(a) Contributions or expenditures for candidate or party prohibited. No business entity shall make any contributions or expenditures to, or for the benefit of, any candidate's campaign for election to any public office or position subject to this chapter or for nomination at a primary for any such office or position, or to promote the defeat of any candidate for any such office or position. No business entity shall make any other contributions or expenditures to promote the success or defeat of any political party, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. No business entity shall establish more than one political committee. A political committee shall be deemed to have been established by a business entity if the initial disbursement or contribution to the committee is made under subsection (b) of this section or by an officer, director, owner, limited or general partner or holder of stock constituting five per cent or more of the total outstanding stock of any class of the business entity.

(b) Transfers or disbursements to political committee. A business entity may make reasonable and necessary transfers or disbursements to or for the benefit of a political committee established by such business entity, for the administration of, or solicitation of contributions to, such political committee. Nonmonetary contributions by a business entity which are incidental in nature and are directly attributable to the administration of such political committee shall be exempt from the reporting requirements of this chapter.

(c) Contributions or expenditures for referendum. The provisions of this section shall not preclude a business entity from making contributions or expenditures to promote the success or defeat of a referendum question.

(d) Contribution limits for particular offices. A political committee organized by a business entity shall not make a contribution or contributions to or for the benefit of any candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary or any candidate's campaign for election to the office of: (1) Governor, in excess of five thousand dollars; (2) Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller or Attorney General, in excess of three thousand dollars; (3) state senator, probate judge or chief executive officer of a town, city or borough, in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars; (4) state representative, in excess of seven hundred fifty dollars; or (5) any other office of a municipality not included in subdivision (3) of this subsection, in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars. The limits imposed by this subsection shall apply separately to primaries and elections and contributions by any such committee to candidates designated in this subsection shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars in the aggregate for any single election and primary preliminary thereto. Contributions to such committees shall also be subject to the provisions of section 9-618 in the case of committees formed for ongoing political activity or section 9-619 in the case of committees formed for a single election or primary.

(e) Contributions to political committees and party committees. No political committee organized by a business entity shall make a contribution or contributions to (1) a state central committee of a political party, in excess of seven thousand five hundred dollars in any calendar year, (2) a town committee of any political party, in excess of one thousand five hundred dollars in any calendar year, (3) an exploratory committee in excess of three hundred seventy-five dollars, or (4) any other kind of political committee, in excess of two thousand dollars in any calendar year.

(f) Contributions for candidate for State Treasurer. As used in this subsection, “investment services” means investment legal services, investment banking services, investment advisory services, underwriting services, financial advisory services or brokerage firm services. No political committee established by a firm which provides investment services and to which the State Treasurer pays compensation, expenses or fees or issues a contract shall make a contribution to, or solicit contributions on behalf of, an exploratory committee or candidate committee established by a candidate for nomination or election to the office of State Treasurer during the term of office of the State Treasurer who does business with such firm.

(g) Independent expenditures. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a corporation, cooperative association, limited partnership, professional association, limited liability company or limited liability partnership, whether formed in this state or any other, acting alone, may make independent expenditures.

(P.A. 86-99, S. 16, 34; 86-240, S. 7, 12; P.A. 91-351, S. 15, 28; P.A. 95-188, S. 3; P.A. 00-99, S. 35, 154; P.A. 02-130, S. 12; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 33; P.A. 10-187, S. 7.)

History: P.A. 86-240 amended Subsec. (d) to limit contributions by political committee organized by a business entity to candidate for nomination or election to at-large municipal office other than chief executive officer to $250; P.A. 91-351 inserted references to “position” in Subsec. (a); P.A. 95-188 added Subsec. (f) re contributions for candidates for Treasurer by “investment services” firms or individuals associated with such firms; P.A. 00-99 deleted Subsec. (d)(3) re sheriffs and renumbered Subdivs. (4) to (6) as Subdivs. (3) to (5), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 02-130 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “legal services” with “investment legal services” and making technical changes, effective May 10, 2002; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes, prohibiting business entity from establishing more than one political committee and adding provision re when political committee deemed established by business entity, amended Subsec. (d) by increasing contribution limit for office of state senator, probate judge or municipal chief executive officer from $1,000 to $1,500, for office of state representative from $500 to $750, and for any other office of a municipality from $250 to $375 and by deleting exploratory committee contribution limit, and amended Subsec. (e) by deleting provision allowing political committee established by business entity to make unlimited contributions to another such political committee, establishing $7,500 limit on contributions to state central committee and $1,500 limit on contributions to town committee and increasing limit on contributions to exploratory committee from $250 to $375, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-333o transferred to Sec. 9-613 in 2007; P.A. 10-187 added Subsec. (g) re independent expenditures, effective June 8, 2010.