Sec. 5-262. State Employee Campaign. Deduction of contributions. Regulations. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 5-262. State Employee Campaign. Deduction of contributions. Regulations. (a) As used in this section:

      (1) "Federation" means a community chest or other organization which is incorporated as a nonstock corporation, is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended and consists of not less than ten affiliated agencies conducting a single, annual, consolidated effort to secure funds for distribution to its member agencies engaged in charitable and public health, welfare, environmental, conservation or service purposes.

      (2) "Agency" means an organization which is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended.

      (3) "State Employee Campaign" means an annual campaign to raise funds from state employees for charitable and public health, welfare, environmental, conservation and service purposes.

      (b) There is established a State Employee Campaign Committee consisting of: The Comptroller, or his designee; the Commissioner of Administrative Services, or his designee; the executive director of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, or his designee; ten state employees appointed as follows: Four by the Governor, two of whom shall be a representative of organized labor, one by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, one by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one by the majority leader of the Senate and one by the minority leader of the Senate; two retired state employees, one appointed by the Governor and one appointed by the Comptroller; one nonvoting representative from each participating federation; and one nonvoting representative from the principal combined fund-raising organization selected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Not more than one state employee from any state agency shall be appointed to the committee. All voting members of the state employee campaign committee and their successors shall serve in accordance with the provisions of section 4-1a. The committee shall select one of its voting members to serve as chairperson.

      (c) The State Employee Campaign Committee shall select a federation which has participated in the State Employee Campaign and has workplace campaign experience to administer the State Employee Campaign and shall supervise the campaign activities of such federation. The federation selected shall be referred to as the "principal combined fund-raising organization". If two or more federations request that the State Employee Campaign Committee select them to serve as the principal combined fund-raising organization, the State Employee Campaign Committee shall select a federation through a competitive process. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, the committee shall also conduct a comprehensive review of the State Employee Campaign. Not later than July 1, 1993, and annually thereafter, the committee shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a report on the results of the most recently completed State Employee Campaign and recommendations for improvements in the upcoming campaign.

      (d) (1) Each federation which did not participate in the most recently completed State Employee Campaign shall apply to the State Employee Campaign Committee not later than January fifteenth annually for approval to participate in the campaign. Such application shall contain information required by regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller in accordance with chapter 54. The committee shall review such application and notify the federation of its decision not later than May fifteenth. A federation whose application is denied may appeal the decision of the committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller.

      (2) On or before January fifteenth, each federation which participated in the most recently completed State Employee Campaign shall submit to the State Employee Campaign Committee a letter of intent to participate in the upcoming campaign. On or before April fifteenth, each such federation shall apply to the State Employee Campaign Committee for approval to participate in the campaign. Such application shall contain information required by regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller in accordance with chapter 54. The committee shall review such application and notify the federation of its decision not later than May fifteenth. A federation whose application is denied may appeal the decision of the committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller.

      (e) The Comptroller, upon written request of any state officer or employee, shall deduct, each pay period, from the salary or wages of such officer or employee the amount of money designated by such officer or employee for payment to the participating federation or federations indicated by the officer or employee. Upon collecting such deductions the Comptroller shall transmit them to the principal combined fund-raising organization selected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, together with a list of officers and employees contributing to each federation or its member agencies, provided the identity of officers or employees who have communicated in writing that they desire to remain anonymous shall not be so transmitted. Such organization shall, each month after receiving funds from the Comptroller, distribute the funds among the other federations, for distribution to the member agencies of the federations.

      (f) Prior to the state campaign, the principal combined fund-raising organization shall submit for the approval of the State Employee Campaign Committee an itemized budget of anticipated administrative expenses, which shall not include campaign expenses. Following the state campaign, the principal combined fund-raising organization shall recover an amount not to exceed one hundred ten per cent of its preapproved actual administrative expenses from the gross payroll deduction receipts of the campaign in accordance with procedures set forth in regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller. Undesignated funds raised through the campaign shall be distributed among the participating federations in proportion to the amount of funds designated for each federation.

