The 2020 General Assembly is now in session and scheduled to end May 6. Blink, and you’ll miss it.
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The 2020 General Assembly is now in session and scheduled to end May 6. Blink, and you’ll miss it.
But, you say to yourself, that’s more than three months — plenty of time to do the people’s business. Except it’s actually not a lot of time.
The legislative process is, by design, slow, deliberative and laborious. In these so-called “short session” years, longer six-month sessions get condensed into three months. That means deadlines for committees to vote on bills are on you before you know it. In addition, the number of days each chamber has to come into session to debate and vote on bills is drastically reduced.
Why is this the case?
Our legislature is theoretically a part-time, citizens’ body. Most of the protocols and schedules that guide our legislative process were developed many years ago, back when we were an agrarian society. The issues those legislatures dealt with weren’t nearly as complex as the issues they deal with today.
And for sure, the issues in even-numbered years are no less complex than the issues that arise in odd-numbered years, when sessions last six months.
Think about the high-profile issues this legislature is set to contend with this year: transportation and tolls, recreational marijuana, the expansion of gaming and the cost of health care. And there are plenty others.
It’s as if it takes six months to build a house, but this year you only have three months to do it.
So, what impact does a short session have on the policymaking process?
First, it means that many of the issues — including some or all of the complex ones — will fall by the wayside because there just won’t be enough time to deal with them.
Second, it means that some issues that should get the benefit of going through the entire legislative process — including committee meetings and public hearings — will instead be introduced at the eleventh hour, in amendment form, late in the session. That means the public won’t have time to weigh in, and many legislators won’t get the benefit of hearing expert testimony — and a chance to ask questions of those experts — in committee.
Some people say we should keep the schedule the way it is, because even-numbered years are also election years for legislators. I don’t buy that argument, because most legislative campaigns don’t get going in earnest until early summer.
The reality is, being a legislator has been a full-time job for a long time. Asking people to do a full-time job in six months is hard enough; asking them to do it in three months is just plain silly.
And while we’re at it, kudos to state Sen. Norm Needleman (D-Essex). Last month Needleman said he’s going to use this session to push for legislators to get a pay raise.
Good, they deserve it. They haven’t had one in almost 20 years, and it’s long overdue. I advocated for the same thing in a column I wrote last year.
Bottom line: We ask a lot of our legislators as individuals.
We ask them to “fix” our economy, improve our schools, control the cost of health care, protect our privacy in an increasingly scary world, take care of the tens of thousands of people who depend on government for assistance, and protect our civil and human rights. And more.
We ask a lot so we should give them time to do their jobs.
Roy Occhiogrosso is the managing director of Global Strategy Group in Hartford, a public relations and research firm. He also served as a senior advisor to former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
