Connecticut General Assembly
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2008) |
Connecticut General Assembly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate House of Representatives |
| Leadership | |
Senate Majority Leader | |
Senate Minority Leader | |
House Majority Leader | |
House Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 187voting members
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State Senate political groups |
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House of Representatives political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last State Senate election | November 8, 2022 (36 seats) |
Last House of Representatives election | November 8, 2022 (151 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Connecticut State Capitol Hartford | |
| Website | |
| cga.ct.gov | |
TheConnecticut General Assembly(CGA) is thestate legislatureof theU.S. stateofConnecticut.It is abicameralbody composed of the 151-memberHouse of Representativesand the 36-memberSenate.It meets in thestate capital,Hartford.There are noterm limitsfor either chamber.
During even-numbered years, the General Assembly is in session from February to May. In odd-numbered years, when the statebudgetis completed, session lasts from January to June. The governor has the right to call for aspecial sessionafter the end of the regular session, while the General Assembly can call for a "veto session"after the close in order to override gubernatorialvetoes.
During the first half of session, the House and Senate typically meet on Wednesdays only, though by the end of the session, they meet daily due to increased workload and deadlines.
History[edit]
The three settlements that would become Connecticut (Hartford,Wethersfield,andWindsor) were established in 1633, and were originally governed by theMassachusetts Bay Companyunder terms of a commission for settlement. When the commission expired in 1636 and theConnecticut Colonywas established, the legislature was established as the "General Corte", consisting of six magistrates along with three-member committees representing each of the three towns. In 1639, theFundamental Orders of Connecticutwere adopted, which changed the spelling to "General Court;" formalized its executive, judicial, and legislative authority; and changed its membership to consist of the governor and six magistrates (each elected for one year terms) and three or four deputies per town (elected for six-month terms). Although the magistrates and deputies sat together, they voted separately and in 1645 it was decreed that a measure had to have the approval of both groups in order to pass. TheCharter of 1662changed the name to the General Assembly, while replacing the six magistrates with twelve assistants and reducing the number of deputies per town to no more than two. In 1698, the General Assembly divided itself into its current bicameral form, with the twelve assistants as the Council and the deputies as the House of Representatives. The modern form of the General Assembly (divided into the upper Senate and lower House and devoid of all executive and judicial authority) was incorporated in the1818 constitution.[1]
Facilities[edit]
Most of the General Assembly's committee and caucus meetings are held in the modern Legislative Office Building (LOB), while the House and Senate sessions are held in theState Capitol.The two buildings are connected via a tunnel known as the "Concourse", which stretches underneath an off-ramp ofInterstate 84.Most offices for legislators and their aides are also housed in the LOB, though some legislative leaders choose to be based in the State Capitol itself.
Each committee has its own office space, with most being located in the LOB. A few committees, particularly select committees, have their offices in the Capitol. Committee chairs and ranking members normally choose to have their personal offices near their committee offices, rather than staying in their caucus areas.
The General Assembly is also provided with facilities such as a cafeteria, private dining room, newsstand, and library.
Committee system[edit]
The General Assembly has 26 committees, all of which are joint committees; that is, their membership includes House and Senate members alike. Several committees havesubcommittees,each with their own chair and special focus.
Before most bills are considered in either the House or Senate, they must first go through the committee system. The primary exception to this rule is theemergency certification bill,or "e-cert," which can be passed on the floor without going through committee first. The e-cert is generally reserved for use during times of crisis, such as natural disasters or when deadlines are approaching too quickly to delay action.
Permanent committees[edit]
Most are permanent committees, which are authorized and required by state statute to be continued each session.
The twenty-six permanent committees of the General Assembly are:
- Aging Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Banks Committee
- Children Committee
- Commerce Committee
- Education Committee(K–12)
- Energy and Technology Committee
- Environment Committee
- Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee
- Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee
- General Law Committee
- Government Administration and Elections Committee
- Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
- Housing Committee
- Human Services Committee
- Insurance and Real Estate Committee
- Internship Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Labor and Public Employees Committee
- Joint Committee on Legislative Management
- Planning and Development Committee
- Public Health Committee
- Public Safety and Security Committee
- Regulation Review Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Veterans' Affairs Committee
Of those, the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee, Internship Committee, Joint Committee on Legislative Management, and Regulation Review Committee are considered bi-partisan and feature leadership from each party.
