Connecticut Handbook for Appointed Officials
Except as otherwise provided by statute, appointed officials serve at the request of the Governor in accordance with the provisions of C.G.S. Sections 4-5, 4-8, 4-9 and any other relevant statute or legislation. In general, agency heads serve a four-year term which ends no later than the tenth day of March in the final year of their terms, unless reappointed. Unless otherwise provided by state law, appointments must be approved by at least one house of the General Assembly. Deputy agency heads do not have a special term of office and serve at the request of their agency heads.
Appointed officials must be full-time employees working a minimum of 40 hours per week, unless otherwise noted in statutes or pursuant to written authorization from the Department of Administrative Services. Appointed officials attend evening and weekend meetings as required and represent the State of Connecticut and the employing agency whenever needed. If an appointed official is to be absent from work, vacation, personal, or sick leave time must be used to cover the absence. Appointed officials do not receive compensatory time.
Special Leave from Classified Service
Appointed officials serving in the capacity of an agency head must provide the Governor’s Office with as much notice as is practical prior to any absence. Appointed officials serving as a Deputy Commissioner or in a similar capacity must provide the agency head with as much notice as is practical prior to any absence. All absences must be recorded in the attendance record for the appointed official. If an appointed official is to be absent from work, vacation, personal leave or sick time must be charged to cover the absence. If no such paid leave time exists, the agency must record the absence as unpaid leave. The Governor’s Office must receive from appointed officials the following information when the appointed official expects to be out of state:
• Dates of absence;
• Contact information including phone numbers (cell phone and
other) and location; and
• Individual designated to act in the absence of the appointed official
Officials are required to file with the Office of State Ethics a statement of financial interest from the preceding calendar year. (Statement of Financial Interest) This report is due by May 1 of each year while you are an appointed official. If you leave your position, you still must file a statement of financial interest covering that portion of the year during which your position was held.
Officials should also be familiar with other restrictions and laws regarding conflicts of interest, post-employment activities, and receiving gifts. Contact the Governor’s Counsel or the Office of State Ethics if you have any questions.
Guide to the Code of Ethics for Public Officials.
C.G.S. Section 1-90 - Code of Ethics for Public Official
In addition, you should acquaint yourself with all relevant statutes regarding political activities in which you may engage as an employee of your agency. Specifically, please review C.G.S. Section 5-266a, et. seq. and the federal Hatch Act’s provisions for agencies receiving federal funds and its prohibition of non- coercive solicitation of political contributions. Specific guidance can be provided by the Office of the Attorney General, the Auditors of Public Accounts, and the Department of Administrative Services.
General Letter 214-D - Political Activity
Appointed officials’ staff, equipment, supplies, postage, etc., should be used only for state business and on tasks directly related to the state business in which that official is engaged.
You should be familiar with the following policies, as well as the opinions of the Office of State Ethics.
Acceptable Use of State Systems Policy
Policy on Security for Mobile Computing and Storage Devices
Telephone Use: Telecommunications Equipment Policy. (ct.gov)
Appointed officials serving in the capacity of an agency head, deputy agency head, Executive Assistant or Executive Office Administrative Aide are paid in accordance with the Executive (or “EX”) pay plan. Employees in the Executive Secretary job class serve at the pleasure of the agency head or deputy agency head and are assigned to the “SE” pay plan. Human Resources staff will advise the appointed official of the assigned salary group and compensation rate upon hire. The EX and SE (links) pay plans are available via the Department of Administrative Services website.
Appointed officials receive a bi-weekly paycheck. The first check is issued about four weeks after the hire date and represents salary earned during the first two weeks of employment. There is always a two-week retainer of salary until employment concludes with the state.
Appointed officials may use vacation leave after six months of continuous service with the State of Connecticut (in accordance with C.G.S. Section 5-250 and Personnel Regulations 5-250-1). with the exception of Department Heads. Department Heads as defined in C.G.S. Section 4-5, are considered to be eligible to use earned vacation leave pursuant to C.G.S. Section 5-250 upon the date either house of the General Assembly confirms such department head’s nomination in accordance with C.G.S. Section 4-7. This is authorized by Item No. 2236-E.
