House Bill No. 5497, reported favorably by the Committee on Government Administration and Elections, proposes technical changes to a campaign finance statute, specifically section 9-608(f) of the general statutes. The bill includes the insertion of "File No. 464" to identify the bill and sets an effective date of October 1, 2024. It outlines the procedures for the dissolution of an exploratory committee by a candidate, including the timeframe for filing a notice of intent to dissolve the committee and the distribution of any surplus funds or handling of deficits. The bill specifies different scenarios for the distribution of surplus funds, including provisions for candidates who intend to participate in the Citizens' Election Program and for exploratory committees established for offices other than the General Assembly or a state office.
The bill also includes language changes, such as replacing "set forth" with "as provided" in the definitions of "principal of an investment services firm" and "state office." Additionally, it addresses the situation where a candidate initially declares not to run for the office of state representative but later establishes a candidate committee for that office. In such a case, the treasurer of the candidate committee must pay to the State Treasurer an amount equal to the portion of any contribution received by the exploratory committee that exceeded two hundred fifty dollars. The fiscal impact statement attached to the bill indicates that there is no fiscal impact to the state or municipalities as a result of these technical changes.