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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6574
January Session, 2021
AN ACT CONCERNING RE VISIONS TO THE STATE CODES OF
ETHICS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subdivision (5) of section 1-79 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2021): 3
(5) "Gift" means anything of value, which is directly and personally 4
received, unless consideration of equal or greater value is given in 5
return. "Gift" does not include: 6
(A) A political contribution otherwise reported as required by law or 7
a donation or payment as described in subdivision (9) or (10) of 8
subsection (b) of section 9-601a; 9
(B) Services provided by persons volunteering their time, if provided 10
to aid or promote the success or defeat of any political party, any 11
candidate or candidates for public office or the position of convention 12
delegate or town committee member or any referendum question; 13
(C) A commercially reasonable loan made on terms not more 14
favorable than loans made in the ordinary course of business; 15
(D) A gift received from (i) an individual's spouse, [fiance or fiancee] 16 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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fiancé or fiancée, (ii) the parent, grandparent, brother or sister of such 17
spouse or such individual, or (iii) the child of such individual or the 18
spouse of such child; 19
(E) Goods or services (i) that are provided to a state agency or quasi-20
public agency (I) for use on state or quasi-public agency property, or (II) 21
that support an event or the participation by a public official or state 22
employee at an event, and (ii) that facilitate state or quasi-public agency 23
action or functions. As used in this subparagraph, "state property" 24
means property owned by the state or a quasi-public agency or property 25
leased to a state agency or quasi-public agency; 26
(F) A certificate, plaque or other ceremonial award costing less than 27
one hundred dollars; 28
(G) A rebate, discount or promotional item available to the general 29
public; 30
(H) Printed or recorded informational material germane to state 31
action or functions; 32
(I) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars in the 33
aggregate per recipient in a calendar year, and consumed on an occasion 34
or occasions at which the person paying, directly or indirectly, for the 35
food or beverage, or his representative, is in attendance; 36
(J) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars per person 37
and consumed at a publicly noticed legislative reception to which all 38
members of the General Assembly are invited and which is hosted not 39
more than once in any calendar year by a lobbyist or business 40
organization. For the purposes of such limit, (i) a reception hosted by a 41
lobbyist who is an individual shall be deemed to have also been hosted 42
by the business organization which such lobbyist owns or is employed 43
by, and (ii) a reception hosted by a business organization shall be 44
deemed to have also been hosted by all owners and employees of the 45
business organization who are lobbyists. In making the calculation for 46
the purposes of such fifty-dollar limit, the donor shall divide the amount 47 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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spent on food and beverage by the number of persons whom the donor 48
reasonably expects to attend the reception; 49
(K) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars per person 50
and consumed at a publicly noticed reception to which all members of 51
the General Assembly from a region of the state are invited and which 52
is hosted not more than once in any calendar year by a lobbyist or 53
business organization. For the purposes of such limit, (i) a reception 54
hosted by a lobbyist who is an individual shall be deemed to have also 55
been hosted by the business organization which such lobbyist owns or 56
is employed by, and (ii) a reception hosted by a business organization 57
shall be deemed to have also been hosted by all owners and employees 58
of the business organization who are lobbyists. In making the 59
calculation for the purposes of such fifty-dollar limit, the donor shall 60
divide the amount spent on food and beverage by the number of 61
persons whom the donor reasonably expects to attend the reception. As 62
used in this subparagraph, "region of the state" means the established 63
geographic service area of the organization hosting the reception; 64
(L) A gift, including, but not limited to, food or beverage or both, 65
provided by an individual for the celebration of a major life event, 66
provided any such gift provided by an individual who is not a member 67
of the family of the recipient does not exceed one thousand dollars in 68
value; 69
(M) Gifts costing less than one hundred dollars in the aggregate or 70
food or beverage provided at a hospitality suite at a meeting or 71
conference of an interstate legislative association, by a person who is not 72
a registrant or is not doing business with the state of Connecticut; 73
(N) Admission to a charitable or civic event, including food and 74
beverage provided at such event, but excluding lodging or travel 75
expenses, at which a public official or state employee participates in his 76
or her official capacity, provided such admission is provided by the 77
