Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06320 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 5566 1 of 5
	3	+
	4	+	LCO No. 5566 1 of 5
4	5
5	6		General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6320
6	7		January Session, 2025
7	8		LCO No. 5566
8	9
9	10
10	11		Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
11	12		AND ELECTIONS
12	13
13	14
14	15		Introduced by:
15	16		(GAE)
16	17
17	18
18	19
19	20		AN ACT PROHIBITING LOBBYIST CONTRIBUTIONS DURING A
20	21		LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO LEGISLATORS OR STATE OFFICERS
21	22		RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICE.
22	23		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
23	24		Assembly convened:
24	25
25	26		Section 1. Subsection (e) of section 9-610 of the general statutes is 1
26	27		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2
27	28		passage): 3
28	29		(e) For purposes of this subsection and subsection (f) of this section, 4
29	30		the exclusions to the term "contribution" in subsection (b) of section 9-5
30	31		601a shall not apply; [the term] "state office" means the office of 6
31	32		Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, 7
32	33		State Treasurer or Secretary of the State; [and the term] "state officer" 8
33	34		means the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State 9
34	35		Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State; and "municipal 10
35	36		office" means an elective office for which only the electors of a single 11
36	37		town, city, borough or political subdivision, as defined in section 9-372, 12
37	38		may vote, but does not include the office of state senator or state 13
38		-	representative. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, [to the 14 Committee Bill No. 6320
	39	+	representative. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, [to the 14
	40	+	Committee Bill No. 6320
39	41
40	42
41		-	LCO 5566 2 of 5
	43	+	LCO No. 5566 2 of 5
42	44
43	45		contrary,] during any regular session of the General Assembly, during 15
44	46		any special session of the General Assembly held between the 16
45	47		adjournment of the regular session in an odd-numbered year and the 17
46	48		convening of the regular session in the following even-numbered year 18
47	49		or during any reconvened session of the General Assembly held in an 19
48	50		odd-numbered year to reconsider vetoed bills, (1) no lobbyist or political 20
49	51		committee established by or on behalf of a lobbyist shall make or offer 21
50	52		to make a contribution to or on behalf of, and no lobbyist shall solicit a 22
51	53		contribution on behalf of, (A) a candidate or exploratory committee 23
52	54		established by a candidate for nomination or election to the General 24
53	55		Assembly or a state office, [or] (B) a political committee (i) established 25
54	56		for an assembly or senatorial district, (ii) established by a member of the 26
55	57		General Assembly, [or] a state officer or such [member] member's or 27
56	58		officer's agent, or in consultation with, or at the request or suggestion of, 28
57	59		any such member, officer or agent, or (iii) controlled by such member, 29
58	60		officer or agent, to aid or promote the nomination or election of any 30
59	61		candidate or candidates to the General Assembly or a state office, or (C) 31
60	62		a candidate or exploratory committee established by a member of the 32
61	63		General Assembly or a state officer, which member or officer is a 33
62	64		candidate for nomination or election to a municipal office, and (2) no 34
63	65		such candidate or political committee shall accept such a contribution. 35
64	66		The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a candidate 36
65	67		committee established by a member of the General Assembly or a 37
66	68		candidate for nomination or election to the General Assembly, at a 38
67	69		special election for the General Assembly, from the date on which the 39
68	70		candidate or the [chairman] chairperson of the committee files the 40
69	71		designation of a treasurer and a depository institution under section 9-41
70	72		602 with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, to the date on 42
71	73		which the special election is held, inclusive, or to an exploratory 43
72	74		committee established by a member of the General Assembly to 44
73	75		promote [his] such member's candidacy for an office other than the 45
74	76		General Assembly or an office other than a municipal office. 46
75	77		Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 9-608 of the general statutes is repealed 47
76		-	and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 48 Committee Bill No. 6320
	78	+	and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 48
	79	+	Committee Bill No. 6320
77	80
78	81
79		-	LCO 5566 3 of 5
	82	+	LCO No. 5566 3 of 5
80	83
81	84		(f) If an exploratory committee has been established by a candidate 49
82	85		pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-604, the treasurer of the 50
83	86		committee shall file a notice of intent to dissolve it with the appropriate 51
84	87		authority not later than fifteen days after the candidate's declaration of 52
85	88		intent to seek nomination or election to a particular public office, except 53
86	89		that in the case of an exploratory committee established by a candidate 54
87	90		for purposes that include aiding or promoting the candidate's candidacy 55
88	91		for nomination or election to the General Assembly or a state office, the 56
89	92		treasurer of the committee shall file such notice of intent to dissolve the 57
90	93		committee not later than fifteen days after the earlier of: (1) The 58
91	94		candidate's declaration of intent to seek nomination or election to a 59
92	95		particular public office, (2) the candidate's endorsement at a convention, 60
93	96		caucus or town committee meeting, or (3) the candidate's filing of a 61
94	97		candidacy for nomination under section 9-400 or 9-405. The treasurer 62
