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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7125
January Session, 2025
AN ACT CONCERNING REFERENDA ON REVISIONS TO MUNICIPAL
CHARTERS AND HOME RULE ORDINANCES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Whenever by law it is 1
provided that a proposed charter amendment or home rule ordinance 2
amendment may be submitted to a vote of the electors of a municipality 3
pursuant to section 7-191 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, 4
or to any special act, charter or ordinance, the provisions of this section 5
shall apply in addition to all other applicable provisions of chapter 152 6
of the general statutes. 7
(b) (1) The designation of a proposed charter amendment or home 8
rule ordinance amendment on the ballot, or of each item within such 9
amendment that is separately presented on the ballot in accordance with 10
the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection, shall be "Shall (here 11
insert the question, in a form requiring a "Yes" or "No" response, 12
followed by a question mark)" and, unless such question as presented 13
adequately explains the proposed change or changes, shall include a 14
precise and fair explanation of such proposed change or changes that 15
shall not advocate either the approval or disapproval of such 16
amendment. Such question and any such explanation shall be presented 17
on the ballot using simple, precise, clear, unambiguous and plain 18
language. 19 Substitute Bill No. 7125
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(2) Whenever a proposed charter amendment or home rule ordinance 20
amendment contains any of the following items, each such item shall be 21
separately presented on the ballot so as to be approved or disapproved, 22
as the case may be, individually by the electors of the municipality: 23
(A) Any change in the manner by which the legislative or governing 24
body of the municipality is elected; 25
(B) Any change in whether officials of the municipality are elected or 26
appointed, or in the terms of office of such officials, with specific 27
reference to each office affected by any such change, except that the 28
same such change being proposed across multiple offices may be 29
presented as a single item; 30
(C) Any change that imposes, repeals or alters a residency 31
requirement for the head of any municipal department, with specific 32
reference to each position affected by any such change, except that the 33
same such change being proposed across multiple positions may be 34
presented as a single item; 35
(D) The creation or elimination of any municipal board or 36
commission, with specific reference to each such board or commission, 37
and a description of the scope of authority for any such board or 38
commission being so created; and 39
(E) Any change regarding the provision of public notice for public 40
hearings that relate to the municipal budget process. 41
(c) Any municipality may provide for the preparation, printing and 42
dissemination of concise summaries of arguments in favor of, and 43
arguments opposed to, a proposed charter amendment or home rule 44
ordinance amendment, which summaries shall otherwise comply with 45
the provisions of subsection (c) of section 9-369b of the general statutes, 46
as amended by this act. 47
Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 7-191 of the general statutes is repealed 48
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 49 Substitute Bill No. 7125
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(f) The proposed charter, charter amendments or home rule 50
ordinance amendments shall be prepared for the ballot by the 51
appointing authority and may be submitted in the form of one or several 52
questions in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this act; and, 53
if approved by a majority of the electors of the municipality voting 54
thereon at a regular election or if approved by a majority which number 55
equals at least fifteen per cent of the electors of the municipality as 56
determined by the last-completed active registry list of such 57
municipality at a special election, such proposed charter, charter 58
amendments or home rule ordinance amendments shall become 59
effective thirty days after such approval unless an effective date or dates 60
are specified therein, in which event the date or dates specified shall 61
prevail. For the purposes of any complaint brought under section 9-371b 62
by any person claiming to have been aggrieved by any ruling of any 63
election official in connection with a referendum held on a charter 64
amendment or home rule ordinance amendment, "election official" 65
includes the appointing authority preparing such amendment for the 66
ballot pursuant to this subsection and "ruling" includes such 67
preparation. 68
Sec. 3. Section 9-369 of the general statutes is repealed and the 69
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 70
Whenever at any regular or special state or municipal election any 71
vote for approval or disapproval of any constitutional amendment or 72
any question or proposal is taken pursuant to the Constitution, the 73
general statutes or any special act, unless otherwise provided, such 74
election shall be warned and held, the vote on such amendment, 75
