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SB 135 Connecticut Senate · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF PROHIBITING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT RECEIVE STATE FUNDING FROM ENGAGING IN CERTAIN POLITICAL OR PARTISAN ACTIVITIES.

SB 135 establishes a working group to study how to prohibit nonprofits receiving state funding (directly or indirectly) from engaging in partisan political activities, such as supporting or opposing candidates or political parties. The bill affects state-funded nonprofits, including those receiving grants or contracts. The working group will examine effective prohibition methods, potential penalties (like funding loss or criminal liability), and review processes for violations, with a report due by January 1, 2026. This is a study bill only; it does not immediately ban such activities but seeks to develop a framework for future policy.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Last action Mar 7, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Proposed Bill → Committee Bill · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended from a 'Proposed Bill' to a 'Committee Bill' version, primarily adding detailed operational requirements for a new working group. The committee version expands the working group's mandate to include studying methods for prohibiting nonprofits from aiding or promoting the success or defeat of candidates, parties, or ideologies, and specifies the group's composition, meeting schedule, and reporting timeline.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from a general study of prohibiting biased political activities to specifically including the success or defeat of candidates, political parties, and political ideologies. The committee version also added specific operational details about the working group's membership, administrative staff, and reporting requirements.
REQUIREMENT

Added specific composition requirements for the working group, including chairpersons and ranking members of the relevant joint standing committee, plus additional individuals deemed relevant by those committee members.

Added specification that administrative staff of the relevant joint standing committee will serve as administrative staff for the working group.

TIMELINE

Added a requirement that the working group must hold its first meeting within 60 days of the effective date and submit a report by January 1, 2026.

SCOPE

Modified the working group's mandate to explicitly include studying methods for prohibiting nonprofits from aiding or promoting the success or defeat of candidates, political parties, or political ideologies, in addition to partisan campaign activities.

ENFORCEMENT

Added 'but not limited to' language to clarify that potential repercussions include criminal liability or funding reduction/elimination, making the list of consequences non-exhaustive.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
3
Mar 7, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
DRAFTED BY COMMITTEE
upper
Jan 8, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.