Out of an abundance of caution amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, legislators have shifted their activity out of the State Capitol and onto Zoom. With the pandemic still having everyday impacts on modern life, moving hearings from crowded rooms to online meetings is a necessary step to preserve public health.
However, despite this shift, members of the public are still encouraged to participate and follow this year’s session. Public comment sessions will take place over Zoom and committee hearings will be broadcast digitally statewide. To follow this year’s legislative session, whether you have your eyes on specific legislation or are following the proceedings in various committees, here are resources that will help you:
Connecticut Network
On cable television and at www.ct-n.com, the Connecticut Network has carried public access to legislative sessions, meetings, hearings and more and has continued to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. With as many as five live feeds available digitally and on-demand access for anyone needing to find a statement or meeting they missed, CT-N allows for extensive public access – on January 12 alone, the service hosted at least half a dozen committee hearings for on-demand access.
The Connecticut General Assembly Website
The General Assembly’s website, cga.ct.gov, contains both daily snapshots of what committees and hearings are happening on any given day and detailed information about all of the legislation filed for consideration this session. On just the main page, you can see daily records which include lists of bills filed, passed and to be considered on given days; a schedule of events, which contains direct links to Zoom and Youtube livestreams and agendas for the day’s work for every committee meeting on a given day; features allowing you to follow certain bills and issues you’re interested in from their introduction to their potential acceptance; and further information regarding everything from how bills become law to how to testify at a public hearing. With just a few clicks, you can follow any committee, commission or piece of legislation through the entire legislative session.