2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 9 - Elections
Chapter 155 - Elections: Campaign Financing
Section 9-604 - (Formerly Sec. 9-333f). Formation of committee by candidate. Exceptions. Exploratory committees. Justice of the peace slate candidates.

(a) Each candidate for a particular public office or the position of town committee member shall form a single candidate committee for which he shall designate a campaign treasurer and a depository institution situated in this state as the depository for the committee’s funds and shall file a committee statement containing such designations, not later than ten days after becoming a candidate, with the proper authority as required by section 9-603. The candidate may also designate a deputy campaign treasurer on such committee statement. The campaign treasurer and any deputy campaign treasurer so designated shall sign a statement accepting such designation which the candidate shall include as part of, or file with, the committee statement.

(b) The formation of a candidate committee by a candidate and the filing of statements pursuant to section 9-608 shall not be required if the candidate files a certification with the proper authority required by section 9-603, not later than ten days after becoming a candidate, and any of the following conditions exist for the campaign: (1) The candidate is one of a slate of candidates whose campaigns are funded solely by a party committee or a political committee formed for a single election or primary and expenditures made on behalf of the candidate’s campaign are reported by the committee sponsoring the candidate’s candidacy; (2) the candidate finances the candidate’s campaign entirely from personal funds and does not solicit or receive contributions, provided if said candidate personally makes an expenditure or expenditures in excess of one thousand dollars to, or for the benefit of, said candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election to an office or position, said candidate shall file statements according to the same schedule and in the same manner as is required of a campaign treasurer of a candidate committee under section 9-608; (3) the candidate does not receive or expend funds in excess of one thousand dollars; or (4) the candidate does not receive or expend any funds, including personal funds, for the candidate’s campaign. If the candidate no longer qualifies for the exemption under any of these conditions, the candidate shall comply with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, not later than three business days thereafter and shall provide the candidate’s designated campaign treasurer with all information required for completion of the treasurer’s statements and filings as required by section 9-608. If the candidate no longer qualifies for the exemption due to the condition stated in the candidate’s certification but so qualifies due to a different condition specified in this subsection, the candidate shall file an amended certification with the proper authority and provide the new condition for the candidate’s qualification not later than three business days following the change in circumstances of the financing of the candidate’s campaign. The filing of a certification under this subsection shall not relieve the candidate from compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

(c) The chairman of a political committee formed to support a single candidate for public office shall, not later than seven days after filing a statement of organization with the proper authority under section 9-603, send the candidate a notice, by certified mail, of such filing. If a candidate (1) does not, within fourteen days after receiving such notice, disavow such committee, in writing, to the proper authority under section 9-603, or (2) disavows such committee within such period, but, at any time before such disavowal, accepts funds from the committee for his campaign, such committee shall be deemed to have been authorized by such candidate and shall constitute a candidate committee for the purposes of this chapter. No candidate shall establish, agree to or assist in establishing, or give his consent or authorization to establishing a committee other than a single candidate committee to promote his candidacy for any public office except that a candidate may establish an exploratory committee. The candidate shall designate on the statement of organization for the exploratory committee the type of office to which the candidate is determining whether to seek nomination or election, as follows: (A) The General Assembly, (B) a state office, or (C) any other public office. The candidate may also certify on the statement of organization that the candidate will not be a candidate for the office of state representative. Not later than fifteen days after a public declaration by the candidate of the candidate’s intention to seek nomination or election to a particular public office, the candidate shall form a single candidate committee, except that in the case of a candidate establishing an exploratory committee for purposes including aiding or promoting the candidate’s candidacy for nomination or election to the General Assembly or a state office, the candidate shall form a single candidate committee not later than fifteen days after the date that the campaign treasurer of such exploratory committee is required to file a notice of intent to dissolve the committee under subsection (f) of section 9-608. As used in this subsection, “state office” has the same meaning as provided in subsection (e) of section 9-610.

