Connecticut 2023 2023 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01225 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/17/2023

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 1225  
January Session, 2023 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING REFERENDA, INDEPENDENT 
EXPENDITURES, STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION 
COMPLAINTS AND REPAYMENT OF SURPLUS CITIZENS' ELECTION 
PROGRAM GRANT FUNDS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 9-601 of the general statutes is amended by adding 1 
subdivision (33) as follows (Effective from passage): 2 
(NEW) (33) "Independent expenditure political committee" means a 3 
political committee that makes only (A) independent expenditures (i) to 4 
promote the success or defeat of any candidate seeking (I) the 5 
nomination for election, or (II) election, or (ii) for the purpose of aiding 6 
or promoting the success or defeat of any (I) referendum question, or 7 
(II) political party, and (B) contributions to other independent 8 
expenditure political committees. 9 
Sec. 2. Subdivision (3) of section 9-601 of the general statutes is 10 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 11 
passage): 12 
(3) "Political committee" means (A) a committee organized by a 13 
business entity or organization, (B) persons other than individuals, or 14 
two or more individuals organized or acting jointly conducting their 15  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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activities in or outside the state, (C) an exploratory committee, (D) a 16 
committee established by or on behalf of a slate of candidates in a 17 
primary for the office of justice of the peace, but does not mean a 18 
candidate committee or a party committee, (E) a legislative caucus 19 
committee, [or] (F) a legislative leadership committee, or (G) an 20 
independent expenditure political committee. 21 
Sec. 3. Section 9-601c of the general statutes is amended by adding 22 
subsection (e) as follows (Effective from passage): 23 
(NEW) (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (d), 24 
inclusive, of this section, an independent expenditure political 25 
committee may coordinate with one or more other independent 26 
expenditure political committees for the purpose of making one or more 27 
independent expenditures. 28 
Sec. 4. Subsections (a) to (i), inclusive, of section 9-601d of the general 29 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 30 
(Effective from passage): 31 
(a) Any person [, as defined in section 9-601,] may, unless otherwise 32 
restricted or prohibited by law, including, but not limited to, any 33 
provision of this chapter or chapter 157, make unlimited independent 34 
expenditures [, as defined in section 9-601c,] and accept unlimited 35 
covered transfers. [, as defined in said section 9-601.] Except as provided 36 
[pursuant to] in this section, any such person who makes or obligates to 37 
make an independent expenditure or expenditures in excess of one 38 
thousand dollars, in the aggregate, shall file statements according to the 39 
same schedule and in the same manner as is required of a treasurer of a 40 
[candidate] political committee pursuant to section 9-608, as amended 41 
by this act. Any such person, other than a committee, shall file with the 42 
proper authority, as provided in section 9-603, (1) a long-form report 43 
and a short-form report pursuant to subsection (c) of this section for 44 
such independent expenditure or expenditures, and (2) a short-form 45 
report pursuant to subsection (d) of this section for each subsequent 46 
independent expenditure made or obligated to be made. 47  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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(b) Any person who makes or obligates to make an independent 48 
expenditure or expenditures in an election or primary for the office of 49 
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, State Treasurer, 50 
State Comptroller, Attorney General, state senator or state 51 
representative, [which] or to promote the success or defeat of a 52 
referendum question proposing a constitutional convention, 53 
constitutional amendment or revision of the Constitution, that exceed 54 
one thousand dollars, in the aggregate, during [a primary campaign or 55 
a general election campaign, as defined in section 9-700, shall file, 56 
electronically, a long-form and a short-form report of such independent 57 
expenditure or expenditures with the State Elections Enforcement 58 
Commission pursuant to subsections (c) and (d) of this section. The 59 
person that makes or obligates to make such independent expenditure 60 
or expenditures shall file such reports] the period beginning on June first 61 
in the year of a regular election, or on the day the Governor issues writs 62 
of election pursuant to section 9-215 in the case of a special election for 63 
the office of state senator or state representative, and ending on the day 64 
following the primary or election for which such person made or 65 
obligated to make such independent expenditure or expenditures, shall 66 
electronically file, in the case of a committee, a report pursuant to section 67 
9-608, as amended by this act, or, in the case of any person other than a 68 
committee, a long-form report and a short-form report pursuant to 69 
subsections (c) and (d) of this section not later than twenty-four hours 70 
after (1) making any such payment, or (2) obligating to make any such 71 
payment, with respect to the primary, [or] election [. If any such person 72 
makes or incurs a subsequent independent expenditure, such person 73 
shall report such expenditure pursuant to subsection (d) of this section] 74 
or referendum. In the case of a special election for the office of state 75 
senator or state representative, if any person makes or obligates to make 76 
an independent expenditure or expenditures for such special election 77 
that exceeds one thousand dollars, in the aggregate, prior to the day the 78 
Governor issues writs of election pursuant to section 9-215, such person 79 
shall file a report not later than twenty-four hours after such writs of 80 
election are issued. Such reports shall be filed under penalty of false 81 
statement. 82  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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(c) The independent expenditure long-form report shall identify: (1) 83 
The name of the person making or obligating to make such independent 84 
expenditure or expenditures and, in the case of a person other than an 85 
individual, provide (A) the name of a human being who had direct, 86 
extensive and substantive decision-making authority over such 87 
independent expenditure or expenditures, and (B) a certification that the 88 
person making such independent expenditure is not a foreign national, 89 
as defined in 52 USC 30121(b), as amended from time to time; (2) the tax 90 
exempt status of such person and, if [applicable] such person files a 91 
report with the Federal Election Commission, the Internal Revenue 92 
Service or any similar out-of-state agency, provide identifying 93 
information under which any such filing is made; (3) the mailing 94 
address, and street address if different, of such person; (4) the principal 95 
business address of the person, if different from either the mailing 96 
address or street address; (5) the mailing address, and street address if 97 
different, telephone number and electronic mail address of the agent for 98 
service of process in this state of such person and of the human being 99 
described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection; (6) 100 
the date of the primary, [or] election or referendum for which [the] such 101 
independent expenditure or expenditures were made or obligated to be 102 
made; (7) the name of any candidate who, or the text of any referendum 103 
question that, was the subject of [any] such independent expenditure or 104 
expenditures and whether [the] such independent expenditure or 105 
expenditures were in support of or in opposition to such candidate or 106 
referendum question; and (8) the name, telephone number and 107 
electronic mail address for the individual filing such report. Such 108 
individual filing such report shall, under penalty of false statement, 109 
affirm that the expenditure reported is an independent expenditure. 110 
[under penalty of false statement.] 111 
(d) As part of any filing made pursuant to subsection (c) of this 112 
section and for each subsequent independent expenditure made or 113 
obligated to be made by a person with respect to the primary, [or] 114 
