HB 5352 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION AND MANDATORY DISMISSAL OF COMPLAINTS.

Substitute House ofBill Representatives General Assembly File No.

3245352 FebruaryPublic Session,Act 2026 Substitute House Bill No.

535226-133 HouseAN ofACT Representatives,CONCERNING AprilTHE 1,AUTHORITY 2026OF TheTHE CommitteeSTATE onELECTIONS GovernmentENFORCEMENT OversightCOMMISSION reportedAND throughMANDATORY REP.DISMISSAL OF COMPLAINTS.

DATHAN of the 142nd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION AND MANDATORY DISMISSAL OF COMPLAINTS.

(g)(1)(A)Inthecaseofawrittencomplaintfiledwiththecommission pursuant to section 9-7b, commission staff shall conduct and complete a preliminary examination of such complaint by the fourteenth day following its receipt, at which time such staff shall, at its discretion, (i) dismiss the complaint for failure to allege any substantial violation of state election law supported by evidence, (ii) engage the respondent in discussions in an effort to speedily resolve any matter pertaining to a de minimis violation, or (iii) investigate and docket the complaint for a determination by the commission that probable cause or no probable sHB5352cause /exists Filefor No.any such violation.

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324 cause exists for any such violation.

If commission staff engages a respondent pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii) of this subdivision but is unable to speedilySubstitute resolveHouse anyBill suchNo. matter described in said subparagraph by the forty-fifth day following receipt of the complaint, such staff shall docket such complaint for a determination by the commission that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state election law.

5352 speedily resolve any such matter described in said subparagraph by the forty-fifth day following receipt of the complaint, such staff shall docket such complaint for a determination by the commission that probable cause or no probable cause exists for any violation of state election law.

sHB5352(C) /For Fileany complaint received on or after July 1, 2024, if the commission does not, by the ninetieth day following the commission's determination that probable cause exists for any violation of state Public Act No.

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3245352 (C) For any complaint received on or after July 1, 2024, if the commission does not, by the ninetieth day following the commission's determination that probable cause exists for any violation of state election laws, issue a decision on such complaint, the commission shall refer such complaint to the Chief State's Attorney pursuant to subdivision (8) of subsection (a) of section 9-7b for further enforcement action.Not later thantwelve monthsafter thereferraltothe referralto theChiefState's Attorney of any complaint under this subdivision, or not later than the expiration of the period of time prescribed by section 54-193 for the violationofstate electionlawsallegedinany such complaint, whichever occurs first, the Chief State's Attorney shall submit a report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to elections and the judiciary, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, detailing the status of any enforcement action related to such referred complaint.

Nothing in this subsection shall preclude sHB5352Public /Act File No.

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3245352 the commission from continuing its investigation or taking any action permitted by section 9-7b, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

ThisGovernor's actAction: shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

SectionApproved 1June October4, 1, 2026 9-7a(g)Public GOSAct JointNo. Favorable Subst.

sHB535226-133 /4 Fileof No.4

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324 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Elections Enforcement GF - Potential Minimal Minimal Commission Revenue Gain Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill eliminates the one-year decision deadline for the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) for complaints received after October 1, 2026, regarding certain potential violations under state election law, resulting in a minimal potential revenue gain to SEEC beginning in FY 27.

The bill results in a potential revenue gain to the extent that SEEC will no longer end these investigations at the one-year deadline before the work is done, and will issue more decisions, potentially resulting in additional fines imposed.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation and fines imposed.

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324 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5352 AN ACT CONCERNING THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION AND MANDATORY DISMISSAL OF COMPLAINTS.

SUMMARY Existing law generally requires the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) to dismiss a complaint if it does not issue a final decision within one year of receiving it.

The deadline may be extended for delays caused by (1) SEEC granting an extension or continuance to the respondent or (2) complaint-related subpoenas, litigation, or investigations by, or consultations with, certain prosecutorial agencies.

This bill exempts from this deadline complaints received on or after October 1, 2026, about potential violations of prohibited acts under state election law.

Existing law already exempts complaints regarding potential violations of state election law by foreign nationals.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

October 1, 2026 COMMITTEE ACTION Government Oversight Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 12 Nay 0 (03/17/2026) sHB5352 / File No.

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