Office of State Ethics

Office of State Ethics promotes integrity in government by providing legal advice, guidance and education to public officials, state employees and lobbyists; by sensibly interpreting and, when necessary, fairly and impartially enforcing applicable laws; by administering the lobbyist and financial disclosure filing systems; and by providing the public with access to non-exempt information.

 

Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board

The Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board (CEAB, or Board) is a nine-member Board. The members are appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders for staggered, four-year terms.

• Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board Members
• A Chronological History of Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board Members 2005 - Present

 

Legal Division

Legal Advice, Legislation and Regulations

The Legal Division provides advice and opinions regarding the Codes of Ethics to the regulated community, which includes approximately 45,000 public officials and state employees, nearly 2,000 lobbyists, and all state contractors. The Division consists of a General Counsel, who also serves as counsel to the CEAB, a Deputy General Counsel, an Associate General Counsel and a Paralegal.

• Legal Advisory Opinions and Declaratory Rulings
• How to Request Legal Advice

 

Enforcement Division

Enforcement and Audits

The Enforcement Division investigates and prosecutes violations of the Codes of Ethics. The Division consists of an Ethics Enforcement Officer, one Deputy Ethics Enforcement Officer, one Assistant Ethics Enforcement Officer, a Legal Investigator, and a Paralegal.

 

Audits

The Enforcement Division performs audits of lobbyist filings, as required by statute, and performs analyses of lobbyist and public official filings incident to its enforcement function.

• Enforcement Overview and Filing a Complaint
• Enforcement Actions

 

Financial Disclosure Statements

Lobbyist Filings and Statements of Financial Interests

The Office of State Ethics is also statutorily obligated to receive, process, and maintain records of all lobbyist filings along with public official and state employee Statements of Financial Interests (SFIs).

Lobbyist Filing System

• Lobbyist Filing System Overview

Statements of Financial Interests (SFIs)

• Public Officials and State Employee Filing Overview

 

Education and Training

Education and Training activities are performed by the Director of Education. The education component of the Office of State Ethics is often the most visible aspect of the agency’s work to public officials, state employees and the public. We also conduct in-person training for the lobbyist community and state contractors upon request.

• Education and Training

 

Municipal Ethics

The Office of State Ethics does not have jurisdiction over municipal or local ethics issues. We do, however, offer the following resource for those municipalities interested in strengthening their own ethics commissions or policies.

• Municipal Ethics Task Force of the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
• www.cityethics.org Showcases model municipal codes and other resources to assist municipalities across the country in developing more effective ethics programs. (The OSE neither promotes nor endorses any information contained in this link.)

 

Office of State Ethics

Agency Policies

• OSE Ethics Policy
• Affirmative Action Policy
• Freedom of Information Protocol
• State of Connecticut Document Retention Schedule