Sec. 5-262. State Employee Campaign. Deduction of contributions. Regulations.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Federation” means a legally constituted grouping of not less than five affiliated nonprofit charitable member organizations that are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, conducting a single, annual, consolidated effort to secure funds for distribution to its member agencies engaged in charitable and public health, welfare, environmental, conservation or service purposes.

(2) “Principal combined fund-raising organization” means a federation, charitable organization or consultant, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section, that is selected by the State Employee Campaign Committee to administer the State Employee Campaign under the direction and control of said committee.

(3) “State Employee Campaign” means an annual campaign to raise funds from state employees for charitable and public health, welfare, environmental, conservation or service purposes.

(b) (1) There is established a State Employee Campaign Committee consisting of: The Comptroller, or the Comptroller's designee; the Commissioner of Administrative Services, or the commissioner's designee; the executive director of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, or the executive director's designee; ten state employees appointed in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection; two retired state employees, one appointed by the Governor and one appointed by the Comptroller; one nonvoting representative from each participating federation; and one nonvoting representative from the principal combined fund-raising organization selected pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of this section. Not more than one state employee from any state agency shall be appointed to the committee. All voting members of the State Employee Campaign Committee and their successors shall serve in accordance with the provisions of section 4-1a. The committee shall select one of its voting members to serve as chairperson.

(2) The ten state employee members of the State Employee Campaign Committee shall be appointed as follows: Four by the Governor, two of whom shall be representatives of organized labor; one by the speaker of the House of Representatives; one by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; one by the president pro tempore of the Senate; one by the majority leader of the Senate; and one by the minority leader of the Senate.

(c) (1) The State Employee Campaign Committee shall be responsible for (A) the overall coordination of the State Employee Campaign, selection of participating federations and approval of campaign materials to be used for the State Employee Campaign, and (B) the selection and supervision of a principal combined fund-raising organization to administer the State Employee Campaign.

(2) Each federation, charitable organization or consultant submitting an application to become the principal combined fund-raising organization for the State Employee Campaign shall demonstrate that such federation, charitable organization or consultant (A) has prior workplace campaign experience, including, but not limited to, (i) the development of financial procedures for processing and tracking contributions and expenditures, and (ii) conducting campaign operations such as a kick-off and other events for the State Employee Campaign, (B) has staff necessary to administer the State Employee Campaign, and (C) will administer the State Employee Campaign equitably and fairly.

(3) If two or more federations, charitable organizations or consultants submit an application to become the principal combined fund-raising organization for the State Employee Campaign, the State Employee Campaign Committee shall, through a competitive process, select the lowest responsible qualified bidder, as defined in subsection (a) of section 4a-59. If only one federation, charitable organization or consultant submits such an application and meets the qualifications prescribed in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the State Employee Campaign Committee shall select such federation, charitable organization or consultant to become the principal combined fund-raising organization.

(4) The Comptroller, on behalf of the State Employee Campaign Committee, shall contract with the selected principal combined fund-raising organization to administer the State Employee Campaign.

(d) (1) Any federation that did not participate in the most recently completed State Employee Campaign and wishes to participate in the next State Employee Campaign shall apply to the State Employee Campaign Committee not later than January fifteenth after the most recently completed State Employee Campaign for approval to participate in the next State Employee Campaign. Such application shall contain information required by regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller in accordance with chapter 54, pursuant to subsection (h) of this section. The committee shall review such application and notify the federation of the committee's decision not later than May fifteenth. If a federation's application is denied, such federation may appeal the decision of the committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in such regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller.

(2) On or before January fifteenth, each federation which participated in the most recently completed State Employee Campaign and wishes to participate in the next State Employee Campaign shall submit to the State Employee Campaign Committee a letter of intent to participate in the next State Employee Campaign. On or before April fifteenth, each such federation shall apply to the State Employee Campaign Committee for approval to participate in the next State Employee Campaign. Such application shall contain information required by regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller in accordance with chapter 54, pursuant to subsection (h) of this section. The committee shall review such application and notify the federation of the committee's decision not later than May fifteenth. If a federation's application is denied, such federation may appeal the decision of the committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in such regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller.

(e) The Comptroller, upon written request of any state officer or employee, shall deduct, each pay period, from the salary or wages of such officer or employee the amount of money designated by such officer or employee for payment to the participating federation or federations indicated by the officer or employee. Upon collecting such deductions, the Comptroller shall transmit them to the principal combined fund-raising organization selected pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of this section, together with a list of officers and employees contributing to each federation or such federation's member agencies, provided the identity of any officer or employee who has communicated in writing that such employee or officer desires to remain anonymous shall not be so transmitted. Such principal combined fund-raising organization shall, each month after receiving funds from the Comptroller, distribute the funds among the other federations for further distribution to the member agencies of the federations.

(f) Prior to the annual commencement of the State Employee Campaign, the principal combined fund-raising organization shall submit for the approval of the State Employee Campaign Committee an itemized budget of anticipated administrative expenses, which budget shall not include campaign expenses. Following the annual conclusion of the State Employee Campaign, the principal combined fund-raising organization shall recover an amount not to exceed one hundred ten per cent of its preapproved actual administrative expenses from the gross payroll deduction receipts of the campaign in accordance with procedures set forth in regulations adopted by the office of the Comptroller, pursuant to subsection (h) of this section. Undesignated funds raised through the campaign shall be distributed among the participating federations in proportion to the amount of funds designated for each federation.