election or referendum for which a long-form report pursuant to 115 
subsection (c) of this section has been filed on behalf of such person, an 116  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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individual shall file [, electronically,] a short-form report for each such 117 
independent expenditure. [, not later than twenty-four hours after such 118 
person makes a payment for an independent expenditure or obligates 119 
to make such an independent expenditure.] Such short-form report shall 120 
identify: (1) The name of the person making or obligating to make such 121 
independent expenditure; (2) the amount of the independent 122 
expenditure; (3) whether the independent expenditure was in support 123 
of or in opposition to a candidate or referendum question and the name 124 
of such candidate or text of such referendum question; (4) a brief 125 
description of the independent expenditure made, including the type of 126 
communication, based on categories determined by the State Elections 127 
Enforcement Commission, and the allocation of such independent 128 
expenditure in support of or in opposition to each such candidate or 129 
referendum question, if such independent expenditure was made in 130 
support of or in opposition to more than one candidate or question; and 131 
(5) the name, telephone number and electronic mail address for the 132 
individual filing such report. Such individual filing such report shall, 133 
under penalty of false statement, affirm that the expenditure reported is 134 
an independent expenditure. [under penalty of false statement.] 135 
(e) No person reporting an independent expenditure pursuant to the 136 
provisions of subsection (c) or (d) of this section shall be required to file 137 
a statement pursuant to section 9-608, as amended by this act, for such 138 
independent expenditure. 139 
(f) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, as part 140 
of any statement filed pursuant to this section, if a person who makes or 141 
obligates to make an independent expenditure (A) has received a 142 
covered transfer during the twelve-month period prior to (i) a primary 143 
or election, as applicable to the reported independent expenditure, for 144 
an office that a candidate described in subdivision (7) of subsection (c) 145 
of this section is seeking, or (ii) a referendum on a question proposing a 146 
constitutional convention, constitutional amendment or revision of the 147 
Constitution, and (B) such independent expenditure is made or 148 
obligated to be made on or after the date that is one hundred eighty days 149  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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prior to such primary, [or] election or referendum, such person shall 150 
disclose the source and the amount of any such covered transfer such 151 
person received that is in an amount that is five thousand dollars or 152 
more, in the aggregate, during the twelve-month period prior to such 153 
primary, [or] election or referendum, as applicable to the reported 154 
independent expenditure. 155 
(2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not apply 156 
to any person who discloses the source and amount of a covered transfer 157 
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection as part of any report to 158 
the Federal Election Commission, [or] the Internal Revenue Service or 159 
any similar out-of-state agency, provided such person includes a copy 160 
of, or information sufficient to find, any such report as part of the report 161 
of each applicable independent expenditure filed pursuant to this 162 
section. If a source and amount of a covered transfer is not included as 163 
part of any such report, the maker of the independent expenditure shall 164 
disclose the source and amount of such covered transfer pursuant to 165 
subdivision (1) of this subsection, if applicable. 166 
(g) (1) A person may, unless otherwise restricted or prohibited by 167 
law, including, but not limited to, any provision of this chapter or 168 
chapter 157, establish a dedicated independent expenditure account [, 169 
for the purpose of engaging in] that may be used to make independent 170 
expenditures, [that] provided such account is segregated from all other 171 
accounts controlled by such person. Such dedicated independent 172 
expenditure account may receive covered transfers directly from 173 
persons other than the person establishing the dedicated account and 174 
may not receive transfers from another account controlled by the person 175 
establishing the dedicated account, except as provided in subdivision 176 
(2) of this subsection. If an independent expenditure is made from such 177 
segregated account, any report required pursuant to this section or 178 
disclaimer required pursuant to section 9-621, as amended by this act, 179 
[may include only] shall include those persons who made covered 180 
transfers directly to the dedicated independent expenditure account. 181 
(2) If a person who has made a covered transfer to another account 182  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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controlled by the person establishing a dedicated independent 183 
expenditure account requests that such covered transfer be used for the 184 
purposes of making an independent expenditure from the dedicated 185 
independent expenditure account, the amount of such covered transfer 186 
may be transferred to the dedicated independent expenditure account 187 
and shall be treated as a covered transfer directly to the dedicated 188 
independent expenditure account. 189 
(h) Any person may file a complaint with the commission upon the 190 
belief that (1) any such independent expenditure report or statement is 191 
false, or (2) any person who is required to file an independent 192 
expenditure report under this subsection has failed to do so. The 193 
commission shall make a prompt determination on such a complaint. 194 
(i) (1) [If a] Notwithstanding the provisions of section 9-623, (A) any 195 
person who fails to file a report in accordance with the provisions of this 196 
section or section 9-608, as amended by this act, for an independent 197 
expenditure or expenditures made or obligated to be made more than 198 
ninety days before the day of a primary, [or election, the person] election 199 
or referendum shall be subject to a civil penalty, imposed by the State 200 
Elections Enforcement Commission, of not more than ten thousand 201 
dollars, [. If a] and (B) any person who fails to file a report required in 202 
accordance with the provisions of this section for an independent 203 
expenditure or expenditures made or obligated to be made ninety days 204 
or less before the day of a primary, [or election, such person] election or 205 
referendum shall be subject to a civil penalty, imposed by the State 206 
Elections Enforcement Commission, of not more than twenty thousand 207 
dollars or twice the amount of such independent expenditure or 208 
expenditures, whichever is greater. 209 
(2) [If] Notwithstanding the provisions of section 9-623, if the State 210 
Elections Enforcement Commission finds that any such failure is 211 
knowing and wilful, the person responsible for [the] such failure shall 212 
[also be fined] be subject to an additional civil penalty, imposed by the 213 
commission, of not more than fifty thousand dollars or ten times the 214 
amount of such independent expenditure or expenditures, whichever is 215  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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greater, and the commission may refer the matter to the office of the 216 
Chief State's Attorney. 217 
(3) If the State Elections Enforcement Commission finds that a person 218 
is subject to a civil penalty under this subsection, (A) in the case of a 219 
committee, (i) the chairperson, and (ii) any officer, or (B) in the case of a 220 
person other than a committee, (i) the chief executive or chief financial 221 
officer, or equivalent, (ii) any other officer, and (iii) any manager who 222 
had direct, extensive and substantive decision-making authority over 223 
the independent expenditure or expenditures made or obligated to be 224 
made by such person, shall be liable for paying any amount of such civil 225 
penalty imposed that is not paid by such person within one year after 226 
the latter of the date on which the commission imposed such civil 227 
penalty or the date of the final judgment following any judicial review 228 
of the commission's action. 229 
Sec. 5. Subsection (b) of section 9-605 of the general statutes is 230 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 231 
