Connecticut General Assembly
The Office of the House Clerk
CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Connecticut General Assembly
The Office of the House Clerk
CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Connecticut General Assembly
House Clerk's Office
CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
 

HOUSE CLERK'S OFFICE STAFF

The Office of the House Clerk is the administrative arm of the House of Representatives and provides support with all aspects of the legislative process during session in the Connecticut House of Representatives. Our office is charged with the publication of the Journals, Calendars, Bulletins, Bill Indices and other documents of the General Assembly. The Office of the Clerk processes all bills and resolutions while providing support to the leadership of the House. Our commitment to tradition keeps the history of the Connecticut House alive. We recognize our glorious past and oversee a bright future.

 CODE OF ETHICS
The Purposes of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries is to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of American State Legislatures, and thereby protect the freedoms of our people. To Further these objectives, certain ethical principles shall govern the conduct of every member of the Society who shall:
  1. Be dedicated to the concepts of effective and democratic state government by responsible elected officials and believe that professional general management of legislatures is essential to the achievement of these objectives.
  2. Affirm the dignity and worth of the services rendered by the legislature and maintain a constructive, creative and practical attitude toward legislative affairs and a deep sense of social responsibility as a trusted public servant.
  3. Dedicate oneself to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships in a way that merits the respect and confidence of the legislators and legislative leaders and of the public which one serves.
  4. Be instilled with a deep sense of pride in the knowledge of the privilege to be a part of a great social experiment in the governing of man.
  5. Make every effort to improve the professional knowledge of administration and parliamentary procedure and the competence of subordinates.
  6. Serve every member of the legislature, regardless of party with dignity and respect.
  7. Be aware of the obligation to the constituency of legislators and provide them with the mechanisms enabling them to feel that legislators do care.
  8. Keep the legislature informed on legislative affairs, encourage communication between citizens and legislators, emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public and seek to improve the quality and image of the legislature.
  9. Resist interfering with legislation, avoid lobbying and abstain from taking any gift or anything of value to influence legislation or legislators or the purchase of supplies or the hiring or promotion of personnel.
  10. Resist any encroachment on responsibilities, believing one should be free to carry out administrative policies without interference.
  11. Avoid personal aggrandizement or profit secured by confidential information or by misuse of public time.
  12. Handle all matters of personnel on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern decisions pertaining to appointments, pay, promotions and discipline.
 CODE OF ETHICS
The Purposes of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries is to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of American State Legislatures, and thereby protect the freedoms of our people. To Further these objectives, certain ethical principles shall govern the conduct of every member of the Society who shall:
  1. Be dedicated to the concepts of effective and democratic state government by responsible elected officials and believe that professional general management of legislatures is essential to the achievement of these objectives.
  2. Affirm the dignity and worth of the services rendered by the legislature and maintain a constructive, creative and practical attitude toward legislative affairs and a deep sense of social responsibility as a trusted public servant.
  3. Dedicate oneself to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships in a way that merits the respect and confidence of the legislators and legislative leaders and of the public which one serves.
  4. Be instilled with a deep sense of pride in the knowledge of the privilege to be a part of a great social experiment in the governing of man.
  5. Make every effort to improve the professional knowledge of administration and parliamentary procedure and the competence of subordinates.
  6. Serve every member of the legislature, regardless of party with dignity and respect.
  7. Be aware of the obligation to the constituency of legislators and provide them with the mechanisms enabling them to feel that legislators do care.
  8. Keep the legislature informed on legislative affairs, encourage communication between citizens and legislators, emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public and seek to improve the quality and image of the legislature.
  9. Resist interfering with legislation, avoid lobbying and abstain from taking any gift or anything of value to influence legislation or legislators or the purchase of supplies or the hiring or promotion of personnel.
  10. Resist any encroachment on responsibilities, believing one should be free to carry out administrative policies without interference.
  11. Avoid personal aggrandizement or profit secured by confidential information or by misuse of public time.
  12. Handle all matters of personnel on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern decisions pertaining to appointments, pay, promotions and discipline.
HOUSE CLERK
Frederick Jortner - Current Position Since 2017
Duties of the House Clerk

The members elect the Clerk of the House and an Assistant Clerk is appointed by resolution. It is the duty of the Clerk to: (a) keep adequate records of the proceedings of the House; (b) read all bills, resolutions and other instruments presented for action; (c) maintain a Journal and a daily Calendar enumerating accurate records of all transactions between the House and Senate; (d) prepare and distribute to members a thorough record of the action on all bills and resolutions; (e) supervise the distribution of the Journal, Bulletin and Calendar, and (f) sign bills upon engrossment.