primary sponsoring entity; 78 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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(O) Anything of value provided by an employer of (i) a public official, 79
(ii) a state employee, or (iii) a spouse of a public official or state 80
employee, to such official, employee or spouse, provided such benefits 81
are customarily and ordinarily provided to others in similar 82
circumstances; 83
(P) Anything having a value of not more than ten dollars, provided 84
the aggregate value of all things provided by a donor to a recipient 85
under this subdivision in any calendar year does not exceed fifty dollars; 86
(Q) Training that is provided by a vendor for a product purchased by 87
a state or quasi-public agency that is offered to all customers of such 88
vendor; 89
(R) Travel expenses, lodging, food, beverage and other benefits 90
customarily provided by a prospective employer, when provided to a 91
student at a public institution of higher education whose employment 92
is derived from such student's status as a student at such institution, in 93
connection with bona fide employment discussions; or 94
(S) Expenses of a public official, paid by the party committee of which 95
party such official is a member, for the purpose of accomplishing the 96
lawful purposes of the committee. As used in this subparagraph, "party 97
committee" has the same meaning as provided in subdivision (2) of 98
section 9-601 and "lawful purposes of the committee" has the same 99
meaning as provided in subsection (g) of section 9-607. 100
Sec. 2. Subdivision (12) of section 1-79 of the general statutes is 101
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 102
2021): 103
(12) "Quasi-public agency" means Connecticut Innovations, 104
Incorporated, the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities 105
Authority, the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan 106
Authority, the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation, the Connecticut 107
Housing Finance Authority, the State Housing Authority, the Materials 108
Innovation and Recycling Authority, the Capital Region Development 109 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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Authority, the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, the Connecticut 110
Airport Authority, the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, the 111
Connecticut Green Bank, the Connecticut Retirement Security 112
Authority, the Connecticut Port Authority, the Connecticut Municipal 113
Redevelopment Authority, [and] the State Education Resource Center 114
and the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority. 115
Sec. 3. Section 1-79 of the general statutes is amended by adding 116
subdivision (21) as follows (Effective October 1, 2021): 117
(NEW) (21) "Confidential information" means any information in the 118
possession of the state, a state employee or a public official, whatever its 119
form, which (A) is required not to be disclosed to the general public 120
under any provision of the general statutes or federal law; or (B) falls 121
within a category of permissibly nondisclosable information under the 122
Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200, and which the 123
appropriate agency, state employee or public official has decided not to 124
disclose to the general public. 125
Sec. 4. Subsection (c) of section 1-81 of the general statutes is repealed 126
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 127
(c) The Office of State Ethics shall employ an executive director, 128
general counsel and ethics enforcement officer, each of whom shall be 129
exempt from classified state service. The ethics enforcement officer shall 130
be a member of the bar of this state. The salary for the executive director, 131
general counsel and the ethics enforcement officer shall be determined 132
by the Commissioner of Administrative Services in accordance with 133
accepted personnel practices. No one person may serve in more than 134
one of the positions described in this subsection. The Office of State 135
Ethics may employ necessary staff within available appropriations. 136
Such necessary staff of the Office of State Ethics shall be in classified 137
state service. 138
Sec. 5. Subsection (g) of section 1-81 of the general statutes is repealed 139
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 140 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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(g) There shall be an enforcement division within the Office of State 141
Ethics. The enforcement division shall be responsible for investigating 142
complaints brought to or by the board. The ethics enforcement officer, 143
described in subsection (c) of this section, shall supervise the 144
enforcement division. The ethics enforcement officer may represent the 145
Office of State Ethics before the Superior Court in an appeal of any 146
ruling or finding pursuant to, or any matter arising under, section 1-82, 147
as amended by this act, 1-93, as amended by this act, or 1-101nn, 148
provided the board is not a party in such appeal. The enforcement 149
division shall employ such attorneys and investigators, as necessary, 150
within available appropriations, and may refer matters to the office of 151
the Chief State's Attorney, as appropriate. 152
Sec. 6. Subsection (b) of section 1-82 of the general statutes is repealed 153
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 154
(b) If a judge trial referee determines that probable cause exists for 155