Select committees[edit]
Some committees are select committees, authorized to only function for a set number of years before being brought up for review. Most select committees deal with issues of major importance during a particular time period and are created in response to specific problems facing the state. As of the 2013 legislative session, there are no active select committees.
Leadership and staff[edit]
Most committee chair positions are held by the ruling party, but committees considered officially bi-partisan have chairs from both the Republican and Democraticcaucuses.Bi-partisan committees are ones that are mostly administrative in nature, such as the Legislative Internship Committee. Most committees haveranking members,or leaders from the minority party who serve as the leaders of their party on each committee.
All committees have their own staff members. The four largest committees (Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary, and Public Health) are led by non-partisan senior committee administrators. The rest are led by a committeeclerkappointed by the majority party. The majority and minority party appoint assistant clerks.
Each committee is assigned additional non-partisan staffers from the Office of Legislative Research, the Office of Fiscal Analysis, and the Legislative Commissioners' Office who, respectively, research legislation and issues, assess fiscal impacts, and draft legislation.
Subpoena power[edit]
The General Assembly hassubpoenapower underConnecticut General Statutes§2-46. Recent decisions by theConnecticut Supreme Court,thestate supreme court,have clarified and limited this power.
§2-46 vests the Connecticut General Assembly with broad subpoena power. The power to compel documents and testimony is vested in thePresident of the Senate,Speaker of the House of Representatives,or either of the chairman of any committee (Connecticut has joint Committees, with a chairman from each house of the General Assembly). Once subpoenaed, a person refusing to comply may be fined between $100 and $1000, andimprisonedfor between one month and one year.
The legislature has the power to subpoena the sittinggovernor of Connecticutin limited circumstances. The Connecticut Supreme Court clarified these circumstances, during theJohn G. Rowlandimpeachmentprocess, inOffice of the Legislature v. The Select Committee On Inquiry,271 Conn. 540 (2004), holding that the legislature can issue subpoenas only in conjunction with its mandate under thestate constitution.Impeachment is a constitutional power of the legislature under Article IX of theConnecticut Constitution,and therefore the legislature can compel the testimony of the governor in conjunction with impeachment proceedings.
The ability of the legislature to subpoenajudgesof thestate courthas also been clarified in court. During the controversy surrounding the retirement of thechief justiceof the Connecticut Supreme Court, William "Taco" Sullivan, the Connecticut General Assembly subpoenaed the testimony of Sullivan, who was still sitting on the Court. Sullivan challenged the subpoena inConnecticut Superior Court.The court ruled, inSullivan v. McDonald(WL 2054052 2006), that the legislature could only subpoena a sitting Justice in an impeachment proceeding. On appeal, the entire Connecticut Supreme Courtrecuseditself, and the argument was made before the judges of theConnecticut Appellate Courtsitting as the Supreme Court. The Judiciary Committee, who issued the subpoenas, argued that they could also issue subpoenas in conjunction with their constitutional confirmation power. Sullivan voluntarily testified before a ruling was issued.
Public participation[edit]
The majority of General Assembly proceedings are open to members of the public. Public hearings are held regularly during the session for residents to be given a chance to testify on pending legislation. Viewing areas are offered in both chambers for people who would like to observe, though the floor of each chamber is generally restricted to legislators, staff members, interns, and certain members of the media collectively known as the Capitol Press Corps. Additionally, theConnecticut Network,or CT-N, broadcasts the majority of each session for viewing on television.
Members of the public are often recognized during legislative proceedings, particularly sessions of the House. Representatives and Senators can call for a "point of personal privilege" when there is no business pending on the floor, which allows them to introduce family members or residents of their districts to the rest of the membership. The entire chamber often recognizes civic and youth groups, particularly championship-winning sports teams. Some residents receive special citations from the membership as well.
See also[edit]
- Connecticut State Capitol
- Connecticut House of Representatives
- Connecticut State Senate
- Connecticut Capitol Police
- List of members of the Connecticut General Assembly from Norwalk
References[edit]
- ^Under the Gold Dome: An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature,by Judge Robert Satter. New Haven: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2004, pp. 16-27.
External links[edit]
Members of theConnecticut State Senate | ||
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