CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

THIS IS YOUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2006

Connecticut’s state legislature is the General Assembly. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In accordance with the Constitution adopted in 1965, senators and representatives are elected for two‑year terms from single-member districts of substantially equal population. The House and Senate meet at the State Capitol in Hartford. General Assembly committees meet and hold hearings in the adjoining Legislative Office Building.

SESSIONS

REGULAR SESSIONS:

Odd-numbered years: Odd‑numbered years: Sessions begin on the Wednesday following the first Monday in January and adjourn not later than Wednesday following the first Monday in June. The 2005 session ran from January 5 to June 8.

Even-numbered years: Sessions begin on the Wednesday following the first Monday in February and adjourn not later than Wednesday following the first Monday in May. Even‑year sessions are limited to budgetary, revenue, and financial matters; bills and resolutions raised by General Assembly committees; and matters the speaker of the House of Representatives and president pro tempore of the Senate certify in writing as emergencies.  The 2006 session runs from February 8 to May 3.

SPECIAL SESSIONS: The governor or a majority of the members of each house may call a special session of the General Assembly.

VETO OR "TRAILER" SESSION:   If the governor vetoes any bills after a regular or special session ends, the secretary of the state calls a legislative session for the sole purpose of considering whether to override the veto.

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MEMBERSHIP

THE SENATE: The Senate has 36 members. (The Constitution provides for a Senate of between 30 and 50 members.)  Its political party composition is 24 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

THE HOUSE: The House has 151 members. (The Constitution provides for a House of Representatives of between 125 and 225 members.) Its political party composition is 99 Democrats, 52 Republicans.

TERM OF OFFICE: Two years.

ELECTED: In November of even-numbered years.

ANNUAL SALARY: $28,000 plus $5,500 expenses for senators and $4,500 for representatives, plus a 44.5˘ per-mile travel allowance.

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MAJORITY AND MINORITY LEADERS

Majority and minority leaders preside over party caucuses, direct party strategy, assemble party members for important votes, serve as party spokesmen, and are ex‑officio members of all committees.

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ORGANIZATIONS AND PROCEDURES

At the beginning of each session, the Senate and House adopt separate rules for conducting business and joint rules governing committees and procedures for introducing and reporting bills. The General Assembly holds joint conventions to inaugurate the governor and other state officials; receive the governor's state of the state, budget, and adjournment messages; and conduct other necessary business.

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COMMITTEES

All committees of the General Assembly are joint committees composed of both senators and representatives.  For 2006, there are 27 committees, 25 of which examine and screen bills and resolutions. Three committees (Internship, Program Review and Investigations, and Regulation Review) have equal numbers of members from each political party and special responsibilities. Select Committees consider particular issues and must report legislation to standing committees rather than directly to the House or Senate. Committees function regardless of whether the General Assembly is in session. Most occupy offices and use hearing rooms in the Legislative Office Building (LOB). The committees, their chairmen, and office locations are:

COMMITTEES

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SESSIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE

After February 11, 2006, the following “A” committees may meet only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: Education, Environment, Government Administration and Elections, Judiciary, Planning and Development, Public Health, and Transportation. The following “B” committees may meet only on Tuesdays and Thursdays: Banks, Commerce, Energy and Technology, General Law, Higher Education and Employment Advancement, Human Services, Insurance and Real Estate, Labor and Public Employees, Public Safety and Security, and the Select Committees on Aging, Children, Housing, and Veterans’ Affairs. The Appropriations; Finance, Revenue and Bonding; Executive and Legislative Nominations; Program Review and Investigations; Regulation Review; and Legislative Management committees may meet on any weekday. The Judiciary Committee may meet on any weekday after March 13, 2006. The speaker and president pro tempore or their designees may grant special exceptions to these rules. Committees may meet on any day during the interim after the 2006 regular session.

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HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

INTRODUCTION

Proposed Bills

Before the session opens, and for a limited time after opening day, General Assembly members may file proposed bills and resolutions in the house to which they were elected. Pro­posals may reflect legislators' special concerns or be introduced at the request of constituents, organizations, execu­tive department heads, or other government agencies. Proposed bills are not written in full statutory language but instead state their purpose briefly in plain language. Bills drafted in formal statutory language may be introduced only by com­mittees or by the leaders of the governor’s party in the General Assembly at the governor’s request.

