 2 January 1, 2020 New section
1211	1211	Sec. 3 January 1, 2020 9-702
1212	1212	Sec. 4 January 1, 2020 9-704
1213	1213	Sec. 5 January 1, 2020 9-705(i)(2)
1214	1214	Sec. 6 January 1, 2020 9-706(b) to (g)
1215	1215	Sec. 7 January 1, 2020 9-701
1216	1216	Sec. 8 January 1, 2020 9-703(b) and (c)
1217	1217	Sec. 9 January 1, 2020 9-707
1218	1218	Sec. 10 January 1, 2020 9-711(a)
1219	1219	Sec. 11 January 1, 2020 9-712(b)
1220	1220	Sec. 12 January 1, 2020 9-716(a) and (b)
1221	1221	Sec. 13 January 1, 2020 9-601a(a) and (b)
1222	1222
1223	1223	Statement of Purpose:
1224	1224	To permit gubernatorial candidates participating in the Citizens'
1225	1225	Election Program to raise additional funds and qualify for
1226	1226	supplemental grants.
1227	1227	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
1228	1228	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
1229	1229	not underlined.]
1230	1230