(d) A slate of candidates in a primary for the office of justice of the peace shall designate a chairperson to form a single political committee to comply with the requirements of section 9-605, except if the individuals on the slate unanimously consent to have their campaign financed solely by a town committee and such committee consents to such financing by filing a statement of consent with the town clerk of the municipality in which the primary is to be held.

(P.A. 86-99, S. 7, 34; P.A. 87-576, S. 3, 6; P.A. 88-83, S. 1, 3; P.A. 90-267, S. 2; P.A. 91-351, S. 5, 28; P.A. 94-143, S. 1, 6; P.A. 95-87, S. 2; 95-144, S. 6; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5, S. 15, 19; P.A. 02-130, S. 6; P.A. 03-223, S. 7; 03-241, S. 12; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 22; P.A. 08-2, S. 3.)

History: P.A. 87-576 added provisions at beginning of Subsec. (c) re whether political committee formed to support single candidate shall be deemed to constitute candidate committee; P.A. 88-83 amended Subsec. (b)(3) by substituting “one thousand” for “five hundred”; P.A. 90-267 amended Subsec. (c) by requiring candidate to designate whether exploratory committee is for determining whether to seek nomination or election to the general assembly or nomination or election to any public office other than general assembly; P.A. 91-351 amended Subsec. (a) to apply to candidate for town committee member, require designation of depository institution and require filing of committee statement containing designations, substantially amended Subsec. (b) re conditions for exemption from candidate committee and filing requirements, applied Subsec. (c) to committee formed to support candidate “for public office” and added Subsec. (d) re slate of candidates in primary for position of delegate to same convention; P.A. 94-143 amended Subsec. (b) by adding “at any time prior to the acceptance of a contribution or making of an expenditure”, deleting requirement condition exist for the entire campaign, deleting provision re deadline for certifying existence of a condition, adding “under any of these conditions” re no longer qualifying for exemption and adding provision re change of condition for qualifying for exemption, effective January 1, 1995, and applicable to elections conducted on or after that date; P.A. 95-87 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring that campaign treasurer and deputy campaign treasurer sign statement accepting such designation and that statement be included with committee statement; P.A. 95-144 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision that deputy campaign treasurer serve only in event that campaign treasurer unable to perform his duties and made technical changes to Subsec. (b); June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5 amended Subsec. (c) by inserting new Subpara. (B) authorizing single political committee for purpose of determining whether to seek a state office and relettering former Subpara. (B) as Subpara. (C), and amended Subpara. (C) so it applies to any other public office, and by deleting reference to the General Assembly, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 02-130 amended Subsec. (b) by making technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality throughout, by requiring candidate to file statements under Sec. 9-333j if candidate personally makes campaign expenditures in excess of $1,000 in Subdiv. (2) and by changing $500 to $1,000 in Subdiv. (3), effective January 1, 2003, and applicable to primaries and elections held on or after said date; P.A. 03-223 amended Subsec. (a) by inserting “not later than ten days after becoming a candidate”, amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “not later than ten days after becoming a candidate” for “at any time prior to the acceptance of a contribution or making of an expenditure” and adding Subdiv. (4) re candidate who does not receive or expend any funds, and amended Subsec. (d) by designating existing exception as Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) re primary for convention delegates to a United States senatorial or congressional district convention, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 03-241 amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “office of justice of the peace” for “position of delegate to the same convention”, deleting provision re candidate committee of candidate for state or district office and making a conforming change, effective January 1, 2004, and applicable to primaries and elections held on or after that date; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting “exploratory committee” for provisions re political committee to determine whether to seek nomination or election to a public office, authorizing candidate to certify on statement of organization that candidate will not be candidate for office of state representative and providing for separate deadline for forming candidate committee for candidate establishing exploratory committee for purposes including aiding or promoting candidate’s candidacy for nomination or election to General Assembly or state office, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-333f transferred to Sec. 9-604 in 2007; P.A. 08-2 amended Subsec. (d) to remove reference to Secretary of the State and Subdiv. (1) designator and delete former Subdiv. (2) re primaries for convention delegates to United States senatorial or congressional district convention, effective April 7, 2008.