Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06931 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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2	2
3		-	LCO 4441 1 of 4
	3	+	LCO No. 4441 1 of 4
4	4
5	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6931
6	6		January Session, 2025
7	7		LCO No. 4441
8	8
9	9
10	10		Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT
11	11
12	12
13	13		Introduced by:
14	14		(GOS)
	15	+
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18	19		AN ACT CONCERNING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DUE TO AN
19	20		EMPLOYER OTHER THAN THE STATE UNDER THE STATE CODE OF
20	21		ETHICS.
21	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	23		Assembly convened:
23	24
24	25		Section 1. Section 1-85 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
25	26		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 2
26	27		(a) (1) For purposes of this section, "business with which the public 3
27	28		official or state employee is associated" has the same meaning as 4
28	29		"business with which he is associated", as provided in section 1-79. 5
29	30		(2) A public official, including an elected state official, or state 6
30	31		employee has an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper 7
31	32		discharge of [his] such official's or employee's duties or employment in 8
32	33		the public interest and of [his] such official's or employee's 9
33	34		responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, if [he] such official 10
34	35		or employee has reason to believe or expect that [he, his] any of the 11
35	36		following persons will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct 12
36	37		monetary loss, as the case may be, by reason of such official's or 13
37		-	employee's official activity: The official or employee, or such official's or 14 Raised Bill No. 6931
	38	+	employee's official activity: The official or employee, or such official's or 14
	39	+	Raised Bill No. 6931
38	40
39	41
40		-	LCO 4441 2 of 4
	42	+
	43	+	LCO No. 4441 2 of 4
41	44
42	45		employee's spouse, [a] dependent child [, or a business with which he is 15
43	46		associated will derive a direct monetary gain or suffer a direct monetary 16
44	47		loss, as the case may be, by reason of his official activity] or nonstate 17
45	48		employer or the nonstate employer of the official's or employee's 18
46	49		spouse, or a business with which the public official or state employee is 19
47	50		associated, except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection. 20
48	51		(3) In the case of an elected state official, such official only has a 21
49	52		substantial conflict regarding a matter concerning such elected official's 22
50	53		nonstate employer or the nonstate employer of such official's spouse or 23
51	54		a business with which the official is associated, if such official has actual 24
52	55		knowledge, rather than has reason to believe or expect, that such 25
53	56		nonstate employer or business will derive a direct monetary gain or 26
54	57		suffer a direct monetary loss, as the case may be, by reason of such 27
55	58		official's official activity. 28
56	59		(4) A public official, including an elected state official, or state 29
57	60		employee does not have an interest which is in substantial conflict with 30
58	61		the proper discharge of [his] such official's or employee's duties in the 31
59	62		public interest and of [his] such official's or employee's responsibilities 32
60	63		as prescribed by the laws of this state, if any benefit or detriment accrues 33
61	64		to [him, his] such official or employee, such official's or employee's 34
62	65		spouse, [a] dependent child [,] or nonstate employer, the nonstate 35
63	66		employer of the official's or employee's spouse or a business with which 36
64	67		[he, his spouse or such dependent child] the public official or state 37
65	68		employee is associated as a member of a profession, occupation or 38
66	69		group to no greater extent than any other member of such profession, 39
67	70		occupation or group. [A] Except as provided in subsection (b) of this 40
68	71		section, a public official, including an elected state official, or state 41
69	72		employee who has a substantial conflict may not take official action on 42
70	73		the matter. 43
71	74		(b) If an elected state official has a substantial conflict regarding a 44
72	75		matter that concerns a direct monetary gain or direct monetary loss for 45
73	76		the nonstate employer of such official or the nonstate employer of such 46
74		-	~~official's spouse, such official shall either excuse himself or herself from 47~~ Raised Bill No. 6931
	77	+	Raised Bill No. 6931
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76	79
77		-	LCO 4441 3 of 4
78	80
	81	+	LCO No. 4441 3 of 4
	82	+
	83	+	official's spouse, such official shall either excuse himself or herself from 47
79	84		the matter or, prior to taking official action on the matter, prepare a 48
80	85		written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the 49
81	86		matter requiring action, the nature of the conflict and explaining why, 50
82	87		despite the conflict, such official is able to vote or otherwise participate 51
83	88		fairly, objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such official 52
84	89		shall submit a copy of such statement to the Office of State Ethics and 53
85	90		enter a copy of the statement in the journal or minutes of the state 54
86	91		agency to which such official has been elected, or, if such agency does 55
87	92		not have a journal or minutes, submit the copy to such agency. 56
88	93		Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 1-86 of the general statutes is repealed 57
89	94		and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 58
90	95		(a) For purposes of this section, "business with which such public 59
91	96		official or employee is associated" has the same meaning as "business 60
92	97		with which he is associated", as provided in section 1-79. Any public 61
93	98		official or state employee, other than an elected state official, who, in the 62
94	99		discharge of such official's or employee's official duties, would be 63
95	100		required to take an action that would affect a financial interest of such 64
96	101		official or employee, such official's or employee's spouse, parent, 65
97	102		brother, sister, child, [or] the spouse of a child, nonstate employer, 66
98	103		nonstate employer of the official's or employee's spouse or a business 67
99	104		with which such official or employee is associated, other than an interest 68
100	105		of a de minimis nature, an interest that is not distinct from that of a 69
101	106		substantial segment of the general public or an interest in substantial 70
102	107		conflict with the performance of official duties, as defined in section 1-71
103	108		85, as amended by this act, has a potential conflict of interest. Under 72
104	109		such circumstances, such official or employee shall, if such official or 73
105	110		employee is a member of a state regulatory agency, either excuse himself 74
106	111		or herself from the matter or, prior to taking official action on the matter, 75
107	112		prepare a written statement signed under penalty of false statement 76
108	113		describing the matter requiring action and the nature of the potential 77
109	114		conflict and explaining why despite the potential conflict, such official 78
110	115		or employee is able to vote [and] or otherwise participate fairly, 79
111		-	objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such public official 80
112		-	or state employee shall [deliver] submit a copy of the statement to the 81 Raised Bill No. 6931
	116	+	Raised Bill No. 6931
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114	118
115		-	LCO 4441 4 of 4
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	120	+	LCO No. 4441 4 of 4
	121	+
	122	+	objectively and in the public interest in such matter. Such public official 80
	123	+	or state employee shall [deliver] submit a copy of the statement to the 81
117	124		Office of State Ethics and enter a copy of the statement in the journal or 82
118	125		minutes of the agency or, if such agency does not have a journal or 83
119	126		minutes, submit the copy to such agency. If such official or employee is 84
120	127		not a member of a state regulatory agency, such official or employee 85
121	128		shall, in the case of either a substantial or potential conflict, prepare a 86
122	129		written statement signed under penalty of false statement describing the 87
123	130		matter requiring action and the nature of the conflict and deliver a copy 88
124	131		of the statement to such official's or employee's immediate superior, if 89
125	132		any, who shall assign the matter to another employee, or if such official 90
126	133		or employee has no immediate superior, such official or employee shall 91
127	134		take such steps as the Office of State Ethics shall prescribe or advise. 92
128	135		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
129	136		sections:
130	137
131	138		Section 1 October 1, 2025 1-85
132	139		Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 1-86(a)
133	140
134		-	GOS Joint Favorable
	141	+	Statement of Purpose:
	142	+	To apply substantial conflict of interest provisions in the state code of
	143	+	ethics for public officials and state employees to conflicts involving the
	144	+	public official's or state employee's nonstate employer or spouse's
	145	+	nonstate employer.
	146	+
	147	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	148	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	149	+	underlined.]
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