Rutigliano Takes Oath of Office
HARTFORD- On the north steps of the Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, State Representative David Rutigliano (R-123) joined 150 legislators in the House of Representatives in being sworn in, taking the oath of office in an outdoor ceremony.
January 6, 2021 is considered Opening Day for the legislature as it marks the beginning of the 2021 legislative session that will conclude on June 9, 2021.
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 cast votes regarding the formal rules of the session and to handle other duties.
Rep. Rutigliano who was sworn in as state representative for the 123rd General Assembly District, which solely includes the town of Trumbull indicated that rebuilding the state’s economy post-covid and getting everyone back to work while also working to assist unemployed residents and hurting businesses will all be his top priorities.
“After a year working together as a Trumbull community battling Covid, public service has an even greater importance to me as we move into the new year,” said Rep. Rutigliano. Let do our best as state legislators to rebuild our state’s economy safely, while ensuring we do no further harm to struggling workers and their families.”
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.