Types of Legislation

Most bills, if passed, become public acts, which are laws of general application codified in the Connecticut General Statutes. Bills dealing with individual towns, cor­porations, special districts, or that impose requirements for a limited time become special acts.

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COMMITTEE ACTION

Bill Drafts and Hearings

Each committee considers the proposed bills referred to it and orders full drafts of those it decides merit further consideration. Committees can also decide to hold “subject matter hearings” on proposed bills without having them fully drafted. A committee may also "raise"  bills on subjects within its jurisdiction for public hearing. Committee bills (those based on proposed bills) and raised bills are drafted by attorneys in the Legislative Commissioners' Office (LCO) and returned to the committee for consideration. The committee holds hearings to give the public an opportunity to express views on bills. Legislators and state agency officials are allowed to testify during the hour be­fore a public hearing. Members who get signatures from a specified number of House or Senate members can petition a committee to draft a proposed bill and schedule it for a public hearing in cases where a committee has chosen not to do so.

Committee Reports

After the committee has considered a bill, it may (1) issue no report, in which case the bill fails; (2) issue an unfavorable report; or (3) issue a joint favorable (JF) report. When a committee votes to report a bill or resolution favorably, it is submitted to LCO, which has 10 days to check it for constitutionality, general accuracy, and consistency with existing statutes and to correct references and phraseology.   LCO then refers the bill to the offices of Legislative Research and Fiscal Analysis, which have five days to prepare, respectively, a plain-language explanation of its legal effect (“bill analysis”) and a statement of its fiscal impact (“fiscal note”).  LCO must transmit the bill, bill analysis, and fiscal note (together called a “file) to the house of origin within 15 calendar days after first receiving it, unless the speaker and the president pro tempore grant an extension.

Referrals

Frequently, bills must receive favorable reports from two or more committees before they are ready for action by the House and Senate. For example, bills requiring appropriations must be referred to the Appropriations Committee; those with penalties to the Judiciary Committee; those affecting revenues, taxes, bonds, and fees to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee; and those changing state government organization to the Government Administration and Elections Committee. If the committee of origin does not refer a bill directly to another committee with some jurisdiction over its subject, the full House or Senate may do so.

Bills Not Acted On in Committee

If a committee does not JF a bill, it may nevertheless be required to report it out by (1) the speaker and the president pro tempore certifying the need for action (emergency certification) or (2) a majority of the members of the house where the bill originated petitioning the committee for a report and filing the petition with the clerk within a specified time. Petitioned bills are considered unfavorable reports unless the committee receiving the petition meets to vote to JF it.

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SENATE AND HOUSE ACTION

Files and Calendars

Each favorably reported bill, with its bill analysis and fiscal note, receives a file number and is placed on the calendar in its house of origin in the order that the clerks receive it from LCO.

If the bill is not expected to be controversial, the majority and minority leaders may place it on the consent calendar. Bills on the consent calendar can be passed as a group without discussion.  Any member may object to any consent calendar bill and ask for it to be transferred to the regular calendar for a full debate and separate vote at the proper time.

General Debate and Voting

General debate and action on a bill is in order on the third day after the bill has been printed for the files and on the calendar for two session days. In general, a simple majority of those present can pass a bill or adopt an amendment. But the law requires a super-majority to pass a constitutional amendment, a plan to redistrict the General Assembly, a constitutional convention bill, a bill to exceed or amend the definition of the state’s constitutional spending cap, or to reject an arbitration award resolving a state employee contract impasse.  Final votes to pass or reject a bill must be taken by roll call. Members' votes are printed in the daily House and Senate journals.

Members may offer amendments before the final vote. The chamber must adopt amendments either by voice or roll call votes before acting on the bill. In the House, a roll‑call vote on an amendment can be ordered by one‑fifth of the members present. In the Senate, one senator can ask for a roll call vote. Except during the last three days of the regular session, a bill receiving a favorable vote in the chamber where it originated must be held for one session day for possible reconsideration. If the bill is not reconsidered, it is sent to the other house and placed on the calendar there. The rule requiring bills to be held for one day after passage is commonly suspended for immediate transmittal to the other house.

