Connecticut election regulators face first test of new foreign contribution ban

HARTFORD — A 2024 state law that prohibits foreign nationals from making political contributions or expenditures under the state’s campaign finance laws is posing a novel legal question for in-house lobbyists working for foreign-owned businesses.

A lobbyist for the government relations firm Gaffney Bennett and Associates petitioned the State Elections Enforcement Commission on Oct. 29 for a declaratory ruling clarifying whether state residents who are U.S. citizens and in-house lobbyists on the payroll of corporations owned by foreign parent companies can make personal contributions to Connecticut political campaigns.

Staff attorneys have advised the SEEC that the request poses a legal question of first impression for the commission, and involves a new and largely untested statute in an area of law that is actively developing nationwide.

Staff attorneys reported a growing number of states have adopted similar laws and several of them are being litigated now, while federal courts also are continuing to shape the constitutional boundaries in this area. As a result, any declaratory ruling issued by the SEEC likely will receive national attention and be relied upon beyond Connecticut.



https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/ct-ban-foreign-nationals-campaign-contributions-21256816.php