Connecticut 2019 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01044 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/06/2019

                        
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 1044  
January Session, 2019  
LCO No. 5321 
 
 
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION 
AND ELECTIONS  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(GAE)  
 
 
 
 
AN ACT RESTORING THE CITIZENS' ELECTION PROGRAM. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subdivision (3) of subsection (i) of section 9-705 of the 1 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2 
thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 3 
(3) (A) If a participating candidate who is nominated for election 4 
does not have [any] an opponent in the general election campaign, [the 5 
amount of the] such candidate shall be ineligible for a general election 6 
campaign grant. [for which the qualified candidate committee for said 7 
candidate shall be eligible shall be thirty per cent of the applicable 8 
amount set forth in subsections (a) to (h), inclusive, of this section.] For 9 
the purposes of this subdivision, a participating candidate shall be 10 
deemed to have an opponent if [(A)] (i) a major party has properly 11 
endorsed any other candidate and made the requisite filing with the 12 
Secretary of the State within the time specified in [section 9-391 or 9-13 
400, as applicable, (B)] chapter 153, (ii) any candidate of any other 14 
major party has received not less than fifteen per cent of the vote of 15  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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convention delegates and has complied with the filing requirements 16 
set forth in section 9-400, or [(C)] (iii) any candidate of any other major 17 
party has circulated a petition and obtained the required number of 18 
signatures for filing a candidacy for nomination and has either 19 
qualified for the primary or been deemed the party's nominee; 20 
(B) If a participating candidate who is nominated for election and 21 
who was previously deemed to not have an opponent under 22 
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision is subsequently deemed to have 23 
an opponent in the general election campaign, the qualified candidate 24 
committee of such candidate shall be eligible to receive a general 25 
election campaign grant under subsections (a) to (h), inclusive, of this 26 
section, and the amount of such grant shall be reduced by the amount 27 
of any additional contributions raised pursuant to subsection (c) of 28 
section 9-702, as amended by this act, during the period when such 29 
candidate was deemed to not have an opponent; 30 
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 9-702 of the general statutes is 31 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 32 
January 1, 2020): 33 
(c) (1) A candidate participating in the Citizens' Election Program 34 
shall limit the expenditures of the candidate's candidate committee (A) 35 
before a primary campaign and a general election campaign, to the 36 
amount of qualifying contributions permitted in section 9-704 and any 37 
personal funds provided by the candidate under subsection (c) of 38 
section 9-710, (B) for a primary campaign, to the sum of (i) the amount 39 
of such qualifying contributions and personal funds that have not been 40 
spent before the primary campaign, and (ii) the amount of the grant for 41 
the primary campaign authorized under section 9-705, as amended by 42 
this act, and (C) for a general election campaign, to the sum of (i) the 43 
amount of such qualifying contributions and personal funds that have 44 
not been spent before the general election campaign, (ii) any 45 
unexpended funds from any grant for a primary campaign authorized 46 
under section 9-705, as amended by this act, and (iii) the amount of the 47 
grant for the general election campaign authorized under section 9-48  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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705, as amended by this act.  49 
(2) The candidate committee of a minor or petitioning party 50 
candidate who has received a general election campaign grant from 51 
the fund pursuant to section 9-705, as amended by this act, or an 52 
unopposed candidate who is ineligible to receive a grant pursuant to 53 
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (3) of subsection (i) of said section, 54 
shall be permitted to receive contributions in addition to the qualifying 55 
contributions subject to the limitations and restrictions applicable to 56 
participating candidates for the same office, provided (A) such minor 57 
or petitioning party candidate shall limit the expenditures of the 58 
candidate committee for a general election campaign to the sum of the 59 
qualifying contributions and personal funds, the amount of the general 60 
election campaign grant received and the amount raised in additional 61 
contributions that is equivalent to the difference between the amount 62 
of the applicable general election campaign grant for a major party 63 
candidate for such office and the amount of the general election 64 
campaign grant received by such minor or petitioning party candidate, 65 
and (B) such unopposed candidate shall limit the expenditures of the 66 
candidate committee for a general election campaign to the sum of (i) 67 
the qualifying contributions, (ii) any personal funds, and (iii) the 68 
amount raised in additional contributions that is equivalent to thirty 69 
per cent of the applicable general election campaign grant for which 70 
such candidate committee would be eligible under subsections (a) to 71 
(h), inclusive, of section 9-705, as amended by this act, if such 72 