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GOVERNOR'S ACTION; EFFECTIVE DATES

After a bill passes both houses, it is sent to the governor. A bill becomes law when the governor signs it. If the governor fails to act within five days if the General Assembly is in session, or within 15 days if it has adjourned, the bill becomes law without the governor’s signature. When the governor vetoes a bill, it is returned with objections to its original house. A two‑thirds vote of the members of each house is required to override a veto.

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CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

A resolution to amend the constitution may be ready for voter approval in a single legislative session if approved by three‑fourths of the members of each house. If it is approved by at least a majority but less than three‑fourths, it must receive a majority vote in the session following the next election in order to be placed on the ballot. A proposed amendment is subject to approval by the voters at the next even‑year general election after General Assembly approval.

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HOW TO READ A BILL

When a bill is introduced, it is given a number by which it is identified throughout the session. Senate bills are numbered from 1 through 5,000. House bills are numbered from 5,001 through 9,999. A bill reported to the House or Senate floor is also given file and calendar numbers.  Amendments have unique “LCO numbers” and letter designations (such as House “A” or Senate “B”).

A bill contains the name of the sponsor(s), a brief but comprehensive title (which may be changed if amendments alter its sub­stance), the sections of proposed legislation, an effective date, and a brief explanation of its purpose.

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LEGISLATIVE TOOLS

Data Retrieval Service – Computers can provide the current status of bills. The computer service can locate a bill by number, subject, or sponsor. Com­puters are located in the Information Room in the Capitol basement (Vault 5) and in the State Library's legislative reference section. The Connecticut General Assembly also welcomes you to visit the State of Connecticut Legislative Internet home page WWW.CGA.CT.GOV  which provides the same information.

Legislative Publications ‑ Available at Bill and Document Room in the LOB, Room 1400 and online:

Proposed Bills, Resolutions, Joint Resolutions ‑ Also avail­able from Senators and Representatives.

Bulletin ‑ List of committees and dates and places for hearings and meetings. Issued daily during legislative sessions.

Connecticut Legislative Guide – Roll; committees; staff; and rules, regulations and guidelines of General Assembly.

Legislative Record Index ‑ Post‑session compilation show­ing history of bills and resolutions.

Senate and House Calendars ‑ List of committee reports, bills, and resolutions ready for action. Issued on legislative days.

Senate and House Journals ‑ Summary of floor action during pre­vious legislative day. Issued on legislative days.

Committee Action List – Summary of committee actions on bills.

Bill List – List of bills introduced for a first reading and referred to committees each day.

2000-01 LEGISLATIVE TIMETABLE

DEADLINES FOR COMMITTEE REPORTS
FAVORABLY AND UNFAVORABLY REPORTED BILLS

ELECTED OFFICIALS - 2005-2006

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

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VISITORS' INFORMATION

Legislative sessions are held at the Capitol Building in Hartford. The public gallery of the House may be reached by stairways from the 3rd floor; the Senate galleries open onto the 4th floor. Committee meeting and public hearing rooms are located in the adjoining Legislative Office Building. Limited parking is available in the LOB garage off Broad St. and Capitol Avenue. Additional parking information can be found on the website www.cga.ct.gov.

Capitol Information and Tours, operated by  the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Education Fund, Inc. is in two locations:  Room 101 in the Capitol and first floor, west entrance of the Legislative Office Building.  Free one-hour guided tours are available.  They can be reached at (860) 240-0222.

A Legislative Information Center, operated by the House Clerk's Office, is located in the Capitol basement, Vault 5. It may be reached by calling (860) 240-0555.

The Connecticut State Library has a bill information retrieval service with the status of current bills, and historical and governmental reference materials, for both legislators and the general public. Contact:

Reference Librarian
State Library,
231 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

or telephone:

Bill Status Information: (860) 757-6550
Legislative Reference Service: (860) 757-6590

Prepared by:

JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT  06106-1591

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