Committee advances bills to restrict automatic recurring political donations and allow platforms to collect voluntary tips

The Government Administration and Elections Committee voted to JFS S.B. 1168 (LCO 6712) and H.B. 7128 (LCO 6711), measures intended to protect contributors on online political fundraising platforms and to clarify how voluntary payments to those platforms are treated under state campaign‑finance law.

The bills contain two primary components: a consumer‑protection requirement that platforms must obtain affirmative consent for automatically recurring donations (an unchecked box is not sufficient), and statutory amendments clarifying that certain voluntary payments to platforms — described in testimony and discussion as "tips" or payments to support a platform’s operations — are not contributions to a candidate, committee or party if used only for platform operations.

Supporters said the recurring‑donation change will prevent contributors from being signed up for repeating charges without express consent. Senator Lehi and Representative Haddad emphasized the anti‑fraud and consumer‑protection rationale.

Several members, including Senator Sampson and Representative Massifrancesco, said they supported the recurring‑donation provision but raised concerns about sections that would permit platforms to accept voluntary payments. Those members asked how "operations" would be defined and worried about fungibility of funds and whether tips to platforms could be used indirectly for political advocacy. Sponsors said the measure was developed with input from the State Elections Enforcement Commission and intended to allow platforms that operate in other states to offer services in Connecticut without creating a loophole in campaign‑finance law. Sponsors committed to clarifying language if needed.