Advisory Opinion No. 1995-2
Application Of Conn. Gen.
Stat. §1-84b(c)
To Out-Of-State Employment
The petitioner has asked whether the prohibition against
accepting employment with a business subject to regulation by ones agency
would apply if the position offered by a regulated industry were located in an
out-of-state office and involved no contact with the individuals former state
agency. The petitioner posits that the legislative goals of
§1-84b(c) are met if post-state employment contact with ones former agency is
eliminated through a combination of sheer distance and forbearance. However, contact between a former executive
branch employee or official and his or her former agency, for one year, is
strictly prohibited by a separate provision of the Code, Conn. Gen. Stat.
§1-84b(b), no matter the location of the individuals post-state employment. The goal of Conn. Gen. Stat. §1-84b(c) is to decrease the
likelihood that an official will tailor his or her conduct in office to enhance
opportunities for subsequent private employment in the same field. A post-state employment cooling off period
both reduces the incentive to curry favor with a private employer and increases
public confidence in government. See
State Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion No. 92-22, 54 By order of the Commission, Rev. William Sangiovanni
Acting Chairperson