Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Money
    Election 2020
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

This legislature will run on Zoom. But still dress warmly on opening day.

  • Politics
  • by Mark Pazniokas
  • January 5, 2021
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

Last year, protestors at the State Capitol chanted “Open now!” They plan to be back on Wednesday for the opening of the new session.

The Connecticut General Assembly will begin its 2021 session Wednesday outside a state Capitol still closed to the public due to COVID-19. The forecast calls for a high of 40 degrees, winds of up to 15 miles per hour and perhaps 2,000 protesters.

“It could be kind of noisy out there,” said Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven.

Marquee issues like the budget, gambling expansion, a public option for health insurance and the legalization of marijuana will remain off stage as Gov. Ned Lamont and lawmakers mark the start of a session unlike any other.

The Senate plans to convene at 10 a.m. on blacktop on the south side of the Capitol, seated in a socially distanced oval meant to approximate the seating in the Senate, a 36-member body that generally refers to itself as “The Circle.”

The 151-seat House of Representatives will have no seats for its outdoor session. Members will stand on the north side of the Capitol, taking their oath of office from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on a driveway at the top of a rise overlooking Bushnell Park.

Capitol police will maintain a security perimeter around the two outdoor sessions, but they have been told by organizers of three demonstrations to expect 2,000 protesters, Looney said.

One group is protesting the continued COVID restrictions. Another objects to a proposal repealing religious exemptions for school vaccinations. The third is expected to demonstrate in support of President Donald J. Trump on the day when the Congress is scheduled to formally accept the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Lamont will not deliver a State of the State Address to a crowded joint session of the House and Senate, a staple of the first day of every two-year term of the General Assembly. Instead, a video address he recorded Monday will be broadcast.

At least two members of the House currently have COVID-19, and others are in self-quarantine after exposure, a reminder that the need for public-health precautions did not disappear with 2020, said House Speaker-designate Matt Ritter, D-Hartford.

Rep. Jeff Currey, D-East Hartford, who is getting a kidney transplant Tuesday, said he plans on being sworn in Wednesday by Zoom, as is the plan for others in quarantine.

MARK PAZNIOKAS :: CTMIRROR.ORG

Rep. Vincent Candelora, left, will be House minority leader and Rep. Matt Ritter the new speaker.

The outdoor sessions were deemed the safest venue for ceremonies opening the session, swearing in lawmakers and electing Ritter to his first term as speaker and Looney to his fourth as president pro tem.

Both leaders are supporters of legalizing sports betting, other forms of online gambling and the sale of recreational marijuana. The two leaders control what business comes before the House and Senate, but the prospects of gambling expansion and pot legalization are uncertain.

Gambling expansion will require Lamont negotiating a new compact with the state’s two federally recognized tribes, the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans. They hold exclusive rights to casino games in Connecticut.

Looney and Ritter said they are uncertain of the chances of legalizing marijuana. It already is decriminalized but cannot be sold with a prescription for medical uses. If passage is not possible, both leaders say they will seek a referendum on legalization through a constitutional amendment.

Democrats gained seats in November, winning majorities of 97-54 in the House and 24-12 in the Senate. Three senators and 21 House members will begin their first terms Wednesday.

New rules for a different time

The outdoor votes Wednesday will be limited.

The House plans to formally elect Ritter by a voice vote on the driveway, then watch him be sworn in by his father, Thomas D. Ritter, who was speaker for six years in the 1990s.

Ritter said he then expects to deliver the briefest acceptance speech ever offered by a new speaker.

The Senate hopes to elect Looney and adopt its rules by voice votes outdoors.

Lawmaking in 2021 will be a hybrid process, with hearings and committee meetings conducted via Zoom. Lawmakers’ access to the House and Senate chambers during debates and roll call votes on legislation will be limited.

Legislative leaders and staff worked over the holiday weekend — albeit by Zoom and phone — on rewriting the rules for a legislature that still relies on paper. Bills must be signed and filed, and they must be physically present when they are before a chamber for debate.

“I think our staffs did a good job of replacing a quill pen with a computer,” Looney said.