candidate was not unopposed. 73 
Sec. 3. Section 9-718 of the general statutes is repealed and the 74 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 75 
(a) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes and 76 
except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, [no] a town 77 
committee [, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership 78 
committee] shall not make an organization expenditure for the benefit 79 
of a participating candidate or the candidate committee of a 80 
participating candidate in the Citizens' Election Program for the office 81  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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of state senator in an amount that exceeds ten thousand dollars for the 82 
general election campaign. 83 
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, a state 84 
central committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative 85 
leadership committee shall not make an organization expenditure for 86 
the benefit of a participating candidate or the candidate committee of a 87 
participating candidate in the Citizens' Election Program for the office 88 
of state senator in an amount that exceeds one-fourth of the applicable 89 
full grant amount for a major party candidate authorized under section 90 
9-705, as amended by this act, for the applicable campaign period. 91 
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, [no] a 92 
party committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership 93 
committee shall not make an organization expenditure for the 94 
purposes described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (25) of section 95 
9-601 for the benefit of a participating candidate or the candidate 96 
committee of a participating candidate in the Citizens' Election 97 
Program for the office of state senator for the primary campaign. 98 
(c) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes and 99 
except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, [no] a town 100 
committee [, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership 101 
committee] shall not make an organization expenditure for the benefit 102 
of a participating candidate or the candidate committee of a 103 
participating candidate in the Citizens' Election Program for the office 104 
of state representative in an amount that exceeds three thousand five 105 
hundred dollars for the general election campaign. 106 
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, a state 107 
central committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative 108 
leadership committee shall not make an organization expenditure for 109 
the benefit of a participating candidate or the candidate committee of a 110 
participating candidate in the Citizens' Election Program for the office 111 
of state representative in an amount that exceeds one-fourth of the 112 
applicable full grant amount for a major party candidate authorized 113  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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under section 9-705, as amended by this act, for the applicable 114 
campaign period. 115 
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, [no] 116 
party committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership 117 
committee shall not make an organization expenditure for the 118 
purposes described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (25) of section 119 
9-601 for the benefit of a participating candidate or the candidate 120 
committee of a participating candidate in the Citizens' Election 121 
Program for the office of state representative for the primary 122 
campaign. 123 
(e) For any election held in 2014, and thereafter, the amount of the 124 
limitations on organization expenditures provided in [subsections] 125 
subdivision (1) of subsection (a) and subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of 126 
this section shall be adjusted by the State Elections Enforcement 127 
Commission not later than January 15, 2014, and biennially thereafter, 128 
in accordance with any change in the consumer price index for all 129 
urban consumers as published by the United States Department of 130 
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the period beginning on 131 
January 1, 2010, and ending on December thirty-first in the year 132 
preceding the year in which said adjustment is to be made.  133 
Sec. 4. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-7a of the general 134 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 135 
(Effective from passage): 136 
(2) On and after July 1, 2011, but before July 1, 2019, members shall 137 
be appointed for terms of three years from July first in the year of their 138 
appointment and shall be appointed by the person holding the same 139 
office as was held by the person making the original appointment, 140 
provided any person chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed only 141 
for the unexpired term of the member whom he or she shall succeed. 142 
On and after [July 1, 2011, no] July 1, 2019, any member may serve 143 
more than two consecutive terms, [except that] and any member 144 
serving on said date [,] may serve until a successor is appointed and 145  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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has qualified. All appointments shall be made with the consent of the 146 
state Senate and House of Representatives. No person who has served 147 
during any part of the three-year period prior to the appointment as a 148 
political party officer, shall be appointed to membership on the 149 
commission. For purposes of this subsection, "political party officer" 150 
means an officer of a national committee of a political party, state 151 