(g) Not later than March first annually, the principal combined fund-raising organization shall submit to the Auditors of Public Accounts for audit a financial report of such principal combined fund-raising organization's activities relating to the State Employee Campaign payroll deductions made during the previous calendar year. The principal combined fund-raising organization shall submit a copy of such financial report to the office of the Comptroller.

(h) The Comptroller shall (1) adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this section, (2) exercise general supervision over all operations of the State Employee Campaign and take any steps necessary to ensure achievement of campaign objectives, and (3) have the authority, for purposes of compliance with this section and any regulations adopted pursuant to this section, to audit, investigate and report on the administration of the State Employee Campaign, the principal combined fund-raising organization that administers the campaign and any federation or federation member organization that participates in the campaign.

(i) Not later than July 1, 2016, and not later than April first annually thereafter, the State Employee Campaign Committee shall conduct a comprehensive review of the State Employee Campaign and submit to the Governor, the Comptroller and the General Assembly, in accordance with section 11-4a, a report on the results of the most recently completed State Employee Campaign and recommendations for improvements in the next State Employee Campaign.

(1967, P.A. 727, S. 1–4; P.A. 77-55; P.A. 88-212, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-142, S. 1, 4; P.A. 93-182; P.A. 95-144, S. 4; P.A. 97-76; P.A. 16-62, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 77-55 changed number of agencies constituting “united fund” from 25 to 10; P.A. 88-212 amended Subsec. (b) to require deduction to be made each “biweekly pay period” instead of each “month”, to require comptroller to transmit deductions to single united fund “upon collecting” deductions instead of after accumulating deductions for three months, to substitute “officers and employees contributing to each united fund” for “employees and the name of the fund to which the officer or employee desires to contribute” in the second sentence and to substitute “for distribution to the participating organizations” for “in accordance with the instructions supplied by the comptroller” in the third sentence, and amended Subsec. (d) to require the distributing fund to furnish its audit within six months after close of its fiscal year instead of on or before September first and required audit to be for fund's fiscal year instead of for fiscal year ending June thirtieth; P.A. 92-142 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting “federation” for “united fund”, adding “environmental” and “conservation” to the purposes for which member agencies may be engaged in order to receive funds and adding the definition of “state employee campaign”, added Subsec. (b) re establishment of state employee campaign committee, added Subsec. (c) re duties of the committee, added Subsec. (d) re application procedure for federations to participate in campaign, relettered former Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) to (e), (f) and (g), for consistency with changes in the remainder of the section, amended Subsec. (f) to require, instead of authorize, participating federations to contract with principal combined fund-raising organization, and added Subsec. (h) requiring adoption of regulations; P.A. 93-182 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision regarding nonstock corporation exempt from taxation to Subdiv. (1), adding new Subdiv. (2) defining “agency” and renumbering Subdiv. (2) as (3), amended Subsec. (b) by removing commissioner of consumer protection as committee member, changing nine state employees to ten, specifying four rather than three must be appointed by the governor, and requiring at least two rather than one be representatives of organized labor, amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision regarding selection of principal combined fund-raising organization where two or more federations request selection as such and making a report an annual requirement, amended Subsec. (d) by requiring each federation to apply, changing application deadline from December 31 to January 15, adding provisions regarding regulations for applications and appeals, and changing notification deadline from April 1 to April 15, amended Subsec. (e) by deleting “biweekly”, stating payment is made to the participating federations indicated by the officer or employer, and adding provision regarding anonymity of officers or employees, amended Subsec. (f) by requiring a budget of anticipated administrative expenses, limiting recovery to 110% of preapproved actual administrative expenses, requiring regulations regarding procedures for such recovery and requiring undesignated funds be distributed proportionately, amended Subsec. (g) by replacing audit report requirement with submission of financial report for audit with a copy to the comptroller by March 1 annually, and amended Subsec. (h) by requiring regulations concerning the competitive process for selecting principal combined fund-raising organization; P.A. 95-144 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting “annually” re selection of federation and amended Subsec. (d) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), amending Subdiv. (1) by specifying that federations which did not participate shall apply by January fifteenth and changing the notification date from April to May and adding Subdiv. (2) re federations which participated in most recent campaign; P.A. 97-76 amended Subsec. (b) to add two retired state employees to the committee, one appointed by the Governor and one by the Comptroller, and to delete obsolete provision re initial appointments; P.A. 16-62 amended Subsec. (a) to redefine “federation” in Subdiv. (1) and to replace definition of “agency” with definition of “principal combined fund-raising organization” in Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (c) to designate existing provisions re State Employee Campaign Committee requirements as Subdiv. (1) and to amend same to replace existing provisions re selection of federation with provisions re responsibilities of committee, to add Subdiv. (2) re application to become principal combined fund-raising organization, to add Subdiv. (3) re two or more applications to become principal combined fund-raising organization, and to add Subdiv. (4) re Comptroller to contract with selected principal combined fund-raising organization, substantially amended Subsec. (d) including to add reference to federation that wishes to participate in next campaign, to replace references to campaign with references to next State Employee Campaign and to add references to Subsec. (h), amended Subsec. (f) to replace references to state campaign with references to annual State Employee Campaign and to add reference to Subsec. (h), amended Subsec. (g) to add “Not later than March first annually”, amended Subsec. (h) to designate existing provisions re adopting regulations as Subdiv. (1) and to amend same to delete provision re regulations to set forth competitive process, to add Subdiv. (2) re exercise of general supervision, and to add Subdiv. (3) re authority to audit, investigate and report, added Subsec. (i) re committee to conduct annual comprehensive review of campaign and submit report, and made technical and conforming changes, effective May 27, 2016.