Posted on January 6, 2021
HARTFORD – On Wednesday, January 6th, State Representative Tami Zawistowski (R-61) took the oath of office for her fourth term as State Representative for the 61st District which includes the towns of Suffield, East Granby, and part of Windsor. To accommodate social distancing, the ceremony was held outdoors on the north steps of the Capitol under partially cloudy skies.
“I’m eager to begin the legislative session,” said Rep. Zawistowski. “The General Assembly needs to reassert its position as the state’s law-making authority, and make sure that people’s voices are heard.”
Rep. Zawistowski was appointed Policy Co-Chairman for the House Republican Caucus. Additionally, she will continue to serve as a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Planning & Development Committee, and the Transportation Committee.
“My legislative priorities for 2021 are to ensure vaccine access for everyone who wants it, supporting economic recovery initiatives, and making our state more affordable,” commented Rep. Zawistowski. “Our district has been hit hard by the downturn in the aerospace and hospitality sectors. We need to make sure that businesses and workers can survive and grow in the future.”
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 the state budget, revenue and financial matters, as well as committee bills or resolutions, and those matters certified to be of an emergency nature.