Connecticut State Senate | |
---|---|
Connecticut General Assembly | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 4, 2023 |
Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 36 |
Political groups | Majority Minority |
Length of term | 2 years |
Authority | Article III, Section 1, Connecticut Constitution |
Salary | $40,000/year |
Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 (36 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (36 seats) |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
State Senate Chamber Connecticut State Capitol Hartford, Connecticut | |
Website | |
Official Senate Page |
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits. The Connecticut State Senate is one of 14 state legislative upper houses whose members serve two-year terms; four-year terms are more common.
As in other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate is reserved with special functions such as confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to the state's executive departments, the state cabinet, commissions and boards. Unlike a majority of U.S. state legislatures, both the Connecticut House of Representatives and the State Senate vote on the composition to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
The Senate meets within the State Capitol in Hartford.
The Senate has its basis in the earliest incarnation of the General Assembly, the "General Corte" established in 1636 whose membership was divided between at least six generally elected magistrates (the predecessor of the Senate) and three-member "committees" representing each of the towns of the Connecticut Colony (the predecessors of the House of Representatives). The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, adopted in 1639, renamed the committees to "deputies", the Corte to the Court, and established that the magistrates were generally elected for yearlong terms; the magistrate who received the highest number of votes would serve as governor for the year, so long as he had previously served as a magistrate and had not been governor the previous year. Other magistrates were elected deputy governor, secretary, and treasurer. Although the magistrates and deputies sat together, they voted separately and in 1645 it was decreed that a measure had to have the approval of both groups in order to pass. The Charter of 1662 replaced the six magistrates with twelve assistants, not including the governor and deputy governor, and renamed the legislature to the General Assembly. In 1698, the General Assembly split into a bicameral body, divided between the Council and the House of Representatives. The Council contained the twelve assistants, deputy governor, and governor, who led the body, while the House was led by a Speaker elected from among its members. Because the governor led it and other notables sat in it, the Council took precedence to the House and when the two chambers were at odds, the House deferred to the council.[ citation needed ] The 1818 constitution renamed the council to the Senate, [1] removed the governor and deputy governor from its membership, and removed all remaining judicial and executive authority from it, but it remained largely the same in that it still consisted of twelve generally elected members. It was in 1828 that senatorial districts were established and the number of senators revised to between eight and twenty-four; the number was altered to between twenty-four and thirty-six in 1901, with the General Assembly setting it at thirty-six immediately. Senatorial terms were raised to two years in 1875. [2]
In 1814–15, the Hartford Convention met in the Connecticut Senate chamber of what is now the Old State House.
The Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In the absence of the lieutenant governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut Senate presides. The President pro tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President pro tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The Senate majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.
The President of the Senate is Susan Bysiewicz of the Democratic Party. The President pro tempore is Democrat Martin Looney (D-New Haven). The Majority Leader is Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and the Minority Leader is Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield).
Position | Senator | District | |
---|---|---|---|
Lieutenant Governor | Susan Bysiewicz | — | |
President Pro Tempore | Martin Looney | 11 | |
Majority Leader | Bob Duff | 25 | |
Minority Leader | Stephen Harding | 30 |
As of January 2023, the makeup of the Connecticut Senate consisted of 24 seats for Democrats and 12 seats for Republicans. In the 2022 elections, Democrats picked up District 20, giving them 24 seats to the Republicans' 12 seats.
↓ | ||
24 | 12 | |
Democratic | Republican |
Affiliation | Party | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
End of Previous Legislature: 2021–2023 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 0 |
Start of Current Legislature: 2023–2025 | 24 | 12 | 36 | 0 |
Latest Voting Share | 66.7% | 33.3% | 100% |
Current members of the Connecticut Senate, as of January 4, 2023.
