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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6904
January Session, 2023
AN ACT CONCERNING CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 9-601b of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2
passage): 3
(b) The term "expenditure" does not mean: 4
(1) A loan of money, made in the ordinary course of business, by a 5
state or national bank; 6
(2) A communication made by any corporation, organization or 7
association solely to its members, owners, stockholders, executive or 8
administrative personnel, or their families; 9
(3) Nonpartisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns 10
by any corporation, organization or association aimed at its members, 11
owners, stockholders, executive or administrative personnel, or their 12
families; 13
(4) Uncompensated services provided by individuals volunteering 14
their time on behalf of a party committee, political committee, slate 15
committee or candidate committee, including any services provided 16
for the benefit of nonparticipating and participating candidates under 17 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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the Citizens' Election Program and any unreimbursed travel expenses 18
made by an individual who volunteers the individual's personal 19
services to any such committee. For purposes of this subdivision, an 20
individual is a volunteer if such individual is not receiving 21
compensation for such services regardless of whether such individual 22
received compensation in the past or may receive compensation for 23
similar services that may be performed in the future; 24
(5) Any news story, commentary or editorial distributed through 25
the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine or 26
other periodical, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any 27
political party, committee or candidate; 28
(6) The use of real or personal property, a portion or all of the cost of 29
invitations and the cost of food or beverages, voluntarily provided by 30
an individual to a candidate, including a nonparticipating or 31
participating candidate under the Citizens' Election Program, or to a 32
party, political or slate committee, in rendering voluntary personal 33
services at the individual's residential premises or a community room 34
in the individual's residence facility, to the extent that the cumulative 35
value of the invitations, food or beverages provided by an individual 36
on behalf of any candidate or committee does not exceed four hundred 37
dollars with respect to any single event or does not exceed eight 38
hundred dollars for any such event hosted by two or more individuals, 39
provided at least one such individual owns or resides at the residential 40
premises, and further provided the cumulative value of the invitations, 41
food or beverages provided by an individual on behalf of any such 42
candidate or committee does not exceed eight hundred dollars with 43
respect to a calendar year or single election, as the case may be; 44
(7) A communication described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) 45
of this section that includes speech or expression made (A) prior to the 46
ninety-day period preceding the date of a primary or an election at 47
which the clearly identified candidate or candidates are seeking 48
nomination to public office or position, that is made for the purpose of 49
influencing any legislative or administrative action, as defined in 50 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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section 1-91, or executive action, or (B) during a legislative session for 51
the purpose of influencing legislative action; 52
(8) An organization expenditure by a party committee, legislative 53
caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; 54
(9) A commercial advertisement that refers to an owner, director or 55
officer of a business entity who is also a candidate and that had 56
previously been broadcast or appeared when the owner, director or 57
officer was not a candidate; 58
(10) A communication containing an endorsement on behalf of a 59
candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, 60
Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State 61
Comptroller, Attorney General, state senator or state representative, 62
from a candidate for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 63
Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, Attorney 64
General, state senator or state representative, shall not be an 65
expenditure attributable to the endorsing candidate, if the candidate 66
making the endorsement is unopposed at the time of the 67
communication; 68
(11) A communication that is sent by mail to addresses in the district 69
for which a candidate being endorsed by another candidate pursuant 70
to the provisions of this subdivision is seeking nomination or election 71
to the office of state senator or state representative, containing an 72
endorsement on behalf of such candidate for such nomination or 73
election, from a candidate for the office of state senator or state 74
representative, shall not be an expenditure attributable to the 75
endorsing candidate, if the candidate making the endorsement is not 76
seeking election to the office of state senator or state representative for 77
a district that contains any geographical area shared by the district for 78
the office to which the endorsed candidate is seeking nomination or 79
election; 80
(12) Campaign training events provided to multiple individuals by 81 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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a legislative caucus committee and any associated materials, provided 82
the cumulative value of such events and materials does not exceed six 83
thousand dollars in the aggregate for a calendar year; 84
(13) A lawful communication by any charitable organization which 85
is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 86
Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal 87
revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended; 88
(14) The use of offices, telephones, computers and similar 89
equipment provided by a party committee, legislative caucus 90
