Sec. 9-617. (Formerly Sec. 9-333s). Contributions made or received by party committees. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 9-617. (Formerly Sec. 9-333s). Contributions made or received by party committees. (a) A party committee may make unlimited contributions to, or for the benefit of, any of the following: (1) Another party committee; (2) a national committee of a political party; or (3) a committee of a candidate for federal or out-of-state office. A party committee may also make contributions to a charitable organization which is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as from time to time amended, or make memorial contributions. A town committee may also contribute to a scholarship awarded by a high school on the basis of objective criteria.

      (b) (1) No state central committee shall make a contribution or contributions to, for the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or request of, a candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary, or any candidate's campaign for election, to the office of: (A) Governor, in excess of fifty thousand dollars; (B) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney General, in excess of thirty-five thousand dollars; (C) state senator, probate judge or chief executive officer of a town, city or borough, in excess of ten thousand dollars; (D) state representative, in excess of five thousand dollars; or (E) any other office of a municipality not previously included in this subsection, in excess of five thousand dollars. The limits imposed by this subdivision shall apply separately to primaries and elections.

      (2) No state central committee shall make a contribution or contributions in any one calendar year to, or for the benefit of (A) a legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership committee, in excess of ten thousand dollars, or (B) any other political committee, other than an exploratory committee or a committee formed solely to aid or promote the success or defeat of a referendum question, in excess of two thousand five hundred dollars. No state central committee shall make contributions in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars to an exploratory committee.

      (c) (1) No town committee shall make a contribution or contributions to, for the benefit of, or pursuant to the authorization or request of, a candidate or a committee supporting or opposing any candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary, or any candidate's campaign for election, to the office of: (A) Governor, in excess of seven thousand five hundred dollars; (B) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney General, in excess of five thousand dollars; (C) state senator, in excess of five thousand dollars; (D) state representative, probate judge or chief executive officer of a town, city or borough, in excess of three thousand dollars; or (E) any other office of a municipality not previously included in this subsection, in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars. The limits imposed by this subdivision shall apply separately to primaries and elections.

      (2) No town committee shall make a contribution or contributions in any one calendar year to, or for the benefit of (A) a legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership committee, in excess of two thousand dollars, or (B) any other political committee, other than an exploratory committee or a committee formed solely to aid or promote the success or defeat of a referendum question, in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars. No town committee shall make contributions in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars to an exploratory committee.

      (d) A party committee may receive contributions from a federal account of a national committee of a political party, but may not receive contributions from any other account of a national committee of a political party or from a committee of a candidate for federal or out-of-state office, for use in the election of candidates subject to the provisions of this chapter.

      (P.A. 86-99, S. 20, 34; P.A. 91-351, S. 17, 28; P.A. 98-7, S. 2, 4; P.A. 04-112, S. 2; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 36.)

      History: P.A. 91-351 substituted, in Subsec. (b), "for use in the election of candidates subject to the provisions of this chapter" for "except in the distribution of a surplus as provided in Subsec. (c) of section 9-333j"; P.A. 98-7 amended Subsec. (b) to prohibit a party committee from receiving contributions from a nonfederal account of a national committee of a political party, effective January 1, 1999, and applicable to elections and primaries held on or after that date; P.A. 04-112 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision authorizing town committee to contribute to scholarship awarded by a high school, effective July 1, 2004; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re authority of party committee to make unlimited contributions to a candidate or political committee, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d) and added new Subsecs. (b) and (c) re limits on contributions by state central and town committees to candidate, exploratory and political committees, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-333s transferred to Sec. 9-617 in 2007.

      See Sec. 9-717 re effect of court of competent jurisdiction's prohibiting or limiting the expenditure of funds from the Citizens' Election Fund established in Sec. 9-701.