District | Name [3] | Party | Hometown | First elected | Towns represented | Occupation | Leadership Role |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Fonfara | Dem | Hartford | 1996 | Hartford (part), Wethersfield (part) | Marketing Consultant | |
2 | Douglas McCrory | Dem | Bloomfield | 2017 ^ | Bloomfield (part), Hartford (part), Windsor (part) | Educator | |
3 | Saud Anwar | Dem | South Windsor | 2019 ^ | East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington (part), South Windsor | Physician | |
4 | MD Rahman | Dem | Manchester | 2022 | Andover, Bolton, Glastonbury, Manchester | Business Owner | |
5 | Derek Slap | Dem | West Hartford | 2019 ^ | Bloomfield (part), Burlington, Farmington (part), West Hartford | College Professor | |
6 | Rick Lopes | Dem | New Britain | 2020 | Berlin, Farmington (part), New Britain | Business Owner | |
7 | John Kissel | Rep | Enfield | 1993 ^ | East Granby, Ellington (part), Enfield, Granby (part), Somers, Suffield, Windsor (part), Windsor Locks | Corporate Attorney | |
8 | Lisa Seminara | Rep | Avon | 2022 | Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby (part), Hartland, Harwinton (part), New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury, Torrington (part) | Social Worker | |
9 | Matt Lesser | Dem | Middletown | 2018 | Cromwell, Middletown (part), Newington, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield (part) | Former State Representative | |
10 | Gary Winfield | Dem | New Haven | 2014 ^ | New Haven (part), West Haven (part) | Photographer, Business Owner | |
11 | Martin Looney | Dem | New Haven | 1993 | Hamden (part), New Haven (part) | Attorney | President Pro-Tempore |
12 | Christine Cohen | Dem | Guilford | 2018 | Branford, Durham (part), East Haven (part), Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, Middlefield (part), North Branford (part) | Business Owner | |
13 | Jan Hochadel | Dem | Meriden | 2022 | Cheshire (part), Meriden, Middlefield (part), Middletown (part) | Union President | |
14 | James Maroney | Dem | Milford | 2018 | Milford, Orange, West Haven (part), Woodbridge (part) | Retired Attorney | |
15 | Joan Hartley | Dem | Waterbury | 2000 | Middlebury (part), Naugatuck (part), Waterbury (part) | Teacher | |
16 | Rob Sampson | Rep | Wolcott | 2018 | Cheshire (part), Prospect, Southington, Waterbury (part), Wolcott | Realtor | |
17 | Jorge Cabrera | Dem | Hamden | 2020 | Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden (part), Naugatuck (part), Woodbridge (part) | Union Organizer | |
18 | Heather Somers | Rep | Groton | 2016 | Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington, Voluntown | Business Executive | |
19 | Cathy Osten | Dem | Sprague | 2012 | Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville (part), Norwich, Sprague | Corrections Officer | |
20 | Martha Marx | Dem | New London | 2022 | Bozrah, East Lyme, Montville (part), New London, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Salem, Waterford | Nurse | |
21 | Kevin Kelly | Rep | Stratford | 2010 | Monroe (part), Seymour (part), Shelton, Stratford (part) | Attorney | |
22 | Marilyn Moore | Dem | Bridgeport | 2014 | Bridgeport (part), Monroe (part), Trumbull | Community Organizer | |
23 | Herron Gaston | Dem | Bridgeport | 2022 | Bridgeport (part), Stratford (part) | Pastor | |
24 | Julie Kushner | Dem | Danbury | 2018 | Danbury, New Fairfield (part), Ridgefield (part) | Community Organizer | |
25 | Bob Duff | Dem | Norwalk | 2000 | Darien (part), Norwalk | Realtor | Majority Leader |
26 | Ceci Maher | Dem | Wilton | 2022 | Darien (part), New Canaan (part), Stamford (part), Redding, Ridgefield (part), Weston (part), Westport, Wilton | Social Worker | |
27 | Patricia Billie Miller | Dem | Stamford | 2021 ^ | Darien (part), Stamford (part) | ||
28 | Tony Hwang | Rep | Fairfield | 2014 | Bethel (part), Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, | Realtor | |
29 | Mae Flexer | Dem | Windham | 2014 | Brooklyn, Canterbury, Killingly, Mansfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson (part), Windham | Nonprofit Organizer | |
30 | Stephen Harding | Rep | Brookfield | 2022 | Bethlehem (part), Brookfield (part), Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Fairfield (part), New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Torrington (part), Warren, Washington (part), Winchester | Attorney | Minority Leader |
31 | Henri Martin | Rep | Bristol | 2014 | Bristol, Harwinton (part), Plainville, Plymouth, Thomaston | Real Estate Business Owner | |
32 | Eric Berthel | Rep | Watertown | 2017 ^ | Bethel (part), Bethlehem (part), Bridgewater, Brookfield (part), Middlebury (part), Oxford, Roxbury, Seymour (part), Southbury, Washington (part), Watertown, Woodbury | Strategic Outreach | |
33 | Norman Needleman | Dem | Essex | 2018 | Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Portland, Westbrook | First Selectman | |
34 | Paul Cicarella | Rep | North Haven | 2020 | Durham (part), East Haven (part), North Branford (part), North Haven, Wallingford | Private Investigator | |
