The Connecticut General Assembly will reconvene on Jan. 8, 2025, giving lawmakers an opportunity to improve the legislative process. For too long, the state’s residents have watched critical decisions unfold behind closed doors, with last-minute amendments and late-night votes becoming all too common. This behavior doesn’t just undermine the public trust — it alienates Connecticut residents from participating in the government that represents them (i.e., the people of Connecticut deserve a government that works for them, not one that works behind their backs).
While there have been some great advancements — like broadcasting session meetings on CT-N and YouTube, accepting online testimony and using Zoom to make public participation easier — the General Assembly still has work to do to make the process more accessible and transparent to the average resident.
Kill the Rats
One of the worst attacks on democracy in Connecticut comes in the form of “rats.” And no, not the ugly disease spreading rodents — but the last-minute amendments lawmakers sneak into bills when they think no one’s watching.
In 2022, a “rat” was buried deep in the 739-page budget implementer bill on page 689. State statute dictates that school districts are reimbursed for a portion of their construction costs based on wealth, which, at the time, ranged from 10% for affluent towns like Greenwich to 80% for cities like Hartford. However, Cheshire managed to secure a 50% reimbursement rate, up from the 36% they would have received under the state’s formula.
Conveniently, this little favor appeared just in time for Cheshire’s $166 million school modernization referendum vote.
“Rats” have also recently been used to circumvent local zoning control. During the 2023 legislative session, two provisions were buried in the budget and bond bills at the eleventh hour, which overrode local zoning decisions in Stamford and Middlebury despite not having anything to do with the state budget or bonding.
Budget, bonding, and budget implementer bills should stick to their purpose, addressing the state’s finances, and not as a dumping ground for lawmakers’ pet projects that couldn’t pass on their own merits. The budget and bond bills are not intended to be backdoor vehicles for slipping in unrelated items at the eleventh hour. It’s time to put an end to this abuse.
We Shouldn’t Have to Pass Bills to Know What’s in Them
Connecticut residents deserve to know what their lawmakers are voting on, especially when it comes to massive bills that can change the course of state policy like the budget and implementer bills. Yet, all too often, bills with over 100 pages are rushed through the legislature with little time for the public — or even legislators — to read and understand them. This practice undermines transparency and opens the door for backroom deals and “rats,” that benefit special interests at the expense of taxpayers.
The solution is simple: require all bills to be publicly available on the CGA website at least 24 hours before a vote, whether it’s in committee or on the House or Senate floor. This waiting period wouldn’t just give lawmakers and the public a fair chance to review the language and understand its implications — it would also help expose and vet out those sneaky “rats” buried in the fine print.
Stop the Bait and Switch
The Connecticut General Assembly has gotten into the bad habit of introducing bills that provide very little information. These are known as “concept” or “dummy” bills.
These placeholders go through public hearings based on their initial concept, but here’s the catch: once the public has weighed in, lawmakers are free to swap out the language entirely, often replacing it with something completely unrelated.
This past session provided one of the worst examples of this bait-and-switch tactic. The Appropriations Committee introduced a bill titled “An Act Concerning Expenditures of the General Fund,” which charged the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) with reviewing budget appropriations for the biennium ending June 30, 2025.
A public hearing was held on March 13, and not a single person or organization submitted testimony. But on May 3, the House gutted the bill and replaced its content with a provision creating a slush fund for workers who choose to go on strike.
The 2024 legislative session saw an alarming number of concept bills. At least 20 dummy bills were pushed through various committees. The Labor and Public Employees and Planning and Development Committees were particularly egregious, each passing three dummy bills — the most of any committees.
If lawmakers insist on using concept bills, there’s a simple fix: first, solicit public feedback on the concept itself before drafting formal language. Then, wait to hold a public hearing until the final text is available. This approach ensures transparency and keeps the public from being blindsided by legislative bait-and-switch tactics. Anything less is a betrayal of trust and an insult to the democratic process.
What’s the Big Secret?
Transparency is essential to good governance, but Connecticut’s legislative process often leaves voters in the dark about what’s happening. Too often, bills are taken up with little to no warning, making it nearly impossible for the public — or even lawmakers themselves — to keep track.
The House, at least, has a system in place to bring some order to this chaos. Every day, they publish a “go list” (bills that might come up for a vote) and make it available online before the day begins. The Senate, however, chooses to leave the public in the dark.
It’s time for the Senate to follow suit. Publishing a daily list of bills up for debate would give the public a fighting chance to stay informed and hold their lawmakers accountable. If the House can manage it, there’s no excuse for the Senate not to.
Stop Taxing Us While We Sleep
Connecticut lawmakers have a bad habit of cramming important votes into late-night sessions when the public is asleep, and accountability is nowhere to be found. These marathon sessions are filled with last-minute deals and rushed votes leaving the public in the dark about what’s being passed. It’s no coincidence that some of the most controversial provisions find their way into legislation during these hours.
But it’s not just unfair to the public — it’s unfair to lawmakers too. Expecting them to make critical decisions for the state while they’re running on fumes is a recipe for bad policy and careless mistakes. Democracy works best when those in charge are sharp, alert, and capable of doing the people’s business with a clear mind.
There’s a simple solution: impose a hard cutoff on legislative sessions. Each chamber should adjourn by midnight at the latest, reconvening no earlier than 9 a.m., the following day. To ensure clarity and fairness, no bill should be taken up after 11 p.m. It’s time to end the Capitol’s midnight madness and restore a sense of responsibility to the legislative process.
Will Lawmakers Embrace Transparency or Keep in the Shadows
Connecticut’s lawmakers have the perfect opportunity to prove they value transparency and accountability over convenience and secrecy. The reforms outlined here aren’t crazy or radical; they’re basic, common-sense policies that would make the legislative process fairer and more accessible for everyone.
Any reluctance by lawmakers to adopt these changes would speak volumes. If they truly believe in serving their constituents, why would they resist transparency? The truth is, these backroom maneuvers and rushed sessions benefit those who thrive in the shadows — special interests and political insiders — not the hardworking people of Connecticut.
