LobbyComply Blog

A special election will be held January 13 to fill a vacancy in Assembly District 139. The seat was previously held by Kevin Ryan, who recently passed away at the age of 73.

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A special election will be held January 6 to fill a vacancy in Assembly District 25. The seat was previously held by Bobby Sanchez who resigned after being elected as the mayor of New Britain.

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The Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) voted to appoint Ryan Burns as their new Executive Director. Burns, a former staff attorney for the SEEC and Deputy Legal Director of the Department of Public Health, replaces Interim Director Clare Kindall.

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The Connecticut General Assembly met for a brief two-day special session beginning November 12. Lawmakers passed House Bill 8002, which focuses on housing growth, and other legislation from the governor’s limited agenda. A previous version of the housing bill was vetoed by Gov. Lamont. 

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The State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) proposed a declaratory ruling to allow contributions from digital wallets for the 2026 election cycle on a provisional basis. Payments from digital wallets will be included in the definition of checks and credit cards for campaign contributions if the processor provides enough information to detect fraud. The SEEC is requesting written public comment until September 22 on the proposed ruling.

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The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned on June 4. During the session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1405, which makes various changes to campaign finance laws. Changes include extending the existing political communication disclaimer requirements to include text messages and modifies when qualifying contributions are adjusted for inflation. If approved by the governor, most provisions of the bill will be effective July 1, with some being effective from passage. This does affect lobbying reporting. The final monthly employer activity report required any month the General Assembly is in regular session is due July 10.

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Gov. Lamont ordered a special election to be held on April 22 for state House District 113 after Rep. Jason Perillo’s resignation. Perillo resigned on February 28 after winning a special election for Senate District 21.

The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned sine die on May 8.

During the session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 253 concerning foreign political spending.

The bill prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or expenditures and individuals from receiving contributions from foreign nationals.

Additionally, it requires certification on independent expenditure reports that the person making the expenditure is not a foreign national.

If signed by the governor, Senate Bill 253 becomes effective from passage.

This does affect lobbying reporting.

The monthly employer activity report required any month the General Assembly is in regular session is due June 10.

Voters in New Haven, Connecticut approved changes to the City Charter, which includes extending the terms of the mayor, the city clerk, and alders (members of the Board of Aldermen) from two to four years.

Additionally, the revision allows the Board of Alderman to increase the salaries for alders, allows them more power to reform commissions and boards, and requires all city contracts of above $100,000 to be approved by them.

The increases in the length of terms takes effect in 2027, following two more election cycles.

A charter revision for Stamford, Connecticut failed to pass in yesterday’s election.

The ballot measure would have altered the appointment process for non-elected boards and commissions, changed allowing board members with expired terms to continue to hold seats and participate in voting, and allowed any member of the Board of Representatives to nominate a candidate to a board or commission in certain circumstances.

Additionally, the measure would change how outside legal counsel is retained by the Board and added residency requirements for certain non-elected city officials.

Both opponents and proponents of the charter revisions saw it as shifting power away from the mayor to the Board of Representatives.

On November 7, citizens of Hartford, Connecticut elected Democrat Arunan Arulampalam.

Arulampalam, CEO of Hartford Land Bank, defeated Republican Mike McGarry and a variety of petitioning candidates.

Before becoming CEO, Arulampalam worked as a commissioner with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

Arulampalam will replace Mayor Luke Bronin, who did not seek reelection.

Gov. Lamont called for a second special session to convene on September 26.

This session is seeking the approval of several pieces of legislation, including changing the date set by state statute for Connecticut to hold its presidential preference primary and also authorizing the Office of Secretary of the State to retain election monitors in certain municipalities.

Connecticut is currently one of the last states in the nation to hold its presidential primary.

The legislation being considered will move the date of the primary up four weeks from the last Tuesday in April to the first Tuesday in April.

Gov. Lamont called the Legislature into special session to consider the nomination of Nora Dannehy to the Supreme Court.

The governor’s proclamation compels the special session to begin on September 19.

A second special session proclamation by Lamont is anticipated later this month to consider legislation changing the date for Connecticut’s presidential preference primary.

The Connecticut Legislature adjourned sine die on June 7 after passing a two-year $51 billion state budget.

The budget includes historic cuts to personal income taxes and the reduction is predicted to benefit approximately 1 million of the state’s 1.7 million income tax filers.

The new budget also boosts state aid for local school districts by an additional $329 million.

Once the budget is signed by Gov. Lamont, it will take effect July 1.

This does affect lobbying reporting. The final monthly activity report is due July 10.