Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06325 Introduced / Fiscal Note

Filed 06/07/2021

                    OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS 
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200 
Hartford, CT 06106  (860) 240-0200 
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa 
sHB-6325 
AN ACT CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE, 
ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND ELECTION AUDITS. 
As Amended by House "A" (LCO 10272) 
House Calendar No.: 367 
Senate Calendar No.: 568  
 
Primary Analyst: DC 	6/7/21 
Contributing Analyst(s):    
 
 
 
 
OFA Fiscal Note 
 
State Impact: None  
Municipal Impact: 
Municipalities Effect FY 22 $ FY 23 $ 
Various Municipalities Potential 
Cost 
See Below See Below 
  
Explanation 
This bill establishes a task force to study the feasibility of 
implementing procedures under which absentee ballot applicants 
return absentee ballots using one envelope, and a working group to 
examine risk-limiting audits and oversee a related pilot program, 
within available appropriations, in five to ten municipalities for the 
2021 municipal elections.  
The establishment of a task force has no fiscal impact as PA 17-236 
prohibits transportation allowances for task force members. 
A municipality may incur minimal costs to take part in the pilot 
program; however, as the pilot program is voluntary it is assumed that 
a municipality would participate only to the extent it has available 
resources.   
The bill establishes a twenty-two-member Council on Sexual  2021HB-06325-R01-FN.DOCX 	Page 2 of 3 
 
 
Misconduct Climate Surveys, which will be part of the legislative 
department. The council members will be reimbursed for expenses 
necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties. This potential 
cost is anticipated to be minimal. By January 1, 2022, and every two 
years thereafter, the council will submit a report to the higher 
education committee including the data points that each institution's 
survey must encompass, the recommended sexual misconduct climate 
surveys, and the recommended guidelines for survey implementation. 
The bill requires employers to give an employee two hours of 
unpaid time off from his or her regularly scheduled work on the day of 
a regular state election to vote, if the employee requests it in advance. 
This is effective until June 30, 2024. 
The bill states that a voter’s name and address is confidential and 
prohibits their disclosure from the voter registry list if the voter 
submits a signed statement to the secretary of the state indicating that 
nondisclosure is necessary for the safety of the voter or his or her 
family.  Giving a false statement is a class A misdemeanor, punishable 
by up to one year in prison, up to a $2,000 fine. 
Lastly, the bill also moves up the deadline by which minor parties 
must file a copy of their party rules with the Secretary of the State, 
from at least 60 days to at least 180 days, before nominating candidates 
for office. This provision has no fiscal impact.  
House "A" establishes a twenty-two-member Council on Sexual 
Misconduct Climate Surveys, requires employers to give an employee 
two hours of unpaid time off from his or her regularly scheduled work 
on the day of a regular state election to vote, and states that a voter’s 
name and address is confidential and prohibits their disclosure from 
the voter registry list if the voter submits a signed statement to the 
secretary of the state indicating that nondisclosure is necessary for the 
safety of the voter or his or her family.   
  2021HB-06325-R01-FN.DOCX 	Page 3 of 3 
 
 
The Out Years 
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would 
continue into the future subject to inflation.  
The preceding Fiscal Impact statement is prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, 
solely for the purposes of information, summarization and explanation and does not represent the intent of the 
General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety 
of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.  Whenever applicable, agency data is 
consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any 
specific department.