question or proposal cast and canvassed and the result determined and 76
certified as nearly as may be in accordance with the provisions 77
governing the election of officers in the state or in such municipality. 78
The warning for such election shall state that a purpose of such election 79
is to vote for the approval or disapproval of such amendment, question 80
or proposal and shall state the section of the Constitution or of the 81
general statutes or the special act under authority of which such vote is 82
taken. The vote on such amendment, question or proposal shall be taken 83 Substitute Bill No. 7125
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by a "Yes" and "No" vote on the voting tabulator. [, and the] Except as 84
provided in section 1 of this act for a proposed charter amendment or 85
home rule ordinance amendment, the designation of such constitutional 86
amendment, or of such question or proposal, on the ballot shall be "Shall 87
(here insert the question or proposal, followed by a question mark)". 88
Such ballot shall be provided for use in accordance with the provisions 89
of section 9-250. The municipal clerk shall number on the ballot the 90
questions to be voted upon according to the order in which they will 91
appear thereon, provided amendments to the Constitution shall be 92
numbered by the Secretary of the State in numerical order based upon 93
the dates on which resolutions proposing such amendments were 94
passed, precedence being given to the earliest passed unless otherwise 95
provided by the resolutions proposing such amendments. Each elector 96
shall vote "Yes" if in favor of the amendment, question or proposal or 97
"No" if not in favor thereof. If, upon the official determination of the 98
result of such vote, it appears that a majority of all the votes so cast are 99
in approval of such amendment, question or proposal, such 100
amendment, question or proposal shall, unless otherwise provided, take 101
effect forthwith. 102
Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 9-369a of the general statutes is 103
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 104
2025): 105
(b) When the clerk of the municipality determines that the necessary 106
action has been taken for submission of the question, [he] the clerk shall, 107
at least forty-five days prior to the election, file in the office of the 108
Secretary of the State a statement setting forth the designation of the 109
question as it is to appear on the ballot at the election, the date upon 110
which the submitting action was taken and the reference to the law 111
under which the action was taken. [Such] Except for a proposed charter 112
amendment or home rule ordinance amendment under section 1 of this 113
act, such designation shall be in the form of a question [,] as provided in 114
section 9-369, as amended by this act. Whenever it is specifically 115
provided in the general statutes that any such question may be 116
approved for such submission within the period of forty-five days prior 117 Substitute Bill No. 7125
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to such an election, and action is taken to submit a question within such 118
period, the clerk of the municipality shall file the statement required by 119
this subsection with the Secretary of the State immediately upon the 120
taking of such action. 121
Sec. 5. Subsection (c) of section 9-369b of the general statutes is 122
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 123
2025): 124
(c) [Any] Except for a proposed charter amendment or home rule 125
ordinance amendment under section 1 of this act, any municipality may 126
provide, by ordinance, for the preparation, printing and dissemination 127
of concise summaries of arguments in favor of, and arguments opposed 128
to, local proposals or questions approved for submission to the electors 129
of a municipality at a referendum for which explanatory texts are 130
prepared under subsection (a) of this section. Any such ordinance shall 131
provide for the establishment or designation of a committee to prepare 132
such summaries, in accordance with procedures set forth in said 133
ordinance. The members of said committee shall be representatives of 134
various viewpoints concerning such local proposals or questions. The 135
committee shall provide an opportunity for public comment on such 136
summaries to the extent practicable. Such summaries shall be approved 137
by vote of the legislative body of the municipality, or any other 138
municipal body designated by the ordinance, and shall be posted and 139
distributed in the same manner as explanatory texts under subsection 140
(a) of this section. Each summary shall contain language clearly stating 141
that the printing of the summary does not constitute an endorsement by 142
or represent the official position of the municipality. 143
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 7-191(f)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 9-369
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 9-369a(b)
Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 9-369b(c) Substitute Bill No. 7125
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GAE Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO
PD Joint Favorable