the violation of a provision of this part, section 1-101bb or section 1-156
101nn, the board shall initiate hearings to determine whether there has 157
been a violation of this part, section 1-101bb or section 1-101nn. Any 158
such hearing shall be initiated by the board not later than thirty days 159
after the finding of probable cause by a judge trial referee and shall be 160
concluded not later than ninety days after its initiation, except that such 161
thirty or ninety-day limitation period shall not apply if the judge trial 162
referee determines that good cause exists for extending such limitation 163
period. A judge trial referee, who has not taken part in the probable 164
cause determination on the matter shall be assigned by the Chief Court 165
Administrator and shall be compensated in accordance with section 52-166
434 out of funds available to the Office of State Ethics. Such judge trial 167
referee shall preside over such hearing and rule on all issues concerning 168
the application of the rules of evidence, which shall be the same as in 169
judicial proceedings. The judge trial referee shall have no vote in any 170
decision of the board. All hearings of the board held pursuant to this 171
subsection shall be open. At such hearing the board shall have the same 172
powers as the Office of State Ethics under subsection (a) of this section 173 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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and the respondent shall have the right to be represented by legal 174
counsel, to compel attendance of witnesses and the production of books, 175
documents, records and papers and to examine and cross-examine 176
witnesses. Not later than ten days prior to the commencement of any 177
hearing conducted pursuant to this subsection, the Office of State Ethics 178
shall provide the respondent with a list of its intended witnesses. The 179
judge trial referee shall, while engaged in the discharge of the duties as 180
provided in this subsection, have the same authority as is provided in 181
section 51-35 over witnesses who refuse to obey a subpoena or to testify 182
with respect to any matter upon which such witness may be lawfully 183
interrogated, and may commit any such witness for contempt for a 184
period no longer than thirty days. The Office of State Ethics shall make 185
a record of all proceedings pursuant to this subsection. During the 186
course of any such hearing, no ex-parte communication shall occur 187
between the board, or any of its members, and: (1) The judge trial 188
referee, or (2) any staff member of the Enforcement Division of the Office 189
of State Ethics, concerning the complaint or the respondent. The board 190
shall find no person in violation of any provision of this part, section 1-191
101bb or section 1-101nn except upon the concurring vote of two-thirds 192
of its members present and voting. No member of the board shall vote 193
on the question of whether a violation of any provision of this part has 194
occurred unless such member was physically present for the duration 195
of any hearing held pursuant to this subsection. Not later than [fifteen] 196
forty-five days after the public hearing conducted in accordance with 197
this subsection, the board shall publish its finding and a memorandum 198
of the reasons therefor. Such finding and memorandum shall be deemed 199
to be the final decision of the board on the matter for the purposes of 200
chapter 54. The respondent, if aggrieved by the finding and 201
memorandum, may appeal therefrom to the Superior Court in 202
accordance with the provisions of section 4-183. 203
Sec. 7. Subsection (a) of section 1-83 of the general statutes is repealed 204
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 205
(a) (1) All state-wide elected officers, members of the General 206 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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Assembly, department heads and their deputies, members or directors 207
of each quasi-public agency, members of the Investment Advisory 208
Council and such members of the Executive Department and such 209
employees of quasi-public agencies as the Governor shall require, shall 210
file electronically with the Office of State Ethics using the software 211
created by the office, under penalty of false statement, a statement of 212
financial interests for the preceding calendar year [with the Office of 213
State Ethics] on or before the May first next in any year in which they 214
hold such an office or position. If, in any year, May first falls on a 215
weekend or legal holiday, such statement shall be filed not later than the 216
next business day. Any such individual who leaves his or her office or 217
position shall file electronically a statement of financial interests 218
covering that portion of the year during which such individual held his 219
or her office or position. The Office of State Ethics shall notify such 220
individuals of the requirements of this subsection not later than sixty 221
days after their departure from such office or position. Such individuals 222
shall file such statement electronically not later than sixty days after 223
receipt of the notification. 224
(2) Each state agency, department, board and commission shall 225
develop and implement, in cooperation with the Office of State Ethics, 226
an ethics statement as it relates to the mission of the agency, department, 227
board or commission. The executive head of each such agency, 228
department, board or commission shall be directly responsible for the 229
