Fundraiser Advertising Purchase

The law allows a business entity to purchase up to an aggregate total of $250 worth of advertising space each calendar year on a sign or in a program book for fundraising affairs sponsored by a political committee and not have it considered a contribution.  See General Statutes § 9‐601a (b) (10) (B).  Likewise, the law allows all other persons (including human beings, sole proprietorships, other committees and labor unions) to purchase up to an aggregate total of $50 worth of advertising space each calendar year on a sign or in a program book for fundraising affairs sponsored by a political committee and not have it considered a contribution.  See General Statutes § 9‐601a (b) (10) (B).  Note that the law treats sole proprietorships and professional service corporations organized under chapter 594a and owned by a single human being as individuals and not as business entities, which means they may only purchase up to $50 in advertising space each calendar year under this exception.  

Definition of Terms

“Business entity”:  includes the following: stock corporations, banks, insurance companies, business associations, partnerships, joint ventures, private foundations, trusts or estates, corporations.

“Person”:  includes the following: individuals, other registered committees, and labor unions.  “Individual,” in turn, includes human beings, sole proprietorships and professional service corporations organized under chapter 594a and owned by a single human being.  See General Statutes   § 9-601 (9).

“State contract”:  an agreement or contract with the state or any state agency or any quasi-public agency, let through a procurement process or otherwise, having a value of fifty thousand dollars or more, or a combination or series of such agreements or contracts having a value of one hundred thousand dollars or more in a calendar year, for (i) the rendition of services, (ii) the furnishing of any goods, material, supplies, equipment or any items of any kind, (iii) the construction, alteration or repair of any public building or public work, (iv) the acquisition, sale or lease of any land or building, (v) a licensing arrangement, or (vi) a grant, loan or loan guarantee. “State contract” does not include any agreement or contract with the state, any state agency or any quasi-public agency that is exclusively federally funded, an education loan, a loan to an individual for other than commercial purposes or any agreement or contract between the state or any state agency and the United States Department of the Navy or the United States Department of Defense.  See General Statutes § 9-612 (f) (1) (C).

“State contractor”:  a person, business entity or nonprofit organization that enters into a state contract. Such person, business entity or nonprofit organization shall be deemed to be a state contractor until December thirty‐first of the year in which such contract terminates.  “State contractor” does not include a municipality or any other political subdivision of the state, including any entities or associations duly created by the municipality or political subdivision exclusively amongst themselves to further any purpose authorized by statute or charter, or an employee in the executive or legislative branch of state government or a quasi‐public agency, whether in the classified or unclassified service and full or part‐time, and only in such person’s capacity as a state or quasi‐public agency employee.  See General Statutes § 9‐612 (f) (1) (D).

“Prospective state contractor”:  a person, business entity or nonprofit organization that (i) submits a response to a state contract solicitation by the state, a state agency or a quasi‐public agency, or a proposal in response to a request for proposals by the state, a state agency or a quasi‐public agency, until the contract has been entered into, or (ii) holds a valid prequalification certificate issued by the Commissioner of Administrative Services under section 4a‐100.  ʺProspective state contractorʺ does not include a municipality or any other political subdivision of the state, including any entities or associations duly created by the municipality or political subdivision exclusively amongst themselves to further any purpose authorized by statute or charter, or an employee in the executive or legislative branch of state government or a quasi‐public agency, whether in the classified or unclassified service and full or part‐time, and only in such person’s capacity as a state or quasi‐public agency employee.  See General Statutes § 9‐612 (f) (1) (E).

“Principal of a state contractor or prospective state contractor”:  (i) any individual who is a member of the board of directors of, or has an ownership interest of five per cent or more in a state contractor or prospective state contractor, which is a business entity, except for an individual who is a member of the board of directors of a nonprofit organization, (ii) an individual who is employed by a state contractor or prospective state contractor, which is a business entity, as president, treasurer or executive vice president, (iii) an individual who is the chief executive officer of a state contractor or prospective state contractor, which is not a business entity, or if a state contractor or prospective state contractor has no such officer, then the officer who duly possesses comparable powers and duties, (iv) an officer or an employee of any state contractor or prospective state contractor who has managerial or discretionary responsibilities with respect to a state contract, (v) the spouse or a dependent child who is eighteen years of age or older of an individual described in this subparagraph, or (vi) a political committee established or controlled by an individual described in this subparagraph or the business entity or nonprofit organization that is the state contractor or prospective state contractor.  See General Statutes § 9-612 (f) (1) (F).

“Communicator lobbyist”:  a lobbyist who communicates directly or solicits others to communicate with an official or his staff in the legislative or executive branch of government or in a quasi-public agency for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action.  A lobbyist, in turn, is generally defined as a person who, in lobbying and in furtherance of lobbying, makes or agrees to make expenditures, or receives or agrees to receive compensation, reimbursement, or both, and such compensation, reimbursement or expenditures are $3,000 or more in any calendar year or the combined amount thereof is $3,000 or more in any such calendar year.  See General Statutes § 1-91 (12) & (22) (as amended by Public Act 15-15).

“Immediate family”:  the spouse or a dependent child of an individual.  See General Statutes § 9-601 (24).  

“Dependent child”:  a child residing in an individual’s household who may legally be claimed as a dependent on the federal income tax return of such individual.  See General Statutes § 9-612 (f) (1) (G).