passage): 232 
(b) The registration statement shall include: (1) The name and address 233 
of the committee; (2) a statement of the purpose of the committee; (3) the 234 
name and address of its treasurer, and deputy treasurer if applicable; (4) 235 
the name, address and position of its [chairman] chairperson, and other 236 
principal officers if applicable; (5) the name and address of the 237 
depository institution for its funds; (6) the name of each person, other 238 
than an individual, that is a member of the committee; (7) the name and 239 
party affiliation of each candidate whom the committee is supporting 240 
and the office or position sought by each candidate; (8) if the committee 241 
is supporting the entire ticket of any party, a statement to that effect and 242 
the name of the party; (9) if the committee is supporting or opposing 243 
any referendum question, a brief statement identifying the substance of 244 
the question; (10) if the committee is established or controlled by a 245 
[business entity or organization] person or an individual acting as the 246 
agent of a person, the name of [the entity or organization] such person 247 
and, if the committee is established or controlled by a person other than 248  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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a human being, (A) the name of its chief executive officer or equivalent, 249 
and (B) a certification that the person making the expenditure is not a 250 
foreign national, as defined in 52 USC 30121(b), as amended from time 251 
to time; (11) if the committee is established by an organization, a 252 
statement of whether it will receive its funds from the organization's 253 
treasury or from voluntary contributions; (12) if the committee files 254 
reports with the Federal Elections Commission, the Internal Revenue 255 
Service or any similar out-of-state agency, a statement to that effect 256 
including the name of the commission or agency and identifying 257 
information under which any such filings are made; (13) a statement 258 
indicating whether the committee is established for a single primary, 259 
election or referendum or for ongoing political activities; (14) if the 260 
committee is established or controlled by a lobbyist, a statement to that 261 
effect and the name of the lobbyist; (15) the name and address of the 262 
person making the initial contribution or disbursement, if any, to the 263 
committee; and (16) any information that the State Elections 264 
Enforcement Commission requires to facilitate compliance with the 265 
provisions of this chapter or chapter 157. If no such initial contribution 266 
or disbursement, as described in subdivision (15) of this subsection, has 267 
been made at the time of the filing of such statement, the treasurer of the 268 
committee shall, not later than forty-eight hours after receipt of such 269 
contribution or disbursement, file a report with the State Elections 270 
Enforcement Commission. The report shall be in the same form as 271 
statements filed under section 9-608, as amended by this act. 272 
Sec. 6. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 9-607 of the general 273 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 274 
(Effective from passage): 275 
(g) (1) As used in this subsection, (A) "the lawful purposes of the 276 
committee" means: (i) For a candidate committee or exploratory 277 
committee, the promoting of the nomination or election of the candidate 278 
who established the committee, except that after a political party 279 
nominates candidates for election to the offices of Governor and 280 
Lieutenant Governor, whose names shall be so placed on the ballot in 281  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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the election that an elector will cast a single vote for both candidates, as 282 
prescribed in section 9-181, a candidate committee established by either 283 
such candidate may also promote the election of the other such 284 
candidate; (ii) for a political committee, other than an independent 285 
expenditure political committee described in subparagraph (A)(iv) of 286 
this subdivision, the promoting of a political party, including party 287 
building activities, of the success or defeat of candidates for nomination 288 
and election to public office or position subject to the requirements of 289 
this chapter, or of the success or defeat of referendum questions, 290 
provided [a political committee formed for a single referendum 291 
question shall not promote the success or defeat of any candidate, and 292 
provided further] a legislative leadership committee or a legislative 293 
caucus committee may expend funds to defray costs for conducting 294 
legislative or constituency-related business which are not reimbursed or 295 
paid by the state; [and] (iii) for a party committee, the promoting of the 296 
party, of party building activities, of the candidates of the party and of 297 
the success or defeat of referendum questions and the continuing 298 
operating costs of the party; and (iv) for an independent expenditure 299 
political committee, the promoting of a political party, of the success or 300 
defeat of candidates for nomination or election to public office or 301 
position subject to the requirements of this chapter, or of the success or 302 
defeat of referendum questions, and (B) "immediate family" means a 303 
spouse or dependent child of a candidate who resides in the candidate's 304 
household. 305 
Sec. 7. Subparagraph (C) of subdivision (1) of subsection (e) of section 306 
9-608 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted 307 
in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 308 
(C) [(i) Each political committee formed solely to aid or promote the 309 
success or defeat of any referendum question, which does not receive 310 
contributions from a business entity or an organization, shall distribute 311 
its surplus to a party committee, to a political committee organized for 312 
ongoing political activities, to a national committee of a political party, 313 
to all contributors to the committee on a prorated basis of contribution, 314  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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to state or municipal governments or agencies or to any organization 315 
which is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the 316 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding 317 
internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time 318 
amended. (ii) Each political committee formed solely to aid or promote 319 
the success or defeat of any referendum question, which receives 320 
contributions from a business entity or an organization] An 321 
independent expenditure political committee, other than such a 322 
committee formed for ongoing political activities, shall distribute its 323 
surplus to all contributors to the committee on a prorated basis of 324 
contribution, to state or municipal governments or agencies, or to any 325 
organization which is tax-exempt under [said provisions] Sections 326 
501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended from 327 
time to time. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a 328 
committee formed for a single referendum shall not be required to 329 
expend its surplus [not later than] within ninety days after the 330 
referendum and may continue in existence if a substantially similar 331 
referendum question on the same issue will be submitted to the 332 
electorate within six months after the first referendum. If two or more 333 
substantially similar referenda on the same issue are submitted to the 334 
electorate, each no more than six months apart, the committee shall 335 
expend such surplus within ninety days following the date of the last 336 
such referendum; 337 
Sec. 8. Section 9-611 of the general statutes is repealed and the 338 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 339 
(a) No individual shall make a contribution or contributions to, for 340 
the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or request of, a candidate 341 
or a committee supporting or opposing any candidate's campaign for 342 
nomination at a primary, or any candidate's campaign for election, to 343 
the office of (1) Governor, in excess of three thousand five hundred 344 
dollars; (2) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, 345 
Comptroller or Attorney General, in excess of two thousand dollars; (3) 346 
chief executive officer of a town, city or borough, in excess of one 347  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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thousand dollars; (4) state senator or probate judge, in excess of one 348 