development and enforcement of such ethics statement and shall file a 230
copy of such ethics statement with the Department of Administrative 231
Services and the Office of State Ethics. 232
Sec. 8. Subsection (o) of section 1-84 of the general statutes is repealed 233
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 234
(o) If (1) any person (A) is doing business with or seeking to do 235
business with the department or agency in which a public official or 236
state employee is employed, or (B) is engaged in activities which are 237
directly regulated by such department or agency, and (2) such person or 238
a representative of such person gives to such public official or state 239 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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employee anything [of value which is subject to the reporting 240
requirements pursuant to subsection (e) of section 1-96] having a value 241
of more than ten dollars, such person or representative shall, not later 242
than ten days thereafter, give such recipient and the executive head of 243
the recipient's department or agency a written report stating the name 244
of the donor, a description of the item or items given, the value of such 245
items and the cumulative value of all items given to such recipient 246
during that calendar year. The provisions of this subsection shall not 247
apply to a political contribution otherwise reported as required by law. 248
Sec. 9. Subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of section 1-84b of the general 249
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 250
(Effective October 1, 2021): 251
(c) The provisions of this subsection apply to present or former 252
executive branch public officials or state employees of an agency who 253
hold or formerly held positions which involve significant decision-254
making or supervisory responsibility. [and are] Such positions shall be 255
designated as such by the agency concerned, in consultation with the 256
Office of State Ethics, [in consultation with the agency concerned] except 257
that such provisions shall not apply to members or former members of 258
the boards or commissions who serve ex officio, who are required by 259
statute to represent the regulated industry or who are permitted by 260
statute to have a past or present affiliation with the regulated industry. 261
[Designation] On or before November 1, 2021, and not less than 262
annually thereafter, the head of each agency concerned, or his or her 263
designee, shall submit the designation of all positions in existence on 264
such date that are subject to the provisions of this subsection [shall be 265
by regulations adopted by the Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board in 266
accordance with chapter 54] to the office electronically, in a manner 267
prescribed by the Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board. If an agency creates 268
such a position after its annual submission under this subsection, the 269
head of such agency, or his or her designee, shall submit the designation 270
of the newly created position not later than thirty days after the creation 271
of such position. As used in this subsection, "agency" means the Health 272 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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Systems Planning Unit of the Office of Health Strategy, the Connecticut 273
Siting Council, the Department of Banking, the Insurance Department, 274
the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the office 275
within the Department of Consumer Protection that carries out the 276
duties and responsibilities of sections 30-2 to 30-68m, inclusive, the 277
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including the Office of Consumer 278
Counsel, and the Department of Consumer Protection and the term 279
"employment" means professional services or other services rendered as 280
an employee or as an independent contractor. 281
(1) No public official or state employee in an executive branch 282
position designated [by the Office of State Ethics] pursuant to the 283
provisions of this subsection shall negotiate for, seek or accept 284
employment with any business subject to regulation by his agency. 285
(2) No former public official or state employee who held such a 286
position in the executive branch shall, within one year after leaving an 287
agency, accept employment with a business subject to regulation by that 288
agency. 289
(3) No business shall employ a present or former public official or 290
state employee in violation of this subsection. 291
(d) The provisions of subsection (e) of this section apply to (1) present 292
or former Department of Consumer Protection public officials or state 293
employees who hold or formerly held positions which involve 294
significant decision-making or supervisory responsibility and [are] 295
designated as such by the department, in consultation with the Office of 296
State Ethics, [in consultation with the agency concerned,] and (2) present 297
or former public officials or state employees of other agencies who hold 298
or formerly held positions which involve significant decision-making or 299
supervisory responsibility concerning the regulation or investigation of 300
(A) any business entity (i) engaged in Indian gaming operations in the 301
state, and (ii) in which a federally-recognized Indian tribe in the state 302
owns a controlling interest, or (B) a governmental agency of a federally-303
