SB 515 — AN ACT CONCERNING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT UNDER THE CITIZENS' ELECTION PROGRAM.

Senate General Assembly CommitteeFile Bill No.

515478 January Session, 2025 LCOSenate Bill No.

3819515 ReferredSenate, toApril 3, 2025 The Committee on GOVERNMENTGovernment OVERSIGHTOversight Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(GOS)GADKAR-WILCOX ANof ACTthe CONCERNING22nd ADJUSTMENTSDist., TOChairperson THEof MAXIMUMthe INDIVIDUALCommittee CONTRIBUTIONon AMOUNTthe UNDERpart THEof CITIZENS'the ELECTIONSenate, PROGRAM.that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT UNDER THE CITIZENS' ELECTION PROGRAM.

(c) (1) [For] Subject to the provisions of subdivision (3) of this subsection, for elections for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State held in 2022, and thereafter, the two-hundred- fifty-dollarmaximumindividualcontributionamountinsubdivision(1) or (2) [, as applicable,] of subsection (a) of this section, as applicable, shall be adjusted by the State Elections Enforcement Commission not later than January 15, 2022, and quadrennially thereafter, in accordance with any change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,SB515 during/ theFile period beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending LCO 3819 1 of 2 Committee Bill No.

515478 on1 DecemberSB515 thirty-firstFile inNo. the year preceding the year in which said adjustment is to be made.

478 Statistics, during the period beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending on December thirty-first in the year preceding the year in which said adjustment is to be made.

Section 1 July 1, 2025 9-704(c) GOS Joint Favorable LCOSB515 3819/ 2File ofNo. 2

478 2 SB515 File No.

478 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:

None Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill provides clarifying language and establishes that the maximum individual contribution under the Citizens Election Program will be in force for each office until a new calculation is made by the State Elections Enforcement Commission resulting in no fiscal impact to the state.

The Out Years State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None SB515 / File No.

478 3 SB515 File No.

478 OLR Bill Analysis SB 515 AN ACT CONCERNING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT UNDER THE CITIZENS' ELECTION PROGRAM.

SUMMARY This bill requires that, on or after July 1, 2025, the adjusted individual qualifying contribution (QC) maximum amounts for the Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) continue to apply until the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) makes its next inflationary adjustment.

In practice, candidates may obtain QCs before an adjustment occurs, but they are limited to collecting the statutory maximum of $250 until the adjustment goes into effect.

By law, candidates qualify for the CEP by raising a certain number of QCs.

QCs must come from individual donors, and state law requires SEEC to adjust the maximum individual QC amounts for inflation.

The law sets individual QC amounts, before inflation adjustment, at $5 to $250, and the inflation-adjusted maximum for the 2024 election was $320.

Under existing law, SEEC must (1) publish the adjusted amounts by January 15 in the year of the applicable election and (2) base them on inflationary changes from January 1, 2017, through December 31 in the year before the adjustment must be made (e.g., through December 31, 2023, for the 2024 election).

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2025 BACKGROUND Related Bills sSB 1405, § 7, favorably reported by the Government Oversight SB515 / File No.

478 4 SB515 File No.

478 Committee, makes various changes regarding CEP QCs, including when and how they are adjusted for inflation and that the adjusted individual QC amounts continue to apply until SEEC makes its next inflationary adjustments.

SB 1533, § 2, favorably reported by the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee, makes changes to the inflationary adjustment procedures for QCs.

sHB 7089, § 8, favorably reported by the Government Oversight Committee, makes changes to the inflationary adjustment procedures for QCs.

sHB 7222, § 8, favorably reported by the GAE Committee, makes changes to the inflationary adjustment procedures for QCs.

COMMITTEE ACTION Government Oversight Committee Joint Favorable Yea 12 Nay 0 (03/18/2025) SB515 / File No.

478 5