central or town committee. The commission shall elect one of its 152 
members to serve as chairperson and another member to serve as vice-153 
chairperson. Each member of the commission shall be compensated at 154 
the rate of two hundred dollars per day for any day on which he 155 
participates in a regular commission meeting or hearing, and shall be 156 
paid by the state for his reasonable expenses, including necessary 157 
stenographic and clerical help. 158 
Sec. 5. Subsection (a) of section 9-601a of the general statutes is 159 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 160 
passage): 161 
(a) As used in this chapter and chapter 157, "contribution" means: 162 
(1) Any gift, subscription, loan, advance, payment or deposit of 163 
money or anything of value, made (A) to promote, attack, support or 164 
oppose the success or defeat of any [candidate] person seeking (i) the 165 
nomination for election, or (ii) election, or (B) for the purpose of aiding 166 
or promoting (i) the success or defeat of any referendum question, or 167 
(ii) the success or defeat of any political party; 168 
(2) A written contract, promise or agreement to make a contribution 169 
for any such purpose; 170 
(3) The payment by any person, other than a candidate or treasurer, 171 
of compensation for the personal services of any other person which 172 
are rendered without charge to a committee or candidate for any such 173 
purpose; 174 
(4) An expenditure that is not an independent expenditure; or 175  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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(5) Funds received by a committee which are transferred from 176 
another committee or other source for any such purpose. 177 
Sec. 6. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-601b of the general 178 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 179 
(Effective from passage): 180 
(a) As used in this chapter and chapter 157, [the term] "expenditure" 181 
means: 182 
(1) Any purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or 183 
gift of money or anything of value, when made (A) to promote, attack, 184 
support or oppose the success or defeat of any [candidate] person 185 
seeking (i) the nomination for election, or (ii) election, [of any person] 186 
or (B) for the purpose of aiding or promoting (i) the success or defeat 187 
of any referendum question, or (ii) the success or defeat of any political 188 
party; 189 
(2) Any communication that (A) refers to one or more clearly 190 
identified candidates, and (B) (i) is broadcast (I) by radio, by television, 191 
other than on a public access channel, [or] by satellite communication 192 
or via the Internet, or (II) as a paid-for telephone communication, or (ii) 193 
appears in a newspaper, in a magazine or on a billboard, or (iii) is sent 194 
by mail; or 195 
(3) The transfer of funds by a committee to another committee. 196 
(b) [The term "expenditure"] "Expenditure" does not mean: 197 
(1) A loan of money, made in the ordinary course of business, by a 198 
state or national bank; 199 
(2) A communication made by any corporation, organization or 200 
association solely to its members, owners, stockholders, executive or 201 
administrative personnel, or their families; 202 
(3) Nonpartisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns 203 
by any corporation, organization or association aimed at its members, 204  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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owners, stockholders, executive or administrative personnel, or their 205 
families; 206 
(4) Uncompensated services provided by individuals volunteering 207 
their time on behalf of a party committee, political committee, slate 208 
committee or candidate committee, including any services provided 209 
for the benefit of nonparticipating and participating candidates under 210 
the Citizens' Election Program and any unreimbursed travel expenses 211 
made by an individual who volunteers the individual's personal 212 
services to any such committee. For purposes of this subdivision, an 213 
individual is a volunteer if such individual is not receiving 214 
compensation for such services regardless of whether such individual 215 
received compensation in the past or may receive compensation for 216 
similar services that may be performed in the future; 217 
(5) Any news story, commentary or editorial distributed through 218 
the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine or 219 
other periodical, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any 220 
political party, committee or candidate; 221 
(6) The use of real or personal property, a portion or all of the cost of 222 
invitations and the cost of food or beverages, voluntarily provided by 223 
an individual to a candidate, including a nonparticipating or 224 
participating candidate under the Citizens' Election Program, or to a 225 
party, political or slate committee, in rendering voluntary personal 226 
services at the individual's residential premises or a community room 227 
in the individual's residence facility, to the extent that the cumulative 228 
value of the invitations, food or beverages provided by an individual 229 
on behalf of any candidate or committee does not exceed four hundred 230 
dollars with respect to any single event or does not exceed eight 231 
hundred dollars for any such event hosted by two or more individuals, 232 
provided at least one such individual owns or resides at the residential 233 
premises, and further provided the cumulative value of the invitations, 234 
food or beverages provided by an individual on behalf of any such 235 
candidate or committee does not exceed eight hundred dollars with 236 