recognized Indian tribe engaged in Indian gaming operations in the 304 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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state, which positions are designated as such by the agency concerned, 305
in consultation with the Office of State Ethics. [, in consultation with the 306
agency concerned. Designation of ] On or before November 1, 2021, and 307
not less than annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Consumer 308
Protection and the head of each agency concerned, or their designees, 309
shall submit designations of all positions in existence on such date that 310
are subject to the provisions of this subsection [shall be by regulations 311
adopted by the Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board in accordance with 312
chapter 54. As used in subsection (e) of this section, the term 313
"employment" means professional services or other services rendered as 314
an employee or as an independent contractor ] to the office 315
electronically, in a manner prescribed by the Citizen's Ethics Advisory 316
Board. If the department or agency concerned creates such a position 317
after its annual submission under this subsection, the Commissioner of 318
Consumer Protection or the head of such agency, as applicable, or their 319
designees, shall submit the designation of the newly created position 320
not later than thirty days after the creation of such position. 321
(e) (1) No Department of Consumer Protection public official or state 322
employee or other public official or state employee described in 323
subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section [, in a position designated 324
by the Office of State Ethics,] shall negotiate for, seek or accept 325
employment with (A) a business entity (i) engaged in Indian gaming 326
operations in the state, and (ii) in which a federally-recognized Indian 327
tribe in the state owns a controlling interest, or (B) a governmental 328
agency of a federally-recognized Indian tribe engaged in Indian gaming 329
operations in the state. 330
(2) No former Department of Consumer Protection public official or 331
state employee or other former public official or state employee 332
described in subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section, who held 333
such a position shall, within two years after leaving such agency, accept 334
employment with (A) a business entity (i) engaged in Indian gaming 335
operations in the state, and (ii) in which a federally-recognized Indian 336
tribe in the state owns a controlling interest, or (B) a governmental 337 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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agency of a federally-recognized Indian tribe engaged in Indian gaming 338
operations in the state. 339
(3) As used in this subsection, "employment" means professional 340
services or other services rendered as an employee or as an independent 341
contractor. 342
Sec. 10. Section 1-86e of the general statutes is repealed and the 343
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 344
(a) No person hired by the state as a consultant or independent 345
contractor, and no person employed by such consultant or independent 346
contractor, shall: 347
(1) Use the authority provided [to the person] under the contract, or 348
any confidential information acquired in the performance of the 349
contract, to obtain financial gain for the [person] consultant or 350
independent contractor, an employee of the [person] consultant or 351
independent contractor or a member of the immediate family of any 352
such [person] consultant, independent contractor or employee; 353
(2) Accept another state contract which would impair the 354
independent judgment of the [person] consultant, independent 355
contractor or employee in the performance of the existing contract; or 356
(3) Accept anything of value based on an understanding that the 357
actions of the [person] consultant, independent contractor or employee 358
on behalf of the state would be influenced. 359
(b) No person shall give anything of value to a person hired by the 360
state as a consultant or independent contractor or an employee of a 361
consultant or independent contractor based on an understanding that 362
the actions of the consultant, [or] independent contractor or employee 363
on behalf of the state would be influenced. 364
Sec. 11. Subsection (a) of section 1-90a of the general statutes is 365
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 366 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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1, 2021): 367
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 1-84, as amended by 368
this act, 1-84a, 1-85 and 1-86, a public official or state employee of a 369
public institution of higher education whose employment is derived 370
from such official's or employee's status as a student at such institution 371
shall not be subject to the provisions of said sections, if (1) such 372
institution has adopted written policies and procedures to regulate 373
student conduct concerning conflicts of interest relating to student 374
holding of public office or state employment, and (2) such policies and 375
procedures have been approved by the Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board 376
in accordance with subsection (b) of this section. 377
Sec. 12. Subdivision (7) of section 1-91 of the general statutes is 378
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 379