95	98		shall also file a statement identifying all contributions received or 63
96	99		expenditures made by the exploratory committee since the previous 64
97	100		statement and the balance on hand or deficit, as the case may be. In the 65
98	101		event of a surplus, the treasurer shall, not later than the filing of the 66
99	102		statement, distribute the surplus to the candidate committee established 67
100	103		pursuant to said section, except that (A) in the case of a surplus of an 68
101	104		exploratory committee established by a candidate who intends to be a 69
102	105		participating candidate, as defined in section 9-703, in the Citizens' 70
103	106		Election Program, the treasurer may distribute to the candidate 71
104	107		committee only that portion of such surplus that is attributable to 72
105	108		contributions that meet the criteria for qualifying contributions for the 73
106	109		candidate committee under section 9-704 and shall distribute the 74
107	110		remainder of such surplus to the Citizens' Election Fund established in 75
108	111		section 9-701, and (B) in the case of a surplus of an exploratory 76
109	112		committee established for nomination or election to an office other than 77
110	113		the General Assembly, [or] a state office or a municipal office, (i) the 78
111	114		treasurer may only distribute to the candidate committee for 79
112	115		nomination or election to the General Assembly, [or] state office or 80
113	116		municipal office of such candidate that portion of such surplus which is 81
114	117		in excess of the total contributions which the exploratory committee 82
115		-	~~received from lobbyists or political committees established by lobbyists, 83~~ Committee Bill No. 6320
	118	+	Committee Bill No. 6320
116	119
117	120
118		-	LCO 5566 4 of 5
	121	+	LCO No. 5566 4 of 5
119	122
	123	+	received from lobbyists or political committees established by lobbyists, 83
120	124		during any period in which the prohibitions in subsection (e) of section 84
121	125		9-610, as amended by this act, apply, and (ii) any remaining amount 85
122	126		shall be returned to all such lobbyists and political committees 86
123	127		established by or on behalf of lobbyists, on a prorated basis of 87
124	128		contribution, or distributed to any charitable organization which is a 88
125	129		tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 89
126	130		Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code 90
127	131		of the United States, as from time to time amended. If the candidate 91
128	132		decides not to seek nomination or election to any office, the treasurer 92
129	133		shall, [within] not later than fifteen days after such decision, comply 93
130	134		with the provisions of this subsection and distribute any surplus in the 94
131	135		manner provided by this section for political committees other than 95
132	136		those formed for ongoing political activities, except that if the surplus is 96
133	137		from an exploratory committee established by the State Treasurer, any 97
134	138		portion of the surplus that is received from a principal of an investment 98
135	139		services firm or a political committee established by such firm shall be 99
136	140		returned to such principal or committee on a prorated basis of 100
137	141		contribution. In the event of a deficit, the treasurer shall file a statement 101
138	142		thirty days after the decision or declaration with the proper authority 102
139	143		and, thereafter, on the seventh day of each month following if on the last 103
140	144		day of the previous month there was an increase or decrease in such 104
141	145		deficit in excess of five hundred dollars from that reported on the last 105
142	146		statement filed. The treasurer shall file supplemental statements until 106
143	147		the deficit is eliminated. If the exploratory committee does not have a 107
144	148		surplus or deficit, the statement filed after the candidate's declaration or 108
145	149		decision shall be the last required statement. If a candidate certifies on 109
146	150		the statement of organization for the exploratory committee pursuant to 110
147	151		subsection (c) of section 9-604 that the candidate will not be a candidate 111
148	152		for the office of state representative and subsequently establishes a 112
149	153		candidate committee for the office of state representative, the treasurer 113
150	154		of the candidate committee shall pay to the State Treasurer, for deposit 114
151	155		in the General Fund, an amount equal to the portion of any contribution 115
152	156		received by [said] such exploratory committee that exceeded two 116
153		-	hundred fifty dollars. As used in this subsection, "principal of an 117
154		-	investment services firm" has the same meaning [set forth] as provided 118 Committee Bill No. 6320
	157	+	Committee Bill No. 6320
155	158
156	159
157		-	LCO 5566 5 of 5
	160	+	LCO No. 5566 5 of 5
158	161
	162	+	hundred fifty dollars. As used in this subsection, "principal of an 117
	163	+	investment services firm" has the same meaning [set forth] as provided 118
159	164		in subsection (e) of section 9-612 and "state office" [has the same 119
160	165		meaning set forth] and "municipal office" have the same meanings as 120
161	166		provided in subsection (e) of section 9-610, as amended by this act. 121
162	167		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
163	168		sections:
164	169
165	170		Section 1 from passage 9-610(e)
166	171		Sec. 2 from passage 9-608(f)
167	172
168		-	GAE Joint Favorable
	173	+	Statement of Purpose:
	174	+	To prohibit lobbyist contributions during a legislative session to
	175	+	legislators or state officers running for municipal office.
	176	+
	177	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	178	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	179	+	underlined.]
	180	+
	181	+	Co-Sponsors: REP. MASTROFRANCESCO, 80th Dist.; REP. FISHBEIN, 90th
	182	+	Dist.
	183	+
	184	+	H.B. 6320
	185	+
169	186