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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6931
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 4441
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT
Introduced by:
(GOS)
AN ACT CONCERNING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DUE TO AN
EMPLOYER OTHER THAN THE STATE UNDER THE STATE CODE OF
ETHICS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 1-85 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 2
(a) (1) For purposes of this section, "business with which the public 3
official or state employee is associated" has the same meaning as 4
"business with which he is associated", as provided in section 1-79. 5
(2) A public official, including an elected state official, or state 6
employee has an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper 7
discharge of [his] such official's or employee's duties or employment in 8
the public interest and of [his] such official's or employee's 9
responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, if [he] such official 10
or employee has reason to believe or expect that [he, his] any of the 11
following persons will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct 12
monetary loss, as the case may be, by reason of such official's or 13
employee's official activity: The official or employee, or such official's or 14 Raised Bill No. 6931
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employee's spouse, [a] dependent child [, or a business with which he is 15
associated will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct monetary 16
loss, as the case may be, by reason of his official activity] or nonstate 17
employer or the nonstate employer of the official's or employee's 18
spouse, or a business with which the public official or state employee is 19
associated, except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection. 20
(3) In the case of an elected state official, such official only has a 21
substantial conflict regarding a matter concerning such elected official's 22
nonstate employer or the nonstate employer of such official's spouse or 23
a business with which the official is associated, if such official has actual 24
knowledge, rather than has reason to believe or expect, that such 25
nonstate employer or business will derive a direct monetary gain or 26
suffer a direct monetary loss, as the case may be, by reason of such 27
official's official activity. 28
(4) A public official, including an elected state official, or state 29
employee does not have an interest which is in substantial conflict with 30
the proper discharge of [his] such official's or employee's duties in the 31
public interest and of [his] such official's or employee's responsibilities 32
as prescribed by the laws of this state, if any benefit or detriment accrues 33
to [him, his] such official or employee, such official's or employee's 34
spouse, [a] dependent child [,] or nonstate employer, the nonstate 35
employer of the official's or employee's spouse or a business with which 36
[he, his spouse or such dependent child] the public official or state 37
employee is associated as a member of a profession, occupation or 38
group to no greater extent than any other member of such profession, 39
occupation or group. [A] Except as provided in subsection (b) of this 40
section, a public official, including an elected state official, or state 41
employee who has a substantial conflict may not take official action on 42
the matter. 43
(b) If an elected state official has a substantial conflict regarding a 44
matter that concerns a direct monetary gain or direct monetary loss for 45
the nonstate employer of such official or the nonstate employer of such 46
official's spouse, such official shall either excuse himself or herself from 47 Raised Bill No. 6931
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the matter or, prior to taking official action on the matter, prepare a 48
written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the 49
matter requiring action, the nature of the conflict and explaining why, 50
despite the conflict, such official is able to vote or otherwise participate 51
fairly, objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such official 52
shall submit a copy of such statement to the Office of State Ethics and 53
enter a copy of the statement in the journal or minutes of the state 54
agency to which such official has been elected, or, if such agency does 55
not have a journal or minutes, submit the copy to such agency. 56
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 1-86 of the general statutes is repealed 57
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 58
(a) For purposes of this section, "business with which such public 59
official or employee is associated" has the same meaning as "business 60
with which he is associated", as provided in section 1-79. Any public 61
official or state employee, other than an elected state official, who, in the 62
discharge of such official's or employee's official duties, would be 63
required to take an action that would affect a financial interest of such 64
official or employee, such official's or employee's spouse, parent, 65
brother, sister, child, [or] the spouse of a child, nonstate employer, 66
nonstate employer of the official's or employee's spouse or a business 67
with which such official or employee is associated, other than an interest 68
of a de minimis nature, an interest that is not distinct from that of a 69
substantial segment of the general public or an interest in substantial 70
conflict with the performance of official duties, as defined in section 1-71
85, as amended by this act, has a potential conflict of interest. Under 72
such circumstances, such official or employee shall, if such official or 73
employee is a member of a state regulatory agency, either excuse himself 74
or herself from the matter or, prior to taking official action on the matter, 75
prepare a written statement signed under penalty of false statement 76
describing the matter requiring action and the nature of the potential 77
conflict and explaining why despite the potential conflict, such official 78
or employee is able to vote [and] or otherwise participate fairly, 79
objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such public official 80
or state employee shall [deliver] submit a copy of the statement to the 81 Raised Bill No. 6931
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Office of State Ethics and enter a copy of the statement in the journal or 82
minutes of the agency or, if such agency does not have a journal or 83
minutes, submit the copy to such agency. If such official or employee is 84
not a member of a state regulatory agency, such official or employee 85
shall, in the case of either a substantial or potential conflict, prepare a 86
written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the 87
matter requiring action and the nature of the conflict and deliver a copy 88
of the statement to such official's or employee's immediate superior, if 89
any, who shall assign the matter to another employee, or if such official 90
or employee has no immediate superior, such official or employee shall 91
take such steps as the Office of State Ethics shall prescribe or advise. 92
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2025 1-85
Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 1-86(a)
GOS Joint Favorable