Bill Text: CT SB00945 | 2011 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Electronic Submission Of Campaign Reports With The State Elections Enforcement Commission.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-05 - Referred by Senate to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding [SB00945 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2011-SB00945-Introduced.html
General Assembly |
Raised Bill No. 945 | ||
January Session, 2011 |
LCO No. 3158 | ||
*03158_______GAE* | |||
Referred to Committee on Government Administration and Elections |
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Introduced by: |
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(GAE) |
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AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC FILING OF CAMPAIGN REPORTS WITH THE STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 9-675 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall (1) create a [software] web-based program or programs for the preparation and electronic submission of financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608, and (2) prescribe the standard reporting format and specifications for other [software] programs created by vendors for such purpose. No [software] such program created by a vendor may be used for the electronic submission of such financial disclosure statements, until the commission determines that the program provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed under subdivision (2) of this subsection for vendor [software] programs. The commission shall provide training in the use of the [software] web-based program [or programs] created by the commission.
(b) [The] On and after April 1, 2011, (1) the campaign treasurer of the candidate committee or exploratory committee for each candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer, [or] Secretary of the State, state senator, state representative or judge of probate who raises or spends [two hundred fifty] five thousand dollars or more, [during an election campaign] (2) the campaign treasurer of any state central committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership committee, (3) the campaign treasurer of any town committee or any political committee registered with the commission that (A) raises or spends five thousand dollars or more during the current calendar year, or (B) raised or spent five thousand dollars or more in the preceding regular election, and (4) any individual, or the campaign treasurer of any committee, that makes or obligates to make an independent expenditure or expenditures and that is required to file a report of such independent expenditure or expenditures in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of section 9-612 shall file [in electronic form] all financial disclosure statements required by [section 9-608 by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the State Elections Enforcement Commission or transmitting the statements on-line to said commission. Each such campaign treasurer shall use either (1) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements, or (2) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements. The commission shall accept any statement that uses any such software program] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, by electronic submission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. Once any such candidate committee has raised or spent [two hundred fifty thousand] four hundred thousand five hundred dollars or more during an election campaign, all previously filed statements required by said section 9-608, which were not filed in electronic form shall be refiled in such form [, using such a software program,] not later than the date on which the campaign treasurer of the committee is required to file [the next regular statement under said section 9-608] its next financial disclosure statement.
(c) (1) The campaign treasurer of the candidate committee for any other candidate, as defined in section 9-601, who is required to file [the] financial disclosure statements required by [section 9-608] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, with the commission but who has not reached the threshold set forth in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section for required electronic submission, and (2) the campaign treasurer of any political committee or [party] town committee, may file [in electronic form] any financial disclosure statements required by [said section 9-608] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, by electronic submission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. [Such filings may be made by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the proper authority under section 9-603 or transmitting the statements on-line to such proper authority. Each such campaign treasurer shall use either (A) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form, or (B) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form. The proper authority under section 9-603 shall accept any statement that uses any such software program.]
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
from passage |
9-675 |
Statement of Purpose:
To lower the threshold for mandatory electronic filing from two hundred fifty thousand dollars to four thousand five hundred dollars, to make electronic filing provisions applicable to all candidates and to make individuals and committees that make or obligate to make independent expenditures in excess of one thousand dollars subject to the mandatory electronic filing requirement.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]