Blog
Caucus Leadership
With November around the corner and all eyes on the general election, one topic that is already gaining more attention is the issue of party leadership. Party leadership includes the Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate and majority and minority...
Regulations
In this blog series so far, we have talked a lot about the various aspects of the legislative process. In this article we will focus on the regulation process. When the legislature passes legislation, it is the executive branch agencies and departments that implement...
Bill Referrals
The Connecticut General Assembly has twenty-five permeant legislative committees. When a legislator proposes a bill, it is submitted to a committee that has responsibility for the proposed bill’s subject matter. This is called referring the bill to the “committee of...
House and Senate Calendars
Many people will tell you that as difficult as it is to get a bill introduced, it is equally difficult to get a bill called on the floor in either chamber. The House and the Senate have separate calendars and different ways of developing their daily items that are...
The Citizens’ Election Program
The Connecticut General Assembly established the Citizens’ Election Program(CEP) during an October Special Session in 2005 (Public Act 05-5/Chapter 157 C.G.S.). The CEP was used for the first time by candidates during the 2008 election cycle. The fund provides...
Quorum
We often here a question of quorum in meetings and in other legislative votes, but what does it truly mean and what happens if you don’t meet the threshold? The joint session rules identify a quorum as a majority of members. A quorum is sometimes called into question...
Committee Deadlines
When the next General Assembly convenes in January their first order of business will be adoption of the joint rules. The rules remain in effect for the duration of the biennium and can have an enormous impact on the process. The joint rules establish the committees,...
The Veto Process
At the conclusion of every session most people ponder how the Governor will respond to the most controversial proposals. So what exactly can the Governor do and does the General Assembly have any power after the fact? Upon passage of a bill the Chamber may elect to...
The State Budget Process
When the legislature reconvenes in January for the 2019 legislative session, a new General Assembly and a new Gubernatorial Administration will have to craft and implement a new biennial state budget. This overview will explain the legislature’s constitutional...