Understanding The Legislative Process: Ct Bills To Laws

Bills can be proposed by individual members of the legislature or by committees, and the legislators who propose a bill are known as its sponsors. In Connecticut, ideas for bills often come from lawmakers and constituents. Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to the clerk of the House of the sponsoring legislator for numbering, and the bill title, number and sponsors are printed in the House and Senate Journals. The bill is then sent to the appropriate joint standing committee of the General Assembly, depending on its subject matter.

Proposing a bill: Proposed by individual members of the legislature, committees, or citizens

In Connecticut, ideas for bills often come from lawmakers and constituents. Bills can be proposed by individual members of the legislature, committees, or citizens. The legislators who propose a bill are called its "sponsors", and other legislators can "sign on" to a bill as co-sponsors to show their support. Bills can only be proposed early in the session. Advocates can ask members to sponsor a bill and even offer legislative language for the bill.

Committees can also propose or "raise" bills. Often, one or more legislators' bills are converted into a committee bill. There are 26 legislative committees that consider bills, and each committee has dedicated staff to manage the work. Each committee has four leaders: a Senate and House Co-Chair, and a Senate and House Ranking Member.

Advocates should meet with all four leaders of the relevant committee to discuss their bill, make their case, and ask for their support. If the leaders have concerns, advocates can try to accommodate their issues with new language. The Co-Chairs, and sometimes Ranking Members with assistance from staff, meet in private to decide, or "screen", all the bills referred and raised by the committee. In these meetings, they decide which bills will receive a public hearing.

Committee staff conduct the public hearings, generally in the middle of the session. The leaders then decide in private which bills to schedule for a committee vote. Bills scheduled for a vote are put on the agenda of a committee meeting. At the meeting, members can ask questions of the legislator who sponsored the bill. Sometimes the bill's language is changed or "substituted" at the meeting. The public does not have an opportunity to speak at Committee meetings but can watch. Advocates can offer a committee member "substitute language" for the bill to clarify or address concerns.

Committee assignment: Sent to relevant committee for research, discussion, and changes

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. In Connecticut, the bill is sent to the appropriate joint standing committee of the General Assembly, depending on the bill's subject matter. There are 26 legislative committees that consider bills, and each committee has dedicated staff to manage the work. The committees can also propose or "raise" bills, and they often convert one or more legislators' bills into a committee bill.

The committee may have the bill drafted in legal language, combine it with other bills, refer it to another committee, or take no action, in which case the bill fails. The committee may also write a new raised" committee bill. The committee holds public hearings for the public, state agency representatives, and legislators on all bills it wishes to consider. The committee may then report the bill favourably, defeat it, or issue no report. Bills requiring action by another committee are referred to that specific committee, for example, a bill requiring expenditure is referred to the Appropriations Committee.

The Co-Chairs, and sometimes Ranking Members with assistance from staff, meet in private to decide, or "screen", all the bills referred and raised by the committee. In those meetings, they decide which bills will receive a public hearing. Committee staff conduct the public hearings, generally in the middle of the session. The leaders then decide in private which bills to schedule for a committee vote. Bills scheduled for a vote are put on the agenda of a committee meeting. At the meeting, members have an opportunity to ask questions of the legislator who sponsored the bill. Sometimes the bill's language is changed or "substituted" at the meeting. The public does not have an opportunity to speak in Committee meetings but can watch. Advocates can offer a committee member "substitute language" for the bill to clarify or address concerns.

Committee vote: Committee votes on amendments and the full bill

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may have the bill drafted in legal language, combine it with other bills, refer it to another committee, or take no action, in which case the bill fails. The committee may also write a new "raised" committee bill.

The committee holds public hearings for the public, state agency representatives, and legislators on the bills it wishes to consider. The committee may then report the bill favourably, defeat it, or issue no report. Bills requiring action by another committee are referred to that specific committee. For example, a bill requiring expenditure would be referred to the Appropriations Committee.

The committee then votes on any proposed amendments or "substitute language" and then on the full bill, as amended. Committee members have the opportunity to ask questions of the legislator who sponsored the bill. Sometimes the bill's language is changed or "substituted" at the meeting. The public cannot speak at committee meetings but can watch. Advocates can offer a committee member "substitute language" to clarify or address concerns.

Experienced advocates will have contacted all committee members before the committee meeting and counted the votes. Members are often on more than one committee or have outside commitments, so votes are typically left open until the end of the day. The vote tally is published online.

The next step for a bill is to receive a Joint Favorable (JF) report written by committee staff. The report includes the vote tally and a summary of supporting and opposing testimony. Other legislators often read the JF report on a bill to determine if they will vote for it when it comes to the full House or Senate.

House and Senate vote: Bill must pass both chambers in the same form

For a bill to become a law in Connecticut, it must pass both the House and the Senate in the same form. This is the penultimate step in the process of a bill becoming a law.

Once a bill has been introduced and assigned to a committee, it will be researched, discussed, and amended. It will then be put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it will go to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies have voted to accept the bill, they must work together to resolve any discrepancies between the two versions.

After this, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is sent to the governor for approval. The governor can choose to sign the bill, veto it, or take no action. If the governor vetoes the bill, it will be returned to the house in which it originated. Both houses can then vote to override the veto, and if they pass the bill again, it becomes a law.

The House and the Senate have different procedures for lawmaking. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. Conversely, only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. While the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate before voting.

Governor's approval: Governor can sign, veto, or take no action on the bill

Once a bill has passed both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the governor for approval. The governor has three options: they can sign the bill, veto it, or take no action. If the governor chooses to sign the bill, it becomes law. However, if they veto the bill, it will be returned to the house in which it originated and can be reconsidered by both houses. The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in each house, in which case the bill becomes law.

If the governor takes no action on the bill, there are different scenarios that can play out depending on whether the legislature is still in session or has adjourned. If the governor does not sign off on a bill and the legislature is still in session, the bill will become law after five days. On the other hand, if the legislature is no longer in session and the governor does not sign the bill within fifteen days after adjournment, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is known as a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by the legislature.

The governor's decision to sign, veto, or take no action on a bill can be influenced by various factors, such as the popularity of the bill among constituents, the potential impact of the bill on the state, and the governor's own political beliefs and priorities. In some cases, the governor may also choose to compromise or negotiate with the legislature to address any concerns or amendments before making a final decision.

The process of a bill becoming a law in Connecticut involves multiple steps, including the introduction of the bill, committee consideration, passage by the House and Senate, and finally, the governor's approval. The governor's role in this process is crucial, as they have the power to shape the state's legal landscape by deciding which bills become laws.

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