PERMANENT ASSISTANT CLERK
Ann M. Clark - Current Position Since 1993
Duties of the Permanent Assistant Clerk

The Permanent Assistant Clerk is responsible for the daily management of the House Clerk's Office and insures the proper processing of legislation according to statute and rule. Coordinates, on behalf of leadership, the support operations of the House with service to 151 Members. Works closely with leadership in a wide range of parliamentary matters, requiring political sensitivity, an ability to work under pressure with advanced interpersonal skills. Provides training to incoming Speakers, Deputy Speakers, Deputy Majority Leaders and Committee Chairpersons concerning parliamentary procedures and language of motions used on the House floor when presiding over the Chamber or "bringing out" legislation. Responsible for assisting the Speaker and Senior Aides to the Speaker with planning and preparing annual "Opening Day" agenda. Acts as advisor to legislators, staff, caucus attorneys and committee clerks concerning legislative parliamentary and procedural guidelines. Acts as chief Chamber administrator in the House of Representatives. Advises Speaker, Majority Leader and Minority Leader, as well as Deputies and Counsel, during the Regular Session activities concerning procedure and the status of legislation. Assist with the orientation of freshman legislators, after each election cycle, in conjunction with other core office directors. Provides parliamentary and procedural guidance to visiting dignitaries and guests of the House of Representatives. Coordinates the work of the Bill Room, Messengers, Information Room and Legislative Bulletin Room. Plans, organizes, manages and supervises the full-time permanent staff and session-only staff of the Clerk's Office. Coordinates and oversees the preparation of the daily and permanent records of the House of Representatives. Verifies the accuracy of the transcribed proceedings of Committees as well as the House of Representatives. Supervises the operation of the House voting, sound and lighting systems. Directs the Legislative Information Office. Ensures statutory, constitutional and legislative rules are followed. Functions as Clerk for all technical sessions and Regular Sessions when the Clerk is unavailable. Coordinates record keeping and maintains all official records. Represents the Clerk's Office at all formal and informal educational, training, service/contract related and ceremonial gatherings where the duties of the Clerk's Office and legislative procedure require explanation.

ASSISTANT CLERK
Charles R. Augur - Current Position Since 2013
Duties of the Assistant Clerk

The members elect the Clerk of the House and an Assistant Clerk is appointed by resolution. It is the duty of the Clerk to: (a) keep adequate records of the proceedings of the House; (b) read all bills, resolutions and other instruments presented for action; (c) maintain a Journal and a daily Calendar enumerating accurate records of all transactions between the House and Senate; (d) prepare and distribute to members a thorough record of the action on all bills and resolutions; (e) supervise the distribution of the Journal, Bulletin and Calendar, and (f) sign bills upon engrossment.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III
S. Reed Stamler - Current Position Since 2021
Duties of the Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant in the House of Representatives is responsible for handling specialized legislative tasks involving highly complex administrative duties. Serves as lead staff member in the following areas of House Clerks' operations: Performs initial processing of bills/resolutions for first reading - including database entry and committee referral; Compiles and prepares the daily publication of the House List of Bills; Responsible for stamping, reviewing and recording bills/resolutions after floor action - in preparation for transmittal to the Governor, State Senate and Committees; Processes filed amendments and maintains the House amendments database; Supervises the digital recording of all Regular and Technical Sessions; and catalogs, tracks and distributes House transcripts. Duties also include assisting with the maintenance of the House Calendar during regular sessions of the House; as well as coordinating the work of lower level staff.

BILL CLERK
John N. Barry - Current Position Since 1996
Duties of the Bill Clerk

The Bill Clerk is the author of the Legislative Record Index, an annual publication that provides comprehensive data of bill and resolution history, introducer index, subject index, Public and Special acts and List of Bills approved from the Regular Session, Veto Session and Special Sessions. Responsibilities include the daily recording and posting of all actions relating to legislative proceedings; assisting in the House of Representatives floor operations; presiding over the procedure by which legislation, amendments, and other legislative terms are entered into the legislative indices; correspondence and help desk services to Representatives, Senators, agencies and the public.

CALENDAR CLERK
Peter M. Murszewski - Current Position Since 2021
Duties of the Calendar Clerk

The Calendar Clerk is responsible for preparing the daily House Calendar. Duties require examination of all bills and resolutions received from committees and legislative attorneys, posting committee action, stamping and processing bills and resolutions, promptly inputting legislation received for the Calendar into the computer for all users within the legislative information network, maintaining up-to-date computer records of actions and transmitting bills. Duties also include assisting with proofreading and checking of the House Journal, assisting the Clerk and Assistant Clerks during regular and technical sessions - requiring the ability to assist in numerous floor functions, and serving as a liaison to the Legislative Commissioners' Office - in conjunction with the transmittal of bills and resolutions.

JOURNAL CLERK
Gary Berner - Current Position Since 2022
Duties of the Journal Clerk

The Journal Clerk is responsible for acquiring, compiling, originating, assembling and editing, in a chronological format, all floor actions of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Process requires complete knowledge and interpretation of legislative actions mandated by the rules. The Journal must be produced with the highest degree of accuracy, judgement, interpretation and appropriate legislative language. Once the Legislature has adjourned the Regular Session, the Journal Clerk combines the daily entries to produce a permanent version, which becomes the official record. The permanent Journal is once again re-edited, re-printed, paginated and proofed extensively. After the document has been re-edited by the Journal Clerk and the Permanent Assistant Clerk, it is then produced as the official record of the Legislative Session for that year. Veto Sessions and all special sessions are handled in the same manner.

STAFF
June Lyons
Brandon McCall

State Government

U.S. Senators

CT Congress

Washington, D.C.

Links of Interest

  • © 2024 Connecticut General Assembly
  • Suite 109 | State Capitol | Hartford, CT 06106‑1591 | (860) 240‑0400
  • Suite 109 | State Capitol | Hartford, CT 06106‑1591 | (860) 240‑0400
  • © 2024 Connecticut General Assembly