respect to a calendar year or single election, as the case may be; 237  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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(7) A communication described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) 238 
of this section, which communication is not made to promote, attack, 239 
support or oppose the nomination or election of any person, that 240 
includes speech or expression [made] (A) made prior to the ninety-day 241 
period preceding the date of a primary or an election at which the 242 
clearly identified candidate or candidates are seeking nomination to 243 
public office or position, [that is] including a communication made for 244 
the purpose of influencing any legislative or administrative action, as 245 
defined in section 1-91, or executive action, [or] (B) made during a 246 
legislative session for the purpose of influencing legislative action, or 247 
(C) that constitutes a candidate debate or that solely promotes any 248 
such debate and is made by or on behalf of the person sponsoring the 249 
debate; 250 
(8) An organization expenditure by a party committee, legislative 251 
caucus committee or legislative leadership committee;  252 
(9) A commercial advertisement that refers to an owner, director or 253 
officer of a business entity who is also a candidate, [and that] which 254 
commercial advertisement had previously been broadcast or appeared 255 
when the owner, director or officer was not a candidate; 256 
(10) A communication containing an endorsement on behalf of a 257 
candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, 258 
Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State 259 
Comptroller, Attorney General, state senator or state representative, 260 
from a candidate for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 261 
Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, Attorney 262 
General, state senator or state representative, shall not be an 263 
expenditure attributable to the endorsing candidate, if the candidate 264 
making the endorsement is unopposed at the time of the 265 
communication; 266 
(11) A communication that is sent by mail to addresses in the district 267 
for which a candidate being endorsed by another candidate pursuant 268 
to the provisions of this subdivision is seeking nomination or election 269  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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to the office of state senator or state representative, containing an 270 
endorsement on behalf of such candidate for such nomination or 271 
election, from a candidate for the office of state senator or state 272 
representative, shall not be an expenditure attributable to the 273 
endorsing candidate, if the candidate making the endorsement is not 274 
seeking election to the office of state senator or state representative for 275 
a district that contains any geographical area shared by the district for 276 
the office to which the endorsed candidate is seeking nomination or 277 
election; 278 
(12) Campaign training events provided to multiple individuals by 279 
a legislative caucus committee and any associated materials, provided 280 
the cumulative value of such events and materials does not exceed six 281 
thousand dollars in the aggregate for a calendar year; 282 
(13) A lawful communication by any charitable organization which 283 
is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 284 
Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal 285 
revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended; 286 
(14) The use of offices, telephones, computers and similar 287 
equipment provided by a party committee, legislative caucus 288 
committee or legislative leadership committee that serve as 289 
headquarters for or are used by such party committee, legislative 290 
caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; or 291 
(15) An expense or expenses incurred by a human being acting 292 
alone in an amount that is two hundred dollars or less, in the 293 
aggregate, that benefits a candidate for a single election. 294 
Sec. 7. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 9-608 of the 295 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 296 
thereof (Effective from passage): 297 
(a) (1) Each treasurer of a committee, other than a state central 298 
committee, shall file a statement, sworn under penalty of false 299 
statement with the proper authority in accordance with the provisions 300  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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of section 9-603, (A) on the tenth calendar day in the months of 301 
January, April, July and October, provided, if such tenth calendar day 302 
is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the statement shall be filed on 303 
the next business day, except that in the case of a candidate or 304 
exploratory committee established for an office to be elected at a 305 
special election, statements pursuant to this subparagraph shall not be 306 
required, (B) on the seventh day preceding each regular state election, 307 
except that (i) in the case of a candidate or exploratory committee 308 
established for an office to be elected at a municipal election, the 309 
statement shall be filed on the seventh day preceding a regular 310 
municipal election in lieu of such date, except if the candidate's name 311 
is not eligible to appear on the ballot, in which case such statement 312 
shall not be required, (ii) in the case of a town committee, the 313 
statement shall be filed on the seventh day preceding each municipal 314 
election in addition to such date, (iii) in the case of a candidate 315 
committee in a state election, [that is required to file any supplemental 316 
