HARTFORD – Gathered near the North steps of the State Capitol building and socially spaced six feet apart in Hartford’s Bushnell Park under a partially cloudy sky, State Rep. Greg Howard (Stonington & North Stonington) joined his House of Representatives colleagues and took the oath of office to serve Connecticut for the 2021-2022 legislative session.

“I am both honored and excited to represent the towns of Stonington and North Stonington during this critical time in our state and nation’s history,” Rep. Greg Howard (R-43) said. “We are facing challenges due to the pandemic this year, and I am committed to hit the ground running in Hartford to advocate for each of my constituents and their concerns.” 

The outdoor ceremony was deemed necessary due to ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability for members and staff to social distance in the House Chamber. 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, in a virtual setting.  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.

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