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Connecticut General Assembly
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The Connecticut General Assembly (or CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member lower Connecticut House of Representatives and the 36-member upper Connecticut Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford.
During even-numbered years, the General Assembly is in session from February to May. In odd-numbered years, when the state budget is completed, session lasts from January to June. The governor has the right to call for a special session after the end of the regular session, while the General Assembly can call for a "veto session" after the close in order to override gubernatorial vetoes.
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.
ers of the General Assembly, regardless of chamber, serve two-year terms; there are no term limits imposed on them.
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Encyclopedia
The Connecticut General Assembly (or CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member lower Connecticut House of Representatives and the 36-member upper Connecticut Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford.
During even-numbered years, the General Assembly is in session from February to May. In odd-numbered years, when the state budget is completed, session lasts from January to June. The governor has the right to call for a special session after the end of the regular session, while the General Assembly can call for a "veto session" after the close in order to override gubernatorial vetoes.
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.
Membership
Members of the General Assembly, regardless of chamber, serve two-year terms; there are no term limits imposed on them. The 2009-2011 House is made up of 36 Republicans and 114 Democrats (with one seat vacant with a Special Election expected in February), while the 2009-20o11 Senate has 12 Republicans and 24 Democrats.
As with most New England state legislatures, the Connecticut General Assembly is traditionally a moderate body. Most urban and suburban areas are represented by Democrats, while many rural or more affluent areas have Republican representation. Among state legislatures, the Connecticut General Assembly is known for its good working and personal relationships between the two parties.
Political scientists consider the General Assembly to be a part-time, professionally-run state legislature. Most legislators have jobs aside from their political positions, and aside from leadership, few are present at the Capitol Monday through Friday. Legislators with more time to offer are generally placed on "A" committees, which meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while others are assigned to "B" committees that meet only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All legislators are expected to be present for "session," or days when their chambers are in session, regardless of committee assignments.
Although it is a part-time body, the legislature is known for having some of the best support services among state legislatures, including its large staff, Legislative Commissioners' Office (which helps with the writing of bills), Office of Legislative Research, Office of Fiscal Analysis, and other services available.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is Democrat Rep. Christopher Donovan of Meriden and the President Pro Tempore is Sen. Donald E. Williams, Jr. of Brooklyn. The Speaker or one of his deputies officiates over all House proceedings, while the lieutenant governor, currently Republican Michael Fedele of Stamford, presides over the Senate.
Legislation is introduced before each chamber by the majority or minority leader. Traditionally, the majority and minority leaders represent urban or large suburban areas, just as the Speaker of the House is usually from a city. In the current House, the majority leader is Democrat Denise Merrill of Mansfield; the minority leader is Republican Lawrence F. Cafero, Jr. of Norwalk. In the Senate, the majority leader is Democrat Martin Looney of New Haven and the minority leader is John McKinney of Fairfield.
Facilities
Most of the General Assembly's committee and caucus meetings are held in the modern Legislative Office Building (or LOB), while the House and Senate sessions are held in the State Capitol. The two buildings are connected via an underground tunnel known as the "Concourse," which stretches underneath an off-ramp of Interstate 84. Most offices for legislators and their aides are also housed in the LOB, though some legislative leaders choose to be based out of 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
The General Assembly has 27 committees, all of which are joint committees; that is, their membership includes House and Senate members alike. Several committees have subcommittees, 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 the emergency 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
Most are permanent committees, which are authorized and required by state statute to be continued each session.
The twenty-three permanent committees of the General Assembly are:
- Appropriations Committee
- Banks 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
- Program Review and Investigations Committee
- Public Health Committee
- Public Safety and Security Committee
- Regulation Review Committee
- Transportation Committee
Of those, the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee, Internship Committee, Joint Committee on Legislative Management, Program Review and Investigations Committee, and Regulation Review Committee are considered bi-partisan and feature leadership from each party.
Select committees
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 import during a particular time period and are created in response to specific problems facing the state.
The four select committees of the General Assembly are:
- Select Committee on Aging
- Select Committee on Children
- Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Leadership and staff
Most committee chair positions are held by the ruling party, but committees considered officially bi-partisan have chairs from both the Republican and Democratic caucuses. Bi-partisan committees are ones that are mostly administrative in nature, such as the Legislative Internship Committee and the Legislative Management Committee. Most committees have ranking 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. Most are led by a committee clerk and two assistant clerks. The committee clerk and one of the assistants are appointed by the majority party, while the minority party appoints the additional assistant. The exception to this rule is the Appropriations Committee, the legislature's second-largest behind the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding committee. The Appropriations Committee hires a non-partisan senior committee administrator, who outranks the clerk and works equally with both parties.
Unlike the majority-controlled committees, non-partisan committees only hire non-partisan staff. Most of these staff members are researchers and analysts who deal with specific issues throughout the session.
Each committee is assigned staffers from the Office of Legislative Research, the Office of Fiscal Analysis, and the Legislative Commissioners' Office. These staffers specialize in various areas of research and legislation that pertain to the committee's mission. For example, the Transportation Committee has researchers who specialize in the state's mass transit plan and car taxes.
Subpoena power
The General Assembly has subpoena power under Connecticut General Statutes §2-46. Recent decisions by the Connecticut Supreme Court, the state 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 the President 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, and imprisoned for between one month and one year.
The legislature has the power to subpoena the sitting governor of Connecticut in limited circumstances. The Connecticut Supreme Court clarified these circumstances, during the John Rowland impeachment, in Office 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 the state constitution. Impeachment is a constitutional power of the legislature under Article IX of the Connecticut Constitution, and therefore the legislature can compel the testimony of the governor in conjunction with impeachment proceedings.
The ability of the legislature to subpoena judges of the state court has also been clarified in court. During the controversy surrounding the retirement of the chief justice of 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 in Connecticut Superior Court. The court ruled, in Sullivan v. McDonald (WL 2054052 2006), that the legislature could only subpoena a sitting Justice in an impeachment proceeding. On appeal, the entire Connecticut Supreme Court recused itself, and the argument was made before the judges of the Connecticut Court of Appeals sitting 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
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, the Connecticut 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
External links
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