1, 2021): 380
(7) "Gift" means anything of value, which is directly and personally 381
received, unless consideration of equal or greater value is given in 382
return. "Gift" does not include: 383
(A) A political contribution otherwise reported as required by law or 384
a donation or payment described in subdivision (9) or (10) of subsection 385
(b) of section 9-601a; 386
(B) Services provided by persons volunteering their time, if provided 387
to aid or promote the success or defeat of any political party, any 388
candidate or candidates for public office or the position of convention 389
delegate or town committee member or any referendum question; 390
(C) A commercially reasonable loan made on terms not more 391
favorable than loans made in the ordinary course of business; 392
(D) A gift received from (i) the individual's spouse, fiancé or fiancée, 393
(ii) the parent, grandparent, brother or sister of such spouse or such 394
individual, or (iii) the child of such individual or the spouse of such 395
child; 396 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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(E) Goods or services (i) that are provided to a state agency or quasi-397
public agency (I) for use on state or quasi-public agency property, or (II) 398
that support an event or the participation by a public official or state 399
employee at an event, and (ii) that facilitate state or quasi-public agency 400
action or functions. As used in this subparagraph, "state property" 401
means property owned by the state or a quasi-public agency or property 402
leased to a state or quasi-public agency; 403
(F) A certificate, plaque or other ceremonial award costing less than 404
one hundred dollars; 405
(G) A rebate, discount or promotional item available to the general 406
public; 407
(H) Printed or recorded informational material germane to state 408
action or functions; 409
(I) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars in the 410
aggregate per recipient in a calendar year, and consumed on an occasion 411
or occasions at which the person paying, directly or indirectly, for the 412
food or beverage, or his representative, is in attendance; 413
(J) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars per person 414
and consumed at a publicly noticed legislative reception to which all 415
members of the General Assembly are invited and which is hosted not 416
more than once in any calendar year by a lobbyist or business 417
organization. For the purposes of such limit, (i) a reception hosted by a 418
lobbyist who is an individual shall be deemed to have also been hosted 419
by the business organization which he owns or is employed by, and (ii) 420
a reception hosted by a business organization shall be deemed to have 421
also been hosted by all owners and employees of the business 422
organization who are lobbyists. In making the calculation for the 423
purposes of such fifty-dollar limit, the donor shall divide the amount 424
spent on food and beverage by the number of persons whom the donor 425
reasonably expects to attend the reception; 426
(K) Food or beverage or both, costing less than fifty dollars per person 427 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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and consumed at a publicly noticed reception to which all members of 428
the General Assembly from a region of the state are invited and which 429
is hosted not more than once in any calendar year by a lobbyist or 430
business organization. For the purposes of such limit, (i) a reception 431
hosted by a lobbyist who is an individual shall be deemed to have also 432
been hosted by the business organization which he owns or is employed 433
by, and (ii) a reception hosted by a business organization shall be 434
deemed to have also been hosted by all owners and employees of the 435
business organization who are lobbyists. In making the calculation for 436
the purposes of such fifty-dollar limit, the donor shall divide the amount 437
spent on food and beverage by the number of persons whom the donor 438
reasonably expects to attend the reception. As used in this 439
subparagraph, "region of the state" means the established geographic 440
service area of the organization hosting the reception; 441
(L) A gift, including, but not limited to, food or beverage or both, 442
provided by an individual for the celebration of a major life event, 443
provided any such gift provided by an individual who is not a member 444
of the family of the recipient does not exceed one thousand dollars in 445
value; 446
(M) Gifts costing less than one hundred dollars in the aggregate or 447
food or beverage provided at a hospitality suite at a meeting or 448
conference of an interstate legislative association, by a person who is not 449
a registrant or is not doing business with the state of Connecticut; 450
(N) Admission to a charitable or civic event, including food and 451
beverage provided at such event, but excluding lodging or travel 452
expenses, at which a public official or state employee participates in his 453
or her official capacity, provided such admission is provided by the 454
primary sponsoring entity; 455
(O) Anything of value provided by an employer of (i) a public official, 456
(ii) a state employee, or (iii) a spouse of a public official or state 457
employee, to such official, employee or spouse, provided such benefits 458
are customarily and ordinarily provided to others in similar 459 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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circumstances; 460