thousand dollars; or (5) state representative or any other office of a 349 
municipality not previously included in this subsection, in excess of two 350 
hundred fifty dollars. The limits imposed by this subsection shall be 351 
applied separately to primaries and elections. 352 
(b) (1) No individual shall make a contribution or contributions to, or 353 
for the benefit of, an exploratory committee, in excess of three hundred 354 
seventy-five dollars, if the candidate establishing the exploratory 355 
committee certifies on the statement of organization for the exploratory 356 
committee pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-604 that the candidate 357 
will not be a candidate for the office of state representative. No 358 
individual shall make a contribution or contributions to, or for the 359 
benefit of, any exploratory committee, in excess of two hundred fifty 360 
dollars, if the candidate establishing the exploratory committee does not 361 
so certify. 362 
(2) No individual shall make a contribution or contributions to, or for 363 
the benefit of, a political committee formed by a slate of candidates in a 364 
primary for the office of justice of the peace, in excess of two hundred 365 
fifty dollars. 366 
[(c) No individual shall make contributions to such candidates or 367 
committees which in the aggregate exceed thirty thousand dollars for 368 
any single election and primary preliminary to such election.] 369 
[(d)] (c) No individual shall make a contribution to any candidate or 370 
committee, other than a contribution in kind, in excess of one hundred 371 
dollars except by personal check or credit card of that individual. 372 
[(e)] (d) No individual who is less than eighteen years of age shall 373 
make a contribution or contributions, in excess of thirty dollars to, for 374 
the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or request of: (1) A 375 
candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any candidate's 376 
campaign for nomination at a primary to any office; (2) a candidate or a 377 
committee supporting or opposing any candidate's campaign for 378  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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election to any office; (3) an exploratory committee; (4) any other 379 
political committee in any calendar year; or (5) a party committee in any 380 
calendar year. Notwithstanding any provision of subdivision (2) of 381 
section 9-7b, any individual who is less than eighteen years of age who 382 
violates any provision of this subsection shall not be subject to the 383 
provisions of subdivision (2) of section 9-7b. 384 
Sec. 9. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 9-612 of the general statutes 385 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 386 
from passage): 387 
(a) (1) No individual shall make a contribution or contributions in any 388 
one calendar year in excess of ten thousand dollars to the state central 389 
committee of any party, or for the benefit of such committee pursuant 390 
to its authorization or request; or two thousand dollars to a town 391 
committee of any political party, or for the benefit of such committee 392 
pursuant to its authorization or request; or two thousand dollars to a 393 
legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership committee; [,] or 394 
one thousand dollars to any other political committee [other than (1)] 395 
except (A) a political committee formed solely to aid or promote the 396 
success or defeat of a referendum question, [(2)] (B) an exploratory 397 
committee, [(3)] (C) a political committee established by an 398 
organization, or for the benefit of such committee pursuant to its 399 
authorization or request, or [(4)] (D) a political committee formed by a 400 
slate of candidates in a primary for the office of justice of the peace of 401 
the same town. 402 
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 403 
subsection and unless otherwise restricted or prohibited by law, an 404 
individual may make contributions to an independent expenditure 405 
political committee, including a political committee formed solely to aid 406 
or promote the success or defeat of any referendum question. 407 
(b) (1) No individual shall make a contribution to a political 408 
committee established by an organization which receives its funds from 409 
the organization's treasury. With respect to a political committee 410  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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established by an organization which has complied with the provisions 411 
of subsection (b) or (c) of section 9-614, as amended by this act, and has 412 
elected to receive contributions, no individual other than a member of 413 
the organization may make contributions to the committee, in which 414 
case the individual may contribute not more than seven hundred fifty 415 
dollars in any one calendar year to such committee or for the benefit of 416 
such committee pursuant to its authorization or request. 417 
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 418 
subsection and unless otherwise restricted or prohibited by law, an 419 
individual may make contributions to an independent expenditure 420 
political committee established by an organization. 421 
Sec. 10. Section 9-613 of the general statutes is repealed and the 422 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 423 
(a) [No] Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, a business 424 
entity shall not make any contributions or expenditures (1) to, or for the 425 
benefit of, any candidate's campaign (A) for election to any public office 426 
or position subject to this chapter, or (B) for nomination at a primary for 427 
any such office or position, or (2) to promote the defeat of any candidate 428 
for any such office or position. [No] A business entity shall not make 429 
any other contributions or expenditures to promote the success or defeat 430 
of any political party. [, except as provided in subsection (b) of this 431 
section. No] A business entity shall not establish more than one political 432 
committee. A political committee shall be deemed to have been 433 
established by a business entity if the initial disbursement or 434 
contribution to the committee is made under subsection (b) of this 435 
section or by an officer, director, owner, limited or general partner or 436 
holder of stock constituting five per cent or more of the total outstanding 437 
stock of any class of the business entity. 438 
(b) A business entity may make reasonable and necessary transfers or 439 
disbursements to or for the benefit of a political committee established 440 
by such business entity, for the administration of, or solicitation of 441 
contributions to, such political committee. Nonmonetary contributions 442  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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by a business entity which are incidental in nature and are directly 443 
attributable to the administration of such political committee shall be 444 
exempt from the reporting requirements of this chapter. 445 
[(c) The provisions of this section shall not preclude a business entity 446 
from making contributions or expenditures to promote the success or 447 
defeat of a referendum question.] 448 
[(d) A] (c) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, a 449 
political committee organized by a business entity shall not make a 450 
contribution or contributions to or for the benefit of any candidate's 451 
campaign for nomination at a primary or any candidate's campaign for 452 
election to the office of: (1) Governor, in excess of five thousand dollars; 453 
(2) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller 454 
or Attorney General, in excess of three thousand dollars; (3) state 455 
senator, probate judge or chief executive officer of a town, city or 456 
borough, in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars; (4) state 457 
representative, in excess of seven hundred fifty dollars; or (5) any other 458 
office of a municipality not included in subdivision (3) of this 459 
subsection, in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars. The limits 460 
imposed by this subsection shall apply separately to primaries and 461 
elections and contributions by any such committee to candidates 462 
designated in this subsection shall not exceed one hundred thousand 463 
dollars in the aggregate for any single election and primary preliminary 464 
thereto. Contributions to such committees shall also be subject to the 465 
