How the Connecticut General Assembly Works

Connecticut's laws, taxes and state budget all pass through one body: the General Assembly. Here is how it is built, when it meets and how an idea becomes law, based on the legislature's own materials.

Who Sits in the General Assembly

According to the General Assembly's FAQ page, the legislature has 151 members in the House of Representatives and 36 in the Senate. Members are elected in November of even-numbered years and serve two-year terms. The legislature is considered part-time. Its home is the State Capitol in Hartford, while most committee hearings are held next door in the Legislative Office Building.

When It Meets

The State Register and Manual explains that annual sessions have been the rule since 1971. The schedule depends on the year:

Odd-numbered years: the session convenes on the Wednesday after the first Monday in January and must adjourn by the first Wednesday after the first Monday in June.
Even-numbered years: the session convenes on the Wednesday after the first Monday in February and must adjourn by the first Wednesday after the first Monday in May.

In practice that means roughly January to June in odd years and February to May in even years. The 2026 session, for example, opened February 4 and was scheduled to end May 6, according to the CT Mirror's legislative guide. Special sessions can also be called.

How a Bill Becomes Law

The legislature's House Clerk's overview lays out the path:

Proposal. Ideas can come from lawmakers or the public. A bill is numbered and sent to the joint standing committee that covers its subject.
Committee. Connecticut uses joint committees made up of both House and Senate members. A committee may hold a public hearing, then report the bill favorably, defeat it or take no action, in which case it dies. Anyone may testify at a hearing.
Review. The Legislative Commissioners' Office checks a bill for constitutionality and consistency with existing law. The nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates its cost, and the Office of Legislative Research adds a plain-English summary.
Floor votes. A bill that is voted favorably out of committee goes on the Calendar, and after three days there it can be voted on. The chamber that passes it sends it to the other chamber. If the second chamber amends it, it returns to the first for agreement. If the two cannot agree, a conference committee can try to reach a compromise.
Governor. A bill passed by both chambers goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it or take no action.

A bill that does not pass before the session's constitutional adjournment is dead, and it must start over the following year, as CT Mirror notes. Legislative leaders can also bypass the committee stage by "emergency certification," which lets a bill go straight to a floor vote.

The Governor's Veto

Under Article IV, Section 15 of the Connecticut Constitution, a bill becomes law if the governor signs it, or if the governor takes no action within five days (Sundays and legal holidays excepted) while the legislature is in session. If the legislature has adjourned, the governor has 15 calendar days from presentation.

A vetoed bill returns to the chamber where it began. It becomes law anyway if each chamber repasses it by at least a two-thirds vote of its members, with roll-call votes recorded.

The Budget Cycle

Connecticut's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The state budgets in two-year cycles, the Office of Fiscal Analysis says, and the process generally runs like this:

Fall before the session: state agencies send requests to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), which prepares a proposal for the governor.
February: the governor presents a budget. In odd-numbered years, that is a two-year budget and bond package. In even-numbered years, the legislature may, but does not have to, adjust the second year of the existing budget.
February to May: the Appropriations Committee handles spending, and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee handles taxes, fees and borrowing. The two committees develop their own proposals.
Final deal: negotiations between legislative leaders and the governor's office lead to a package that both chambers vote on. According to CT Mirror, a budget that stays within the state spending cap needs a simple majority, while exceeding the cap takes 60 percent in each chamber and the governor's consent.
July 1: the new fiscal year begins. OPM then controls agency spending through quarterly allotments.

Following Along

Bills, votes, hearing schedules and fiscal notes are all searchable on the General Assembly website, and sessions and hearings can be watched on CT-N.