Connecticut SB 465: AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPALITIES.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 465
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING EXPLORATORY COMMITTEES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 9-604 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 2
1, 2027): 3
(c) (1) The chairman of a political committee formed to support a 4
single candidate for public office shall, not later than seven days after 5
filing a statement of organization with the proper authority under 6
section 9-603, send the candidate a notice, by certified mail, of such 7
filing. If a candidate [(1)] (A) does not, within fourteen days after 8
receiving such notice, disavow such committee, in writing, to the proper 9
authority under section 9-603, or [(2)] (B) disavows such committee 10
within such period, but, at any time before such disavowal, accepts 11
funds from the committee for his campaign, such committee shall be 12
deemed to have been authorized by such candidate and shall constitute 13
a candidate committee for the purposes of this chapter. No candidate 14
shall establish, agree to or assist in establishing, or give his consent or 15
authorization to establishing a committee other than a single candidate 16
committee to promote his candidacy for any public office, except that a 17
candidate may establish an exploratory committee in accordance with 18
the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection. [The candidate] 19
(2) A candidate establishing an exploratory committee shall 20

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designate on the statement of organization for [the] such exploratory 21
committee the type of office to which the candidate is determining 22
whether to seek nomination or election, as follows: (A) The General 23
Assembly, (B) a state office, or (C) any other public office. [The candidate 24
may also certify on the statement of organization that the candidate will 25
not be a candidate for the office of state representative] An exploratory 26
committee shall not accept contributions in excess of five thousand 27
dollars. 28
(3) Not later than fifteen days after a public declaration by the 29
candidate of the candidate's intention to seek nomination or election to 30
a particular public office, including any statement by such candidate 31
that such candidate is determining whether to seek nomination or 32
election to such particular public office, the candidate shall form a single 33
candidate committee, except that in the case of a candidate establishing 34
an exploratory committee for purposes including aiding or promoting 35
the candidate's candidacy for nomination or election to the General 36
Assembly or a state office, the candidate shall form a single candidate 37
committee not later than fifteen days after the date that the treasurer of 38
such exploratory committee is required to file a notice of intent to 39
dissolve [the] such exploratory committee under subsection (f) of 40
section 9-608, as amended by this act. In no case shall an exploratory 41
committee be established for longer than thirty days. As used in this 42
subsection, "state office" has the same meaning as provided in 43
subsection (e) of section 9-610. 44
Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 9-608 of the general statutes is repealed 45
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2027): 46
(f) If an exploratory committee has been established by a candidate 47
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-604, as amended by this act, the 48
treasurer of the exploratory committee shall file a notice of intent to 49
dissolve [it] such exploratory committee with the appropriate authority 50
not later than fifteen days after the candidate's public declaration of 51
intent to seek nomination or election to a particular public office, except 52
that in the case of an exploratory committee established by a candidate 53

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for purposes that include aiding or promoting the candidate's candidacy 54
for nomination or election to the General Assembly or a state office, the 55
treasurer of the exploratory committee shall file such notice of intent to 56
dissolve [the] such exploratory committee not later than fifteen days 57
after the earlier of: (1) The candidate's public declaration of intent to seek 58
nomination or election to a particular public office, (2) the candidate's 59
endorsement at a convention, caucus or town committee meeting, or (3) 60
the candidate's filing of a candidacy for nomination under section 9-400 61
or 9-405. For the purposes of this subsection, a candidate's public 62
declaration of intent to seek nomination or election to a particular public 63
office includes any statement by such candidate that such candidate is 64
determining whether to seek nomination or election to such particular 65
public office. The treasurer shall also file a statement identifying all 66