Government Administration and Elections Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING THE FILING OF STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL INTERESTS UNDER THE STATE CODE OF ETHICS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
SUMMARY: By law, people required to file a Statement of Financial Interests (SFI) with the Office of State Ethics (OSE) who leave their position or office must file a final SFI that covers their activities from the most recent filing through their departure. This act increases, from 30 days to 60 days, the period of time after the person's departure that OSE has to notify him or her of the filing requirement. Under existing law, the departing individual must file the SFI within 60 days after receiving notice from OSE.
By law, SFI filers must disclose, among other things, all sources of income exceeding $1,000, without specifying any amounts. The act clarifies that the filer must also describe the type of income received (e. g. , wages or dividends). Lastly, it makes technical changes to the SFI requirements concerning certain business affiliations between the filer and a (1) registered lobbyist, (2) person the filer knows or has reason to know is doing or seeking to do business with the state, or (3) person engaged in activities directly regulated by the filer's department or agency.
By law, a person must file an SFI if he or she is, among other things, a (1) statewide elected officer, legislator, department head or deputy department head, member or director of a quasi-public agency, member of the Investment Advisory Council, or state marshal; (2) member of the Executive Department designated by the governor; or (3) quasi-public agency employee designated by the governor. The SFIs must be filed annually by May 1.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2017
OLR Tracking: TA; HP; PF; bs