committee or legislative leadership committee that serve as 91
headquarters for or are used by such party committee, legislative 92
caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; [or] 93
(15) An expense or expenses incurred by a human being acting 94
alone in an amount that is two hundred dollars or less, in the 95
aggregate, that benefits a candidate for a single election; or 96
(16) A solicitation via the Internet for a contribution to any 97
committee, provided any such contribution described in this 98
subdivision shall be construed to be an expenditure. 99
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 9-612 of the general statutes is 100
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 101
passage): 102
(a) No individual shall make a contribution or contributions in any 103
one calendar year in excess of [ten] fifteen thousand dollars to the state 104
central committee of any party, or for the benefit of such committee 105
pursuant to its authorization or request; or two thousand dollars to a 106
town committee of any political party, or for the benefit of such 107
committee pursuant to its authorization or request; or two thousand 108
dollars to a legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership 109
committee, or one thousand dollars to any other political committee 110
other than (1) a political committee formed solely to aid or promote the 111
success or defeat of a referendum question, (2) an exploratory 112 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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committee, (3) a political committee established by an organization, or 113
for the benefit of such committee pursuant to its authorization or 114
request, or (4) a political committee formed by a slate of candidates in 115
a primary for the office of justice of the peace of the same town. 116
Sec. 3. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 9-7a of the general 117
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 118
(Effective from passage): 119
(g) (1) (A) In the case of a written complaint filed with the 120
commission pursuant to section 9-7b, commission staff shall conduct 121
and complete a preliminary examination of such complaint by the 122
fourteenth day following its receipt, at which time such staff shall, at 123
its discretion, [(A)] (i) dismiss the complaint for failure to allege any 124
substantial violation of state election law supported by evidence, [(B)] 125
(ii) engage the respondent in discussions in an effort to speedily 126
resolve any matter pertaining to a de minimis violation, or [(C)] (iii) 127
investigate and docket the complaint for a determination by the 128
commission that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any 129
such violation. If commission staff dismisses a complaint pursuant to 130
subparagraph [(A)] (A)(i) of this subdivision, such staff shall provide a 131
brief written statement concisely setting forth the reasons for such 132
dismissal. If commission staff engages a respondent pursuant to 133
subparagraph [(B)] (A)(ii) of this subdivision but is unable to speedily 134
resolve any such matter described in said subparagraph by the forty-135
fifth day following receipt of the complaint, such staff shall docket 136
such complaint for a determination by the commission that probable 137
cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state election law. 138
If the commission does not, by the sixtieth day following receipt of the 139
complaint, either issue a decision or render its determination that 140
probable cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state 141
election laws, the complainant or respondent may apply to the 142
superior court for the judicial district of Hartford for an order to show 143
cause why the commission has not acted upon the complaint and to 144
provide evidence that the commission has unreasonably delayed 145 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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action. 146
(B) (i) For any complaint received on or after January 1, 2018, but 147
prior to July 1, 2023, if the commission does not, by one year following 148
receipt of such complaint, issue a decision thereon, the commission 149
shall dismiss such complaint, provided the length of time of any delay 150
caused by [(i)] (I) the commission or commission staff granting any 151
extension or continuance to a respondent prior to the issuance of any 152
such decision, [(ii)] (II) any subpoena issued in connection with such 153
complaint, [(iii)] (III) any litigation in state or federal court related to 154
such complaint, or [(iv)] (IV) any investigation by, or consultation of 155
the commission or commission staff with, the Chief State's Attorney, 156
the Attorney General, the United States Department of Justice or the 157
United States Attorney for Connecticut related to such complaint, shall 158
be added to such one year. 159
(ii) For any complaint received on or after July 1, 2023, if the 160
commission does not, by one year following receipt of such complaint, 161
find reason to believe that a violation of state election law has been 162
committed and commence a contested case, as defined in section 4-166, 163
the commission shall dismiss such complaint, provided the length of 164
time of any delay caused by (I) the commission or commission staff 165
granting any extension or continuance to a respondent prior to the 166
issuance of any such decision, (II) any subpoena issued in connection 167
with such complaint, (III) any litigation in state or federal court related 168
to such complaint, (IV) any investigation by the commission or 169
commission staff involving a potential violation of state election law by 170
a foreign national, as defined in 52 USC 30121(b), as amended from 171
time to time, or of section 9-601c or 9-601d, or (V) any investigation by, 172
or consultation of the commission or commission staff with, the Chief 173
State's Attorney, the Attorney General, the United States Department 174
of Justice or the United States Attorney for Connecticut related to such 175
complaint, shall be added to such one year. 176 Substitute Bill No. 6904
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 9-601b(b)
Sec. 2 from passage 9-612(a)
Sec. 3 from passage 9-7a(g)(1)
GAE Joint Favorable Subst.