campaign finance statements pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of 317 
subsection (a) of section 9-712, such] the supplemental campaign 318 
finance statements required pursuant to subsection (a) of section 9-712, 319 
as amended by this act, shall satisfy the filing requirement under this 320 
subdivision, and (iv) in the case of a candidate committee established 321 
by a candidate whose name is not eligible to appear on the ballot, such 322 
statement shall not be required, and (C) if the committee has made or 323 
received a contribution or expenditure in connection with any other 324 
election, a primary or a referendum, on the seventh day preceding the 325 
election, primary or referendum, except that in the case of a candidate 326 
committee in a primary [that is required to file statements pursuant to 327 
subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 9-712, such] for an 328 
office to be voted upon at a state election, the statements required 329 
pursuant to subsection (a) of section 9-712, as amended by this act, 330 
shall satisfy the filing requirement under this subdivision. The 331 
statement shall be complete as of eleven fifty-nine o'clock p.m. of the 332 
last day of the month preceding the month in which the statement is 333 
required to be filed, except that for the statement required to be filed 334 
on the seventh day preceding the election, primary or referendum, the 335  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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statement shall be complete as of eleven fifty-nine o'clock p.m. of the 336 
second day immediately preceding the required filing day. The 337 
statement shall cover a period to begin with the first day not included 338 
in the last filed statement. In the case of a candidate committee, the 339 
statement required to be filed in January shall be in lieu of the 340 
statement formerly required to be filed within forty-five days 341 
following an election. 342 
Sec. 8. Section 9-611 of the general statutes is repealed and the 343 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 344 
(a) [No] An individual shall not make a contribution or 345 
contributions to, for the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or 346 
request of, a candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any 347 
candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary, or any candidate's 348 
campaign for election, to the office of (1) Governor, in excess of three 349 
thousand five hundred dollars; (2) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of 350 
the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney General, in excess of two 351 
thousand dollars; (3) chief executive officer of a town, city or borough, 352 
in excess of one thousand dollars; (4) state senator or probate judge, in 353 
excess of one thousand dollars; or (5) state representative or any other 354 
office of a municipality not previously included in this subsection, in 355 
excess of two hundred fifty dollars. The limits imposed by this 356 
subsection shall be applied separately to primaries and elections. 357 
(b) (1) [No] An individual shall not make a contribution or 358 
contributions to, or for the benefit of, an exploratory committee, in 359 
excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars, if the candidate 360 
establishing the exploratory committee certifies on the statement of 361 
organization for the exploratory committee pursuant to subsection (c) 362 
of section 9-604 that the candidate will not be a candidate for the office 363 
of state representative. [No] An individual shall not make a 364 
contribution or contributions to, or for the benefit of, any exploratory 365 
committee, in excess of two hundred fifty dollars, if the candidate 366 
establishing the exploratory committee does not so certify. 367  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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(2) [No] An individual shall not make a contribution or 368 
contributions to, or for the benefit of, a political committee formed by a 369 
slate of candidates in a primary for the office of justice of the peace, in 370 
excess of two hundred fifty dollars. 371 
[(c) No individual shall make contributions to such candidates or 372 
committees which in the aggregate exceed thirty thousand dollars for 373 
any single election and primary preliminary to such election.] 374 
[(d) No] (c) An individual shall not make a contribution to any 375 
candidate or committee, other than a contribution in kind, in excess of 376 
one hundred dollars, except by personal check or credit card of that 377 
individual. 378 
[(e) No] (d) An individual who is less than eighteen years of age 379 
shall not make a contribution or contributions, in excess of thirty 380 
dollars to, for the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or request 381 
of: (1) A candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any 382 
candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary to any office; (2) a 383 
candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any candidate's 384 
campaign for election to any office; (3) an exploratory committee; (4) 385 
any other political committee in any calendar year; or (5) a party 386 
committee in any calendar year. Notwithstanding any provision of 387 
subdivision (2) of section 9-7b, any individual who is less than 388 
eighteen years of age who violates any provision of this subsection 389 
shall not be subject to the provisions of subdivision (2) of section 9-7b.  390 
Sec. 9. Subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 9-712 of the 391 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 392 
thereof (Effective from passage): 393 
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the 394 
