House Bill No. 7205 establishes a pilot program for the public financing of municipal chief executive officer campaigns in certain distressed municipalities for the 2027 municipal election. The bill defines "distressed municipality" in accordance with existing law and specifies that the program will apply to municipalities with populations of less than 25,000. Candidates who choose to participate in the program must agree to limit their campaign fundraising and expenditures. Notably, public financing under this program will not be considered public funds for the purposes of existing campaign finance laws. Candidates opting out of the program will still be subject to the standard regulations outlined in chapter 155 of the general statutes.

The implementation of this pilot program will be overseen by the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC), which will incur costs associated with staffing and administration, estimated at $306,894 for FY 26 and $296,894 for FY 27, along with fringe benefits. The bill also anticipates potential costs for participating municipalities related to funding grants and establishing oversight mechanisms. The SEEC previously conducted a similar municipal campaign finance pilot program in New Haven in 2007, which provides a precedent for the current initiative. The bill aims to enhance the accessibility and fairness of campaign financing in distressed municipalities, thereby promoting democratic participation.