provisions of section 9-618, as amended by this act, in the case of 466 
committees formed for ongoing political activity or section 9-619, as 467 
amended by this act, in the case of committees formed for a single 468 
election or primary. 469 
[(e) No] (d) A political committee organized by a business entity shall 470 
not make a contribution or contributions to (1) a state central committee 471 
of a political party, in excess of seven thousand five hundred dollars in 472 
any calendar year, (2) a town committee of any political party, in excess 473 
of one thousand five hundred dollars in any calendar year, (3) an 474 
exploratory committee in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars, 475  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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or (4) any other kind of political committee, in excess of two thousand 476 
dollars in any calendar year. 477 
[(f)] (e) As used in this subsection, "investment services" means 478 
investment legal services, investment banking services, investment 479 
advisory services, underwriting services, financial advisory services or 480 
brokerage firm services. [No] A political committee established by a 481 
firm which provides investment services and to which the State 482 
Treasurer pays compensation, expenses or fees or issues a contract shall 483 
not make a contribution to, or solicit contributions on behalf of, an 484 
exploratory committee or candidate committee established by a 485 
candidate for nomination or election to the office of State Treasurer 486 
during the term of office of the State Treasurer who does business with 487 
such firm. 488 
[(g)] (f) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (e), 489 
inclusive, of this section, a [corporation, cooperative association, limited 490 
partnership, professional association, limited liability company or 491 
limited liability partnership, whether formed in this state or any other, 492 
acting alone,] business entity may make independent expenditures and 493 
contributions to an independent expenditure political committee. 494 
(2) An independent expenditure political committee organized by a 495 
business entity shall not make any contribution unless such contribution 496 
is to another independent expenditure political committee. 497 
Sec. 11. Section 9-614 of the general statutes is repealed and the 498 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 499 
(a) An organization may make contributions or expenditures, other 500 
than [those made to promote] for the purposes of promoting the success 501 
or defeat of a referendum question, only by first forming its own 502 
political committee. [The] Unless such political committee is an 503 
independent expenditure political committee, the political committee 504 
shall then be authorized to (1) receive funds (A) exclusively from the 505 
organization's treasury or from voluntary contributions made by its 506  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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members, but not both, (B) from another political committee, or [,] (C) 507 
from a candidate committee distributing a surplus, and [(1) to] (2) make 508 
(A) contributions or expenditures to, or for the benefit of, a candidate's 509 
campaign or a political party, or [(2) to make] (B) contributions to 510 
another political committee. [No] An organization shall not form more 511 
than one political committee. A political committee shall be deemed to 512 
have been established by an organization if the initial contribution to the 513 
committee is made by the organization's treasury or an officer or 514 
director of the organization. 515 
(b) A political committee established by an organization may elect to 516 
alter the manner in which it is funded if it complies with the 517 
requirements of this subsection. The committee chairperson shall notify 518 
the repository with which the committee's most recent statement of 519 
organization is filed, in writing, of the committee's intent to alter its 520 
manner of funding. [Within] Not later than fifteen days after the date of 521 
receipt of such notification, the treasurer of such political committee 522 
shall return any funds remaining in the account of the committee to the 523 
organization's treasury after payment of each outstanding liability. 524 
[Within] Not later than seven days after the distribution and payments 525 
have been made, the treasurer shall file a statement with the same 526 
repository itemizing each such distribution and payment. Upon such 527 
filing, the treasurer may receive voluntary contributions from any 528 
member of the organization which established such committee subject 529 
to the limitations imposed in subsection (b) of section 9-612, as amended 530 
by this act. 531 
(c) The chairperson of each political committee established by an 532 
organization on or after July 1, 1985, shall designate the manner in 533 
which the committee shall be funded in the committee's statement of 534 
organization. 535 
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, 536 
of this section, an organization [, acting alone,] may make independent 537 
expenditures and contributions to an independent expenditure political 538 
committee. 539  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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Sec. 12. Section 9-615 of the general statutes is repealed and the 540 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 541 
(a) [No] A political committee established by an organization shall 542 
not make a contribution or contributions to, or for the benefit of, any 543 
candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary or for election to the 544 
office of: (1) Governor, in excess of five thousand dollars; (2) Lieutenant 545 
Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney 546 
General, in excess of three thousand dollars; (3) chief executive officer 547 
of a town, city or borough, in excess of one thousand five hundred 548 
dollars; (4) state senator or probate judge, in excess of one thousand five 549 
hundred dollars; (5) state representative, in excess of seven hundred 550 
fifty dollars; or (6) any other office of a municipality not previously 551 
included in this subsection, in excess of three hundred seventy-five 552 
dollars. 553 
(b) [No such] A political committee established by an organization 554 
shall not make a contribution or contributions to, or for the benefit of, 555 
an exploratory committee, in excess of three hundred seventy-five 556 
dollars. Any such political committee may make unlimited 557 
contributions to a political committee formed solely to aid or promote 558 
the success or defeat of a referendum question. 559 
(c) The limits imposed by subsection (a) of this section shall apply 560 
separately to primaries and elections. [and no such] A political 561 
committee established by an organization shall not make contributions 562 
to the candidates designated in this section which in the aggregate 563 
exceed fifty thousand dollars for any single election and primary 564 
preliminary thereto. 565 
(d) [No] Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, a political 566 
committee established by an organization shall not make contributions 567 
in any one calendar year to, or for the benefit of, (1) the state central 568 
committee of a political party, in excess of seven thousand five hundred 569 
dollars; (2) a town committee, in excess of one thousand five hundred 570 
dollars; or (3) any political committee, other than an exploratory 571  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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committee or a committee formed solely to aid or promote the success 572 
or defeat of a referendum question, in excess of two thousand dollars. 573 
(e) Contributions to a political committee established by an 574 
organization shall be subject to the provisions of section 9-618, as 575 
amended by this act, in the case of a committee formed for ongoing 576 
political activity or section 9-619, as amended by this act, in the case of 577 
a committee formed for a single election or primary. 578 
(f) An independent expenditure political committee established by an 579 
organization shall not make any contribution unless such contribution 580 
is to another independent expenditure political committee.  581 
Sec. 13. Subsection (a) of section 9-618 of the general statutes is 582 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 583 
passage): 584 
(a) (1) A political committee organized for ongoing political activities 585 
may make unlimited contributions to, or for the benefit of, any national 586 
committee of a political party [;] or a committee of a candidate for 587 
federal or out-of-state office. Except as provided in subdivision (3) of 588 
subsection (d) of this section, no such political committee shall make a 589 
contribution or contributions in excess of two thousand dollars to 590 
another political committee in any calendar year. No political committee 591 
organized for ongoing political activities shall make a contribution in 592 
excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars to an exploratory 593 
committee. If such an ongoing committee is established by an 594 
organization or a business entity, its contributions shall be subject to the 595 
limits imposed by sections 9-613 to 9-615, inclusive, as amended by this 596 
act. A political committee organized for ongoing political activities may 597 
make [contributions] donations to a charitable organization which is a 598 
tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 599 
Code, as from time to time amended, or make memorial [contributions] 600 
donations. 601 
(2) An independent expenditure political committee organized for 602  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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ongoing political activities shall not make any contribution unless such 603 
contribution is to another independent expenditure political committee. 604 
Sec. 14. Subsection (a) of section 9-619 of the general statutes is 605 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 606 
passage): 607 
(a) [No] (1) A political committee established for a single primary or 608 
election shall not make contributions to a national committee, or a 609 
committee of a candidate for federal or out-of-state office. If such a 610 
political committee is established by an organization or a business 611 
entity, its contributions shall also be subject to the limitations imposed 612 
by sections 9-613 to 9-615, inclusive, as amended by this act. Except as 613 
provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section, [no] a 614 
political committee [formed] established for a single primary or election 615 
[or primary] shall not, with respect to such primary or election, [or 616 
primary] make a contribution or contributions in excess of two thousand 617 
dollars to another political committee, provided [no] any such political 618 
committee shall not make a contribution in excess of three hundred 619 
seventy-five dollars to an exploratory committee. 620 
(2) An independent expenditure political committee established for a 621 
single primary or election shall not make any contribution unless such 622 
contribution is to another independent expenditure political committee. 623 
Sec. 15. Section 9-620 of the general statutes is repealed and the 624 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 625 
(a) [A political committee formed solely to aid or promote the success 626 
or defeat of a referendum question shall not make contributions to, or 627 
for the benefit of, a party committee, a political committee, a national 628 
committee, a committee of a candidate for federal or out-of-state office 629 
or a candidate committee, except in the distribution of a surplus, as 630 
provided in subsection (e) of section 9-608] Subject to the provisions of 631 
this chapter, any person may establish an independent expenditure 632 
political committee that may only make expenditures without the 633  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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consent, coordination or consultation of, a candidate or agent of the 634 
candidate, candidate committee, party committee or political 635 
committee. Subject to the provisions of this chapter, any such 636 
independent expenditure political committee may accept contributions 637 
from any person. 638 
(b) [A political committee formed solely to aid or promote the success 639 
or defeat of a referendum question shall not receive contributions from 640 
a national committee or from a committee of a candidate for federal or 641 
out-of-state office] Any person may establish an independent 642 
expenditure political committee solely to aid or promote the success or 643 
defeat of a single referendum question, or of multiple referendum 644 
questions submitted to a vote on the same date. Such committee may 645 
only make independent expenditures to aid or promote the success or 646 
defeat of a single referendum question, or of multiple referendum 647 
questions submitted to a vote on the same date. Subject to the provisions 648 
of this chapter, such committee may accept contributions from any 649 
person. 650 
(c) [No person, other than an individual or a committee, shall make a 651 
contribution to a political committee formed solely to aid or promote the 652 
success or defeat of a referendum question, or to any other person, to 653 
aid or promote the success or defeat of a referendum question, in excess 654 
of ten cents for each individual residing in the state or political 655 
subdivision thereof in which such referendum question is to be voted 656 
upon, in accordance with the last federal decennial census] Except as 657 
provided in this section, an independent expenditure political 658 
committee shall not make contributions to, or for the benefit of, a party 659 
committee, a political committee, a national committee, a committee of 660 
a candidate for federal or out-of-state office or a candidate committee. 661 
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, 662 
of this section, an independent expenditure political committee may 663 
make contributions to another independent expenditure political 664 
committee, make donations to any organization which is a tax-exempt 665 
organization under Sections 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19) of the Internal 666  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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Revenue Code, as amended from time to time, and refund contributions 667 
to contributors. 668 
Sec. 16. Subsections (c) to (m), inclusive, of section 9-621 of the general 669 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 670 
(Effective from passage): 671 
(c) (1) No business entity, organization, association, committee, or 672 
group of two or more individuals who have joined solely to promote the 673 
success or defeat of a referendum question shall make or incur any 674 
expenditure for any written, typed or other printed communication 675 
which promotes the success or defeat of any referendum question unless 676 
such communication bears upon its face, as a disclaimer, the words 677 
"paid for by" and the following: [(1)] (A) In the case of a business entity, 678 
organization or association, the name of the business entity, 679 
organization or association and the name of its chief executive officer or 680 
equivalent, and in the case such communication is made during the 681 
ninety-day period immediately prior to the referendum, such 682 
communication shall also bear on its face the names of the five persons 683 
who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers to such business 684 
entity, organization or association during the twelve-month period 685 
immediately prior to such referendum. The communication shall also 686 
state that additional information about the business entity, organization 687 
or association making such communication may be found on the State 688 
Elections Enforcement Commission's Internet web site; [(2)] (B) in the 689 
case of a political committee, the name of the committee and the name 690 
of its treasurer; [(3)] (C) in the case of a party committee, the name of the 691 
committee; or [(4)] (D) in the case of such a group of two or more 692 
individuals, the name of the group and the name and address of its 693 
agent. 694 
(2) No person shall make or incur an independent expenditure for: 695 
(A) A video broadcast by television, satellite or Internet which 696 
promotes the success or defeat of any referendum question unless such 697 
video is accompanied by the disclaimer described in subdivision (2) of 698  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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subsection (h) of this section; 699 
(B) An audio communication broadcast by radio, satellite or Internet 700 
which promotes the success or defeat of any referendum question unless 701 
such audio communication is accompanied by the disclaimer described 702 
in subdivision (3) of subsection (h) of this section; or 703 
(C) Telephone calls which promote the success or defeat of any 704 
referendum question unless such telephone calls are accompanied by 705 
