Substitute Senate Bill No. 953 seeks to amend campaign finance laws by redefining the terms "state contractor," "prospective state contractor," and "subcontractor" to explicitly exclude statutorily recognized Indian tribes from these definitions. The bill repeals subsection (f) of section 9-612 of the general statutes and replaces it with new language that clarifies these exclusions, stating that municipalities, political subdivisions, and recognized Indian tribes are not considered state contractors or prospective state contractors. This change is intended to streamline the understanding of who qualifies as a state contractor, thereby impacting the application of campaign finance laws related to these entities. The effective date for these changes is set for October 1, 2025.

In addition to the exclusions, the bill maintains existing restrictions on campaign contributions from state contractors and their principals, prohibiting them from making or soliciting contributions on behalf of political committees or candidates for state office. However, the new language allows recognized Indian tribes to contribute to statewide and legislative candidates, which was previously prohibited. The bill also requires state contractors and prospective contractors to certify that they have not made any prohibited contributions in the past four years and mandates that state agencies include these regulations in their bid specifications. Overall, the bill aims to enhance transparency and prevent conflicts of interest in state contracting processes while having no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities.