Connecticut General Statutes 1-83 – Statements of financial interests. Filing requirements. Ethics statements. Confidentiality. Waiver
(a)(1) All state-wide elected officers, members of the General Assembly, department heads and their deputies, members or directors of each quasi-public agency, members of the Investment Advisory Council and such members of the Executive Department and such employees of quasi-public agencies as the Governor shall require, shall file electronically with the Office of State Ethics using the software created by the office, under penalty of false statement, a statement of financial interests for the preceding calendar year on or before the May first next in any year in which they hold such an office or position. If, in any year, May first falls on a weekend or legal holiday, such statement shall be filed not later than the next business day. Any such individual who leaves his or her office or position shall file electronically a statement of financial interests covering that portion of the year during which such individual held his or her office or position. The Office of State Ethics shall notify such individuals of the requirements of this subsection not later than sixty days after their departure from such office or position. Such individuals shall file such statement electronically not later than sixty days after receipt of the notification.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 1-83
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
- Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
- Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
(2) Each state agency, department, board and commission shall develop and implement, in cooperation with the Office of State Ethics, an ethics statement as it relates to the mission of the agency, department, board or commission. The executive head of each such agency, department, board or commission shall be directly responsible for the development and enforcement of such ethics statement and shall file a copy of such ethics statement with the Office of State Ethics.
(b) (1) The statement of financial interests, except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, shall include the following information for the preceding calendar year in regard to the individual required to file the statement and the individual’s spouse and dependent children residing in the individual’s household: (A) The names of all businesses with which associated; (B) all sources of income, including the name of each employer, with a description of the type of income received, in excess of one thousand dollars, without specifying amounts of income; (C) the name of securities in excess of five thousand dollars at fair market value owned by such individual, spouse or dependent children or held in the name of a corporation, partnership or trust for the benefit of such individual, spouse or dependent children; (D) the existence of any known blind trust and the names of the trustees; (E) all real property and its location, whether owned by such individual, spouse or dependent children or held in the name of a corporation, partnership or trust for the benefit of such individual, spouse or dependent children; (F) the names and addresses of creditors to whom the individual, the individual’s spouse or dependent children, individually, owed debts of more than ten thousand dollars; (G) any leases or contracts with the state or a quasi-public agency held or entered into by the individual or a business with which he or she was associated; and (H) the name of any of the following that is a partner or owner of, or has a similar business affiliation with, the business included under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision: (i) Any lobbyist, (ii) any person the individual filing the statement knows or has reason to know is doing business with or seeking to do business with the state or is engaged in activities that are directly regulated by the department or agency in which the individual is employed, or (iii) any business with which such lobbyist or person is associated.
(2) In the case of securities in excess of five thousand dollars at fair market value held within (A) a retirement savings plan, as described in Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, (B) a payroll deduction individual retirement account plan, as described in Section 408 or 408A of said Internal Revenue Code, (C) a governmental deferred compensation plan, as described in Section 457 of said Internal Revenue Code, or (D) an education savings plan, as described in Section 529 of said Internal Revenue Code, the names of such securities shall not be required to be disclosed in any statement of financial interests and only the name of such retirement savings plan, individual retirement account plan, deferred compensation plan or education savings plan holding such securities shall be required.
(c) The statement of financial interests filed pursuant to this section shall be a matter of public information, except (1) the names of any dependent children residing in the household of the individual filing such statement shall not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in § 1-200, and (2) the list of names, filed in accordance with subparagraph (F) of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall be sealed and confidential and for the use of the Office of State Ethics only after a complaint has been filed under § 1-82 and such complaint has been determined by a vote of the board to be of sufficient merit and gravity to justify the unsealing of such list or lists and not open to public inspection unless the respondent requests otherwise. If the board reports its findings to the Chief State’s Attorney in accordance with subsection (c) of § 1-88, the board shall turn over to the Chief State’s Attorney such relevant information contained in the statement as may be germane to the specific violation or violations or a prosecutorial official may subpoena such statement in a criminal action. Unless otherwise a matter of public record, the Office of State Ethics shall not disclose to the public any such subpoena which would be exempt from disclosure by the issuing agency.
(d) Any individual who is unable to provide information required under the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section by reason of impossibility may petition the board for a waiver of the requirements.