(P) Anything having a value of not more than ten dollars, provided 461
the aggregate value of all things provided by a donor to a recipient 462
under this subdivision in any calendar year does not exceed fifty dollars; 463
or 464
(Q) Training that is provided by a vendor for a product purchased by 465
a state or quasi-public agency that is offered to all customers of such 466
vendor. 467
Sec. 13. Subsection (b) of section 1-93 of the general statutes is 468
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 469
1, 2021): 470
(b) If a judge trial referee indicates that probable cause exists for the 471
violation of a provision of this part or section 1-101bb, the board shall 472
initiate hearings to determine whether there has been a violation of this 473
part or section 1-101bb. Any such hearing shall be initiated by the board 474
not later than thirty days after the finding of probable cause by a judge 475
trial referee and shall be concluded not later than ninety days after its 476
initiation, except that such thirty-day or ninety-day limitation period 477
shall not apply if the judge trial referee determines that good cause 478
exists for extending such limitation period. A judge trial referee, who 479
has not taken part in the probable cause determination on the matter 480
shall be assigned by the Chief Court Administrator and shall be 481
compensated in accordance with section 52-434 out of funds available to 482
the board. Such judge trial referee shall preside over such hearing and 483
rule on all issues concerning the application of the rules of evidence, 484
which shall be the same as in judicial proceedings. The judge trial referee 485
shall have no vote in any decision of the board. All hearings of the board 486
held pursuant to this subsection shall be open. At such hearing the 487
board shall have the same powers as the Office of State Ethics under 488
subsection (a) of this section and the respondent shall have the right to 489
be represented by legal counsel, to compel attendance of witnesses and 490
the production of books, documents, records and papers and to examine 491 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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and cross-examine witnesses. Not later than ten days prior to the 492
commencement of any hearing conducted pursuant to this subsection, 493
the Office of State Ethics shall provide the respondent with a list of its 494
intended witnesses. The judge trial referee shall, while engaged in the 495
discharge of the duties as provided in this subsection, have the same 496
authority as is provided in section 51-35 over witnesses who refuse to 497
obey a subpoena or to testify with respect to any matter upon which 498
such witness may be lawfully interrogated, and may commit any such 499
witness for contempt for a period no longer than thirty days. The Office 500
of State Ethics shall make a record of all proceedings pursuant to this 501
subsection. During the course of any such hearing, no ex-parte 502
communication shall occur between the board, or any of its members, 503
and: (1) The judge trial referee, or (2) any staff member of the 504
Enforcement Division of the Office of State Ethics, concerning the 505
complaint or the respondent. The board shall find no person in violation 506
of any provision of this part or section 1-101bb except upon the 507
concurring vote of two-thirds of its members present and voting. No 508
member of the board shall vote on the question of whether a violation 509
of any provision of this part or section 1-101bb has occurred unless such 510
member was physically present for the duration of any hearing held 511
pursuant to this subsection. Not later than [fifteen] forty-five days after 512
the public hearing conducted in accordance with this subsection, the 513
board shall publish its finding and a memorandum of the reasons 514
therefor. Such finding and memorandum shall be deemed to be the final 515
decision of the board on the matter for the purposes of chapter 54. The 516
respondent, if aggrieved by the finding and memorandum, may appeal 517
therefrom to the Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of 518
section 4-183. 519
Sec. 14. Subsection (b) of section 1-97 of the general statutes is 520
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 521
1, 2021): 522
(b) No person shall employ, or be employed as, a lobbyist for 523
compensation [which] that is contingent upon the outcome of any 524 Substitute Bill No. 6574
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administrative or legislative action. 525
Sec. 15. Sections 1-80b to 1-80d, inclusive, 1-82b and 1-89a of the 526
general statutes are repealed. (Effective October 1, 2021) 527
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2021 1-79(5)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 1-79(12)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2021 1-79
Sec. 4 October 1, 2021 1-81(c)
Sec. 5 October 1, 2021 1-81(g)
Sec. 6 October 1, 2021 1-82(b)
Sec. 7 October 1, 2021 1-83(a)
Sec. 8 October 1, 2021 1-84(o)
Sec. 9 October 1, 2021 1-84b(c) to (e)
Sec. 10 October 1, 2021 1-86e
Sec. 11 October 1, 2021 1-90a(a)
Sec. 12 October 1, 2021 1-91(7)
Sec. 13 October 1, 2021 1-93(b)
Sec. 14 October 1, 2021 1-97(b)
Sec. 15 October 1, 2021 Repealer section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 9(d), references to "Commissioner of Consumer Protection"
and "department" were added for consistency.
GAE Joint Favorable Subst.