Annually on January 1, appointed officials receive three personal leave (PL) days (in accordance with C.G.S. Section 5-250 and Section 5-250-8 of the Personnel Regulations). Unused PL days cannot be carried over to the next calendar year. PL may be used only after permanent status has been attained.
In accordance with C.G.S. Section 5-196, appointed officials attain permanent status after completion of six months of continuous state employment. Note, Department Heads as defined in C.G.S. Section 4-5, are considered to have permanent status for the purpose of being eligible to use personal leave (PL) days upon the date either house of the General Assembly confirms such department head’s nomination in accordance with C.G.S. Section 4-7.
This is authorized by Item No. 2236-E.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Item No. 1536-E (effective January 14, 2010)authorizes appointed officials to donate vacation and personal leave accruals to other employees who are in identical salary groups (e.g., both in salary group EX 01 or EX 02) who are absent as a result of a long-term illness or injury.
C.G.S. Section 5-248 subsection ( c ) provides for a leave of absence with pay for a period not exceeding three (3) calendar weeks for appointed officials who are members of the armed forces of the state or any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and are required to undergo field training. Appointed officials meeting such eligibility requirements are eligible for such leave after completion of six (6) months of continuous service in the unclassified service. Department Heads as defined in C.G.S. Section 4-5 meeting these requirements become eligible for such benefits upon the date either house of the General Assembly confirms such Department Head’s nomination in accordance with C.G.S. Section 4-7. This benefit for Department Heads is authorized by Item No. 2236-E.
Group Health and Dental Insurance
Use of State Vehicles - Pending Approval
Mileage Reports
Appointed officials are required to retain monthly mileage logs (Form CCP-40) for each state-owned vehicle used by them, as well as submit a monthly usage report in the format specified by DAS Fleet Operations. Questions regarding this procedure should be directed to the Department of Administrative Services - Fleet Operations at (860) 713-5160.
Federal Tax Implications to Vehicle Usage
Federal law provides that when a state employee uses a state vehicle to commute to and from work or for personal business, certain tax consequences may result. The Internal Revenue Service views the personal use as a taxable benefit and has established guidelines on how to determine the value of the benefit.
Financial Responsibility
The monetary value of using a state vehicle for home-to-office travel is subject to federal income tax requirements. Per Federal Public Law No. 90-44, effective January 1, 1986, overnight parking of a state vehicle at an employee’s home for more than one night per month may be classified as fringe benefit taxable income and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
A number of laws govern the activities of appointed officials. Please review the laws that apply to all appointed officials and those that are specific to your agency. The following regulations and laws also should be familiar to you.
This information should be helpful as a resource regarding the general rules of behavior and duties of appointed officials. Each agency may have guidelines that address these issues in more detail. Additionally, the Department of Administrative Services website contains many policies that establish statewide standards and may be consulted for this purpose.
If you have any questions regarding this material or other matters, consult with your Human Resources Administrator or the appropriate state agency.
- Public Records: General Provisions – C.G.S. Chap. 3, Section 1-7through 1-21 (1)
- Freedom of Information – C.G.S. Chap. 14, inclusive
- Annual Report to the Governor – C.G.S. Chap. 48, Section 4-60
- State Ethics Code (including prescribed activities) – C.G.S. Chap.10.
- State Ethics Guide to the Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees.
- The General Assembly – C.G.S. Chap. 16
- Auditors of Public Accounts – C.G.S. Chap. 23, Section 2-89 through 2-92
- Whistleblower – C.G.S., Chap. 48, Section 4-61dd
- Irregular Handling of State Funds – C.G.S., Chap. 47, Section 4-33a
- Attorney General – C.G.S. Chap. 35, Section 3-124 through 3-131
- Indemnification of Commissioners – C.G.S. 46, Section 4-16a; State Appointive Officials, Section 4-1 through 4-8
- Elections: Illegal Practices. C.G.S. Section 9-622
Compensation schedule or compensation plan
Questions concerning the information contained within this handbook should be addressed to your Agency Human Resources Office.
Agency Human Resources Professionals may direct questions to Statewide Human Resources Management - HR Policy Unit of the Department of Administrative Services.