statements required to be filed pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of 395 
this subsection shall not be required to be filed by (A) a candidate 396 
committee of a candidate that is exempt from filing campaign finance 397 
statements pursuant to subsection (b) of section 9-608 unless or until 398 
such a candidate committee receives or expends an amount in excess 399  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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of one thousand dollars for purposes of the primary or election for 400 
which such committee was formed, (B) a candidate committee of a 401 
candidate who is no longer eligible for a position on the ballot, or (C) a 402 
candidate committee of a participating candidate that is unopposed or 403 
of a nonparticipating candidate that is unopposed or opposed only by 404 
a nonparticipating candidate or candidates, except that such candidate 405 
committee shall file a supplemental statement on the last Thursday 406 
before the applicable primary or general election. Such statement shall 407 
be complete as of eleven fifty-nine o'clock p.m. of the second day 408 
immediately preceding the required filing day. The statement shall 409 
cover a period beginning with the first day not included in the last 410 
filed statement. 411 
Sec. 10. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 9-7a of the 412 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 413 
thereof (Effective from passage): 414 
(g) (1) In the case of a written complaint filed with the commission 415 
pursuant to section 9-7b, commission staff shall conduct and complete 416 
a preliminary examination of such complaint by the fourteenth day 417 
following its receipt, at which time such staff shall, at its discretion, (A) 418 
dismiss the complaint for failure to allege any substantial violation of 419 
state election law supported by evidence, (B) engage the respondent in 420 
discussions in an effort to speedily resolve any matter pertaining to a 421 
de minimis violation, or (C) investigate and docket the complaint for a 422 
determination by the commission that probable cause or no probable 423 
cause exists for any such violation. If commission staff dismisses a 424 
complaint pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, such staff 425 
shall provide a brief written statement concisely setting forth the 426 
reasons for such dismissal. If commission staff engages a respondent 427 
pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this subdivision but is unable to 428 
speedily resolve any such matter described in said subparagraph by 429 
the forty-fifth day following receipt of the complaint, such staff shall 430 
docket such complaint for a determination by the commission that 431 
probable cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state 432 
election law. If the commission does not, by the sixtieth day following 433  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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receipt of the complaint, either issue a decision or render its 434 
determination that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any 435 
violation of state election laws, the complainant or respondent may 436 
apply to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford for an 437 
order to show cause why the commission has not acted upon the 438 
complaint and to provide evidence that the commission has 439 
unreasonably delayed action. For any complaint received on or after 440 
January 1, 2018, if the commission does not, by one year following 441 
receipt of such complaint, [issue a decision thereon] find reason to 442 
believe, pursuant to section 9-7b-35 of the regulations of Connecticut 443 
state agencies, that a violation of state election law has been 444 
committed, the commission shall dismiss such complaint, provided the 445 
length of time of any delay caused by (i) the commission or 446 
commission staff granting any extension or continuance to a 447 
respondent prior to the issuance of any such decision, (ii) any 448 
subpoena issued in connection with such complaint, (iii) any litigation 449 
in state or federal court related to such complaint, [or] (iv) any 450 
investigation by the commission or commission staff (I) involving a 451 
potential violation of section 9-601c or 9-601d, as amended by this act, 452 
or (II) involving a potential violation of state election law by any 453 
foreign national or foreign-influenced entity, or (v) any investigation 454 
by, or consultation of the commission or commission staff with, the 455 
Chief State's Attorney, the Attorney General, the United States 456 
Department of Justice or the United States Attorney for Connecticut 457 
related to such complaint, shall be added to such one year. 458 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 January 1, 2020 9-705(i)(3) 
Sec. 2 January 1, 2020 9-702(c) 
Sec. 3 from passage 9-718 
Sec. 4 from passage 9-7a(a)(2) 
Sec. 5 from passage 9-601a(a) 
Sec. 6 from passage 9-601b(a) and (b) 
Sec. 7 from passage 9-608(a)(1) 
Sec. 8 from passage 9-611  Raised Bill No.  1044 
 
 
 
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Sec. 9 from passage 9-712(a)(4) 
Sec. 10 from passage 9-7a(g)(1) 
 
Statement of Purpose:   
To (1) eliminate grants from the Citizens' Election Fund for candidates 
without an opponent, (2) modify the amounts of organization 
expenditures that state central, legislative caucus and legislative 
leadership committees may make to participating candidates, (3) 
permit members of the State Elections Enforcement Commission to 
serve more than two consecutive terms, and (4) revise the manner in 
which the commission processes complaints. 
[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.]