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 Section 9-700 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1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