AN ACT PERMITTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO MAIL RAFFLE TICKETS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 7-172 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

No bazaar or raffle may be promoted, operated or conducted in any municipality after the adoption of the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, unless it is sponsored and conducted exclusively by (1) an officially recognized organization or association of veterans of any war in which the United States has been engaged, (2) a church or religious organization, (3) a civic, service or social club, (4) a fraternal or fraternal benefit society, (5) an educational or charitable organization, (6) an officially recognized volunteer fire company, (7) a political party or town committee thereof, or (8) a municipality acting through a committee designated to conduct a celebration of the municipality's founding on its hundredth anniversary or any multiple thereof. Any such sponsoring organization, except a committee designated pursuant to subdivision (8) of this section, shall have been organized in good faith and actively functioning as a nonprofit organization within the municipality that is to issue the permit for a period of not less than six months prior to its application for a permit under the provisions of said sections. The promotion and operation of a bazaar or raffle shall be confined solely to the qualified members of the sponsoring organization, provided a committee designated pursuant to subdivision (8) of this section may promote or operate through its members and any officially appointed volunteers. No such member or officially appointed volunteer in the case of a raffle held pursuant to subdivision (8) of this section may receive remuneration in any form for time or effort devoted to the promotion or operation of the bazaar or raffle. No person under the age of eighteen years may promote, conduct, operate or work at a bazaar or raffle and no person under the age of sixteen years may sell or promote the sale of any raffle tickets, nor shall any sponsoring organization permit any person under the age of eighteen to so promote, conduct or operate any bazaar or raffle or any person under the age of sixteen to sell or promote the sale of such tickets. Any sponsoring organization having received a permit from any municipality may sell or promote the sale of such raffle tickets in that municipality and in any other town, city or borough which has adopted the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive. Any sponsoring organization may mail raffle tickets if such organization prints, on each ticket, words indicating that no purchase or payment is necessary. Such organization may accept a credit card, debit card, check or cash as payment for a raffle ticket. All funds derived from any bazaar or raffle shall be used exclusively for the purpose stated in the application of the sponsoring organization as provided in section 7-173.

Statement of Purpose:

To permit nonprofit organizations to mail raffle tickets to raise funds.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]

H.B. 5487