the disclaimer described in subdivision (4) of subsection (h) of this 706 
section. 707 
(d) The provisions of subsections (a), (b), [and] (c) and (h) of this 708 
section do not apply to (1) any editorial, news story, or commentary 709 
published in any newspaper, magazine or journal on its own behalf and 710 
upon its own responsibility and for which it does not charge or receive 711 
any compensation whatsoever, (2) any banner, (3) political 712 
paraphernalia including pins, buttons, badges, emblems, hats, bumper 713 
stickers or other similar materials, or (4) signs with a surface area of not 714 
more than thirty-two square feet. 715 
(e) The treasurer of a candidate committee which sponsors any 716 
written, typed or other printed communication for the purpose of 717 
raising funds to eliminate a campaign deficit of that committee shall 718 
include in such communication a statement that the funds are sought to 719 
eliminate such a deficit. 720 
(f) The treasurer of an exploratory committee or candidate committee 721 
established by a candidate for nomination or election to the office of 722 
Treasurer which committee sponsors any written, typed or other 723 
printed communication for the purpose of raising funds shall include in 724 
such communication a statement concerning the prohibitions set forth 725 
in subsection (n) of section 1-84, subsection (e) of section 9-612 and 726 
subsection (f) of section 9-613, as amended by this act. 727 
(g) In the event a treasurer of a candidate committee is replaced 728 
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-602, nothing in this section shall 729  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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be construed to prohibit the candidate committee from distributing any 730 
printed communication subject to the provisions of this section that has 731 
already been printed or otherwise produced, even though such 732 
communication does not accurately designate the successor treasurer of 733 
such candidate committee. 734 
(h) (1) No person shall make or incur an independent expenditure for 735 
any written, typed or other printed communication, including on a 736 
billboard, or any web-based, written communication, which 737 
communication promotes the success or defeat of any candidate's 738 
campaign for nomination at a primary or election, unless such 739 
communication bears upon its face, as a disclaimer, the words "Paid for 740 
by" and the name of such person and the following statement: "This 741 
message was made independent of any candidate or political party.". In 742 
the case of a person making or incurring such an independent 743 
expenditure during the ninety-day period immediately prior to the 744 
primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, 745 
such communication shall also bear upon its face the names of the five 746 
persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers to the 747 
person making such communication during the twelve-month period 748 
immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable. The 749 
communication shall also state that additional information about the 750 
person making such communication may be found on the State 751 
Elections Enforcement Commission's Internet web site. 752 
(2) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this 753 
subsection, no person shall make or incur an independent expenditure 754 
for a video broadcast by television, satellite or Internet, unless at the end 755 
of such advertising there appears for a period of not less than four 756 
seconds as a disclaimer, the following as an audio message and a written 757 
statement: "This message was paid for by (person making the 758 
communication) and made independent of any candidate or political 759 
party.". In the case of a person making or incurring such an independent 760 
expenditure during the ninety-day period immediately prior to the 761 
primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, 762  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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such communication shall also list the names of the five persons who 763 
made the five largest aggregate covered transfers to the person making 764 
such communication during the twelve-month period immediately 765 
prior to such primary or election, as applicable. The communication 766 
shall also state that additional information about the person making 767 
such communication may be found on the State Elections Enforcement 768 
Commission's Internet web site. 769 
(3) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this 770 
subsection, no person shall make or incur an independent expenditure 771 
for an audio communication broadcast by radio, satellite or Internet, 772 
unless the advertising ends with a disclaimer that is a personal audio 773 
statement by such person's agent (A) identifying the person paying for 774 
the expenditure, and (B) indicating that the message was made 775 
independent of any candidate or political party, using the following 776 
form: "I am .... (name of the person's agent), .... (title), of .... (the person). 777 
This message was made independent of any candidate or political 778 
party.". In the case of a person making or incurring such an independent 779 
expenditure during the ninety-day period immediately prior to the 780 
primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, 781 
such communication shall state the names of the five persons who made 782 
the five largest aggregate covered transfers to the person making such 783 
communication during the twelve-month period immediately prior to 784 
such primary or election, as applicable. The communication shall also 785 
state that additional information about the person making such 786 
communication may be found on the State Elections Enforcement 787 
Commission's Internet web site. 788 
(4) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this 789 
subsection, no person shall make or incur an independent expenditure 790 
for telephone calls, unless the narrative of the telephone call identifies 791 
the person making the expenditure and during the ninety-day period 792 
immediately prior to the primary or election for which the independent 793 
expenditure is made, such communication shall state the names of the 794 
five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers to 795  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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the person making such communication during the twelve-month 796 
period immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable. The 797 
communication shall also state that additional information about the 798 
person making such communication may be found on the State 799 
Elections Enforcement Commission's Internet web site. 800 
(i) In any [print, television or social media promotion of a slate of] 801 
organization expenditure for a party candidate listing of a candidate or 802 
candidates by a party committee, [the party] legislative caucus 803 
committee or legislative leadership committee, such committee shall use 804 
applicable disclaimers pursuant to the provisions of this section for such 805 
[promotion] organization expenditure, and no individual candidate 806 
disclaimers shall be required. 807 
(j) (1) Except as provided in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection, 808 
if any person whose name is included on a disclaimer of a 809 
communication pursuant to the provisions of this section, as a person 810 
who made a covered transfer to the maker of the communication, is also 811 
a recipient of a covered transfer, the maker of the communication, as 812 
part of any report filed pursuant to section 9-601d, as amended by this 813 
act, associated with the making of such communication, shall include 814 
the names of the five persons who made the top five largest aggregate 815 
covered transfers to such recipient during the twelve-month period 816 
immediately prior to the primary or election, as applicable. 817 
(2) The name of any person who made a covered transfer to a tax-818 
exempt organization recognized under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 819 
Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal 820 
revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, that 821 
has not had its tax exempt status revoked, shall not be disclosed 822 
pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection. 823 
(3) The name of any person who made a covered transfer to a person 824 
whose name is included on a disclaimer pursuant to the provisions of 825 
this section shall not be disclosed pursuant to the provisions of 826 
