Posted on January 8, 2021
HARTFORD – On Wednesday, January 6th, State Representative Mark Anderson (R-62) took the oath of office beginning his first term as State Representative for the 62nd District, which includes the towns of Barkhamsted, Granby, Hartland, and New Hartford. To accommodate social distancing, the ceremony was held outdoors on the north steps of the Capitol under partially cloudy skies.
“It’s an incredible honor to serve the people of our district,” said Rep. Anderson. “Our state is facing a number of challenges as we manage the pandemic response and economic recovery. I look forward to working with my new colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advocate for positive changes that will promote economic growth and individual liberty.”
Rep. Anderson was appointed to the Commerce Committee, the Labor & Public Employees Committee, and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“I look forward to working on legislation in these important committees. Serving on the Commerce Committee and Labor Committee will put me in a strong position to advocate for employees and employers alike,” commented Rep. Anderson.
Following the swearing in, legislators moved inside to their individual legislative offices to participate in online meetings and votes regarding the formal rules of the session and to handle other duties.
This session, when the General Assembly meets it will be, by most appearances, virtually. This means that committee hearings, floor votes, town halls, and office hours will be mostly conducted through Zoom, with lawmakers observing social distancing.
Today’s ceremony kicked off the start of the legislature’s “long session” which runs from January 6 through June 9. Connecticut’s legislature is part-time, with regular sessions held from January to June in odd-numbered years, and from February to May in even-numbered years. The “long session” is used to establish a state budget and introduce bills of a general nature. In the even-year “short session” the legislature can only consider bills directly related to state budget, revenue and financial matters, as well as committee bills or resolutions, and those matters certified to be of an emergency nature.