35 | Jeff Gordon | Rep | Woodstock | 2022 | Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington (part), Hampton,Stafford, Thompson (part), Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, Woodstock | Physician | |
36 | Ryan Fazio | Rep | Greenwich | 2021 ^ | Greenwich, New Canaan (part), Stamford (part) | Greenwich Representative Town Meeting Member |
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The General Assembly is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the 150-member Vermont House of Representatives and the 30-member Vermont Senate. Members of the House are elected by single and two-member districts. 68 districts choose one member, and 41 choose two, with the term of service being two years. The Senate includes 30 Senators, elected by seven single-member and nine multi-member districts with two or three members each. It is the only state legislative body in the United States in which a third party has had continuous representation and been consecutively elected alongside Democrats and Republicans.
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, they compose the state legislature of the state of Texas.
The Georgia state Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia.
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico.
The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. The House convenes within the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford.
The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia.
The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. According to the 2010 U.S. census, the average state senator represents 129,676 people.
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. Senators are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit to the number of terms that a senator may serve.
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Connecticut:
The One Hundred Twentieth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1993 and 1994. In this General Assembly, the Ohio Senate was controlled by the Republicans and the Ohio House of Representatives was controlled by the Democrats. In the Senate, there were 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats. In the House, there were 52 Democrats and 47 Republicans. It was the first General Assembly to use redistricted legislative districts from the 1990 United States Census.
The One Hundred Nineteenth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1991 and 1992. In this General Assembly, the Ohio Senate was controlled by the Republicans, consisting of 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats. The Ohio House of Representatives was controlled by the Democrats, with 62 Democrats and 37 Republicans.
The One Hundred Seventeenth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1987 and 1988. In this General Assembly, the Ohio Senate was controlled by the Republican Party and the Ohio House of Representatives was controlled by the Democratic Party. In the Senate, there were 18 Republicans and 15 Democrats. In the House, there were 61 Democrats and 38 Republicans.
The One Hundred Fifteenth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1983 and 1984. In this General Assembly, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were controlled by the Democratic Party. In the Senate, there were 17 Democrats and 16 Republicans. In the House, there were 62 Democrats and 37 Republicans. It was the first General Assembly to use redistricted legislative districts from the 1980 United States Census.
The One Hundred Thirteenth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in the years 1979 and 1980. In this General Assembly, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were controlled by the Democratic Party. In the Senate, there were 18 Democrats and 15 Republicans. In the House, there were 66 Democrats and 33 Republicans.
The One Hundred Eleventh Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1975 and 1976. In this General Assembly, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were controlled by the Democratic Party. In the Senate, there were 21 Democrats and 12 Republicans. In the House, there were 61 Democrats and 38 Republicans.
The One Hundred Eighth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1969 and 1970. In this General Assembly, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were controlled by the Republican Party. In the Senate, there were 21 Republicans and 12 Democrats. In the House, there were 63 Republicans and 36 Democrats. It was the second General Assembly to use districts drawn after the 1966 apportionment.
The One Hundred Ninth Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 1971 and 1972. In this General Assembly, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were controlled by the Republican Party. In the Senate, there were 20 Republicans and 13 Democrats. In the House, there were 54 Republicans and 45 Democrats. It was the last General Assembly to use districts drawn after the 1966 apportionment.