subdivision (1) of this subsection if the recipient of such covered transfer 827  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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accepts covered transfers from at least one hundred different sources, 828 
provided no such source accounts for ten per cent or more of the total 829 
amount of covered transfers accepted by the recipient during the 830 
twelve-month period immediately prior to the primary or election, as 831 
applicable. 832 
(k) Any disclaimer required to be on the face of a written, typed or 833 
other printed communication pursuant to the provisions of this section 834 
shall be printed in no smaller than eight-point type of uniform font 835 
when such disclaimer is on a communication contained in a flyer or 836 
leaflet, newspaper, magazine or similar literature, or that is delivered by 837 
mail. 838 
(l) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (k), inclusive, 839 
of this section, no person making an independent expenditure for a 840 
communication shall be required to list as part of any disclaimer 841 
pursuant to this section any person whose covered transfers to the 842 
maker of the communication are not in an aggregate amount of five 843 
thousand dollars or more during the twelve-month period immediately 844 
prior to the primary, [or] election or referendum, as applicable, for 845 
which such independent expenditure is made. 846 
(m) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (k), 847 
inclusive, of this section, any disclaimer required to be on the face of any 848 
Internet text advertisement communication (1) that appears based on 849 
the result of a search conducted by a user of an Internet search engine, 850 
and (2) the text of which contains two hundred or fewer characters, shall 851 
not be required to list the names of the five persons who made the top 852 
five largest aggregate covered transfers to the maker of such 853 
communication, as otherwise required by this section, if such disclaimer 854 
(A) includes a link to an Internet web site that discloses the names of 855 
such five persons, and (B) otherwise contains any statement required 856 
pursuant to the provisions of this section. 857 
Sec. 17. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 9-7a of the general 858 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 859  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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(Effective from passage): 860 
(g) (1) (A) In the case of a written complaint filed with the commission 861 
pursuant to section 9-7b, commission staff shall conduct and complete a 862 
preliminary examination of such complaint by the fourteenth day 863 
following its receipt, at which time such staff shall, at its discretion, [(A)] 864 
(i) dismiss the complaint for failure to allege any substantial violation of 865 
state election law supported by evidence, [(B)] (ii) engage the 866 
respondent in discussions in an effort to speedily resolve any matter 867 
pertaining to a de minimis violation, or [(C)] (iii) investigate and docket 868 
the complaint for a determination by the commission that probable 869 
cause or no probable cause exists for any such violation. If commission 870 
staff dismisses a complaint pursuant to subparagraph [(A)] (A)(i) of this 871 
subdivision, such staff shall provide a brief written statement concisely 872 
setting forth the reasons for such dismissal. If commission staff engages 873 
a respondent pursuant to subparagraph [(B)] (A)(ii) of this subdivision 874 
but is unable to speedily resolve any such matter described in said 875 
subparagraph by the forty-fifth day following receipt of the complaint, 876 
such staff shall docket such complaint for a determination by the 877 
commission that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any 878 
violation of state election law. If the commission does not, by the sixtieth 879 
day following receipt of the complaint, either issue a decision or render 880 
its determination that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any 881 
violation of state election laws, the complainant or respondent may 882 
apply to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford for an 883 
order to show cause why the commission has not acted upon the 884 
complaint and to provide evidence that the com mission has 885 
unreasonably delayed action. 886 
(B) (i) For any complaint received on or after January 1, 2018, but prior 887 
to July 1, 2023, if the commission does not, by one year following receipt 888 
of such complaint, issue a decision thereon, the commission shall 889 
dismiss such complaint, provided the length of time of any delay caused 890 
by [(i)] (I) the commission or commission staff granting any extension 891 
or continuance to a respondent prior to the issuance of any such 892  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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decision, [(ii)] (II) any subpoena issued in connection with such 893 
complaint, [(iii)] (III) any litigation in state or federal court related to 894 
such complaint, or [(iv)] (IV) any investigation by, or consultation of the 895 
commission or commission staff with, the Chief State's Attorney, the 896 
Attorney General, the United States Department of Justice or the United 897 
States Attorney for Connecticut related to such complaint, shall be 898 
added to such one year. 899 
(ii) For any complaint received on or after July 1, 2023, if the 900 
commission does not, by one year following receipt of such complaint, 901 
find reason to believe that a violation of state election law has been 902 
committed and commence a contested case, as defined in section 4-166, 903 
the commission shall dismiss such complaint, provided the length of 904 
time of any delay caused by (I) the commission or commission staff 905 
granting any extension or continuance to a respondent prior to the 906 
issuance of any such decision, (II) any subpoena issued in connection 907 
with such complaint, (III) any litigation in state or federal court related 908 
to such complaint, (IV) any investigation by the commission or 909 
commission staff involving a potential violation of state election law by 910 
a foreign national, as defined in 52 USC 30121(b), as amended from time 911 
to time, or of section 9-601c or 9-601d, as amended by this act, or (V) any 912 
investigation by, or consultation of the commission or commission staff 913 
with, the Chief State's Attorney, the Attorney General, the United States 914 
Department of Justice or the United States Attorney for Connecticut 915 
related to such complaint, shall be added to such one year. 916 
Sec. 18. Subdivision (18) of section 53a-119 of the general statutes is 917 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 918 
passage): 919 
(18) Failure to repay surplus Citizens' Election Fund grant funds. A 920 
person is guilty of failure to repay surplus Citizens' Election Fund grant 921 
funds when such person fails to return to the Citizens' Election Fund 922 
any surplus funds from a grant made pursuant to sections 9-700 to 9-923 
716, inclusive, [not later than ninety days after the primary or election 924 
for which the grant is made] within the time prescribed for the 925  Substitute Bill No. 1225 
 
 
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distribution of surplus under subdivision (1) of subsection (e) of section 926 
9-608, as amended by this act. 927 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 from passage 9-601(33) 
Sec. 2 from passage 9-601(3) 
Sec. 3 from passage 9-601c(e) 
Sec. 4 from passage 9-601d(a) to (i) 
Sec. 5 from passage 9-605(b) 
Sec. 6 from passage 9-607(g)(1) 
Sec. 7 from passage 9-608(e)(1)(C) 
Sec. 8 from passage 9-611 
Sec. 9 from passage 9-612(a) and (b) 
Sec. 10 from passage 9-613 
Sec. 11 from passage 9-614 
Sec. 12 from passage 9-615 
Sec. 13 from passage 9-618(a) 
Sec. 14 from passage 9-619(a) 
Sec. 15 from passage 9-620 
Sec. 16 from passage 9-621(c) to (m) 
Sec. 17 from passage 9-7a(g)(1) 
Sec. 18 from passage 53a-119(18) 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Section 4(i), "[the] such person" was changed to "the person" in 
Subdiv. (2) for clarity, and "chairman" was changed to "chairperson" in 
Subdiv. (3)(A)(i) for consistency with standard drafting conventions; in 
Section 5(b)(10), "an" was added before "individual", and "the [entity or 
organization] person" was changed to "[the entity or organization] such 
person", for clarity; in Section 14(a)(1), references to "election or 
primary" were changed to "primary or election [or primary]" for 
consistency; and in Section 16(c)(2)(B), "section; and" was changed to 
"section; or" for clarity. 
 
GAE Joint Favorable Subst.