      (g) The principal combined fund-raising organization shall submit to the Auditors of Public Accounts for audit, and a copy to the office of the Comptroller, by March first annually, a financial report of its activities relating to the State Employee Campaign payroll deductions made during the previous calendar year.

      (h) The Comptroller shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this section. The regulations shall set forth the competitive process by which the State Employee Campaign Committee shall select a federation to serve as the principal combined fund-raising organization and may include criteria for approval of federations applying under this section to participate in the State Employee Campaign.

      (1967, P.A. 727, S. 1-4; P.A. 77-55; P.A. 88-212, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-142, S. 1, 4; P.A. 93-182; P.A. 95-144, S. 4; P.A. 97-76.)

      History: P.A. 77-55 changed number of agencies constituting "united fund" from 25 to 10; P.A. 88-212 amended Subsec. (b) to require deduction to be made each "biweekly pay period" instead of each "month", to require comptroller to transmit deductions to single united fund "upon collecting" deductions instead of after accumulating deductions for three months, to substitute "officers and employees contributing to each united fund" for "employees and the name of the fund to which the officer or employee desires to contribute" in the second sentence and to substitute "for distribution to the participating organizations" for "in accordance with the instructions supplied by the comptroller" in the third sentence, and amended Subsec. (d) to require the distributing fund to furnish its audit within six months after close of its fiscal year instead of on or before September first and required audit to be for fund's fiscal year instead of for fiscal year ending June thirtieth; P.A. 92-142 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting "federation" for "united fund", adding "environmental" and "conservation" to the purposes for which member agencies may be engaged in order to receive funds and adding the definition of "state employee campaign", added Subsec. (b) re establishment of state employee campaign committee, added Subsec. (c) re duties of the committee, added Subsec. (d) re application procedure for federations to participate in campaign, relettered former Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) to (e), (f) and (g), for consistency with changes in the remainder of the section, amended Subsec. (f) to require, instead of authorize, participating federations to contract with principal combined fund-raising organization, and added Subsec. (h) requiring adoption of regulations; P.A. 93-182 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision regarding nonstock corporation exempt from taxation to Subdiv. (1), adding new Subdiv. (2) defining "agency" and renumbering Subdiv. (2) as (3), amended Subsec. (b) by removing commissioner of consumer protection as committee member, changing nine state employees to ten, specifying four rather than three must be appointed by the governor, and requiring at least two rather than one be representatives of organized labor, amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision regarding selection of principal combined fund-raising organization where two or more federations request selection as such and making a report an annual requirement, amended Subsec. (d) by requiring each federation to apply, changing application deadline from December 31 to January 15, adding provisions regarding regulations for applications and appeals, and changing notification deadline from April 1 to April 15, amended Subsec. (e) by deleting "biweekly", stating payment is made to the participating federations indicated by the officer or employer, and adding provision regarding anonymity of officers or employees, amended Subsec. (f) by requiring a budget of anticipated administrative expenses, limiting recovery to 110% of preapproved actual administrative expenses, requiring regulations regarding procedures for such recovery and requiring undesignated funds be distributed proportionately, amended Subsec. (g) by replacing audit report requirement with submission of financial report for audit with a copy to the comptroller by March 1 annually, and amended Subsec. (h) by requiring regulations concerning the competitive process for selecting principal combined fund-raising organization; P.A. 95-144 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting "annually" re selection of federation and amended Subsec. (d) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), amending Subdiv. (1) by specifying that federations which did not participate shall apply by January fifteenth and changing the notification date from April to May and adding Subdiv. (2) re federations which participated in most recent campaign; P.A. 97-76 amended Subsec. (b) to add two retired state employees to the committee, one appointed by the Governor and one by the Comptroller, and to delete obsolete provision re initial appointments.