Looney, Ritter and the incoming House minority leader, Rep. Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said in separate telephone interviews Monday they had agreed in principle to the new rules. 

Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, the incoming Senate minority leader, could not be reached. Kelly previously had expressed reservations about the public participation in a session conducted virtually.

The legislature essentially ended its 2020 session in March, when the novel coronavirus was first detected in Connecticut and Lamont invoked sweeping emergency powers that allowed him to restrict social, commercial and academic life.

Brief special sessions in July and September were dress rehearsals for how the General Assembly could conduct a full session during a pandemic. Lawmakers addressed nearly empty chambers during debates; their colleagues watched and listened from offices. 

House members could vote electronically from their offices in the Legislative Office Building. Members of the Senate, which lacks the technology for remote voting, took turns walking into the chamber to cast their votes during roll calls.

Looney said the Senate is considering updating its voting system to allow remote voting from the Legislative Office Building.

While the first months of any session are consumed by committee reviews of legislation, the House and Senate must vote in January on judicial reappointments, including a second eight-year term for Justice Andrew McDonald of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Democrats expected to nominate Rep. Miller for Senate opening

The Senate Democrats will lose one member. Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, was re-elected, but he will not take the oath for a new term. He is resigning to join the Lamont administration as a transportation adviser, requiring a special election in either the last week of February or the first week of March.

Reps. Patricia Billie Miller and Matt Blumenthal, both Democrats of Stamford, each quickly made exploratory phone calls about Leone’s seat.

Blumenthal declined comment Monday night and Miller could not be reached, but sources close to both lawmakers said that Blumenthal intends to yield to Miller, most likely guaranteeing her the Democratic nomination.

In special elections, party nominations are determined by the delegates to the previous nominating convention. There is no avenue to force a primary.

The law passed last year allowing anyone to vote by absentee to avoid exposure to COVID-19 has expired. Ritter said lawmakers are discussing whether the 2020 rule could be re-established by an executive order or a new law.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas Mark is a co-founder of CT Mirror, a frequent contributor to WNPR and a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer and contributor for The New York Times.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Connecticut’s $90M lobbying industry has a new player: former Speaker Joe Aresimowicz
by Mark Pazniokas

Former House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz is becoming a lobbyist, but a revolving-door law limits him for a year.

Spiking tax revenue will wipe out state budget deficit, analysts say
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Projected state revenues skyrocketed by $1.7 billion Friday, positioning officials to balance the next state budget without tax hikes.

Without vocal dissent, Senate confirms Justice Andrew McDonald
by Mark Pazniokas

The state Senate acted quickly Friday to confirm Andrew J. McDonald to a second term on the Supreme Court.

COVID deaths and infections in CT nursing homes decline as more residents are vaccinated
by Dave Altimari

There were 85 deaths in nursing homes and 312 residents infected during the week ending Jan. 12.

Once controversial, Justice Andrew McDonald backed for reappointment to CT’s high court
by Mark Pazniokas

Blocked as chief justice, Andrew J. McDonald is a shoo-in for another term as a Supreme Court justice.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Evidence not clear that Trump incited Capitol destruction
by Alan Calandro

Defending President Donald Trump is not popular and I have no interest in writing this other than adherence to truth. Recognizing the truth (if we can find it, which is not always possible of course) should make us be able to come together around that and move on with a common understanding.

Opinion Securing our nuclear legacy: An open letter to President-elect Joe Biden
by Erik Assadourian

Dear President-elect Biden: As you noted in a tweet shortly after protestors stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.” Indeed it is. And so are nation-states.

Opinion Last votes of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others
by Gary A. Franks

Finally, the election season is over. The historic elections we saw in this cycle were intriguing. The runoff elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia put a cap on the campaign season. For many people this could be described as a COVID-19 election. I would argue that this was an election influenced by a pandemic but determined by the killing of unarmed Black people with no adequate justice for the Black community.

Opinion Not just environmental problem; Killingly plant is a great target
by Joel Gordes

In 1990, I was one of five legislators to introduce the first climate change legislation that became PA 90-219, An Act Considering Climate Change, the most popular bill of that session. Back then I considered climate change a national security issue… and I still do.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO