(a) There is established a Citizens' Election Program under which (1) the candidate committee of a major party candidate for nomination to the office of state senator or state representative in 2008, or thereafter, or the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, Secretary of the State or State Treasurer in 2010, or thereafter, may receive a grant from the Citizens' Election Fund for the candidate's primary campaign for said nomination, and (2) the candidate committee of a candidate nominated by a major party, or the candidate committee of an eligible minor party candidate or an eligible petitioning party candidate, for election to the office of state senator or state representative at a special election held on or after December 31, 2006, or at a regular election held in 2008, or thereafter, or for election to the office of Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, Secretary of the State or State Treasurer in 2010, or thereafter, may receive a grant from the fund for the candidate's general election campaign for said office.

(b) Any such candidate committee is eligible to receive such grants for a primary campaign, if applicable, and a general election campaign if (1) the candidate certifies as a participating candidate under section 9-703, (2) the candidate's candidate committee receives the required amount of qualifying contributions under section 9-704, (3) the candidate's candidate committee returns all contributions that do not meet the criteria for qualifying contributions under section 9-704, (4) the candidate agrees to limit the campaign expenditures of the candidate's candidate committee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, and (5) the candidate submits an application and the commission approves the application in accordance with the provisions of section 9-706.

(c) A candidate participating in the Citizens' Election Program shall limit the expenditures of the candidate's candidate committee (A) before a primary campaign and a general election campaign, to the amount of qualifying contributions permitted in section 9-704 and any personal funds provided by the candidate under subsection (c) of section 9-710, (B) for a primary campaign, to the sum of (i) the amount of such qualifying contributions and personal funds that have not been spent before the primary campaign, and (ii) the amount of the grant for the primary campaign authorized under section 9-705, and (C) for a general election campaign, to the sum of (i) the amount of such qualifying contributions and personal funds that have not been spent before the general election campaign, (ii) any unexpended funds from any grant for a primary campaign authorized under section 9-705, and (iii) the amount of the grant for the general election campaign authorized under section 9-705. The candidate committee of a minor or petitioning party candidate who has received a general election campaign grant from the fund pursuant to section 9-705 shall be permitted to receive contributions in addition to the qualifying contributions subject to the limitations and restrictions applicable to participating candidates for the same office, provided such minor or petitioning party candidate shall limit the expenditures of the candidate committee for a general election campaign to the sum of the qualifying contributions and personal funds, the amount of the general election campaign grant received and the amount raised in additional contributions that is equivalent to the difference between the amount of the applicable general election campaign grant for a major party candidate for such office and the amount of the general election campaign grant received by such minor or petitioning party candidate.

(d) For the purposes of this chapter, if a qualified candidate committee receives a grant for a primary campaign and has qualifying contributions that have not been spent before the primary campaign, no expenditures by such committee during the primary campaign shall be deemed to have been made from such qualifying contributions until the primary campaign grant funds have been fully spent.

(e) No grants or moneys paid to a qualified candidate committee from the Citizens' Election Fund under this chapter shall be deemed to be public funds under any other provision of the general statutes or any public or special act unless specifically stated by such provision.

(Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 3; P.A. 06-137, S. 20; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1, S. 2; P.A. 11-139, S. 6.)

History: Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; P.A. 06-137 amended Subsec. (c) to add provision re ability of minor or petitioning party candidate to receive contributions in addition to the qualifying contributions, provided such candidate abides by the limitations and restrictions applicable to participating candidates for the same office, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1 amended Subsec. (c) to replace reference to Sec. 9-705 with reference to Sec. 9-704 and delete provisions re additional moneys under Sec. 9-713 or 9-714 and made technical changes in Subsecs. (d) and (e), effective August 13, 2010; P.A. 11-139 made a technical change in Subsec. (e), effective July 8, 2011.