State Legislatures Vs State Legislatures

One thing that must be realized when trying to understand Connecticut’s legislature, and the legislatures of other states as well, is that they are not all the same. There are of course similarities among legislatures, however, as stated in State Legislatures Today: Politics under the Domes “although legislative houses share some notable organizational similarities, they each have distinctive features. Thus, state legislatures are not smaller or simpler versions of Congress or copies of each other” (Squire, Moncrief, and Hernnson 2009, Kindle Locations 2547-2548). Every state has something that makes its legislature unique. In discussing its history and comparing its legislature to those of other states it will be clear what makes Connecticut’s

Through its history Connecticut slowly adopted its current legislative system which started with the Fundamental Orders in 1639 and ending with what is currently in place. Connecticut’s history begins in 1633 along the Connecticut River where Reverend Thomas Hooker and his settlers decided to settle. These settlers brought with them the Congregational church and was governed by the Massachusetts Bay Commission, which expired in 1636 (Satter 2009). The expiration of the Massachusetts Bay Commission led to Connecticut’s Fundamental Orders. Judge Robert Satter and other historians (Satter 2009, 16) believe that “the Fundamental orders of 1639 not only created the first structure of government in Connecticut but were also the first written constitution anywhere”. Some major points that the Fundamental Orders laid out were; “it secured legislative, executive and judicial powers in a single body under General Corte; created the structure of a representative government; and allowed the governing authority the right to enact, administrate and adjudicate laws” (Satter 2009). The 1662 Charter followed the Fundamental Orders, which became

According to State Legislatures today “although the basic procedure and purpose of the process of passing a bill is roughly comparable in all states, each legislature has some quirks or oddities that have developed over time and make its process at least a little distinctive” (Squire, Moncrief, and Hernnson 2009, Kindle Locations 3340-3342) Connecticut is no exception to this. While there are differences amongst the states in a bills process there are some basics to bills that are true throughout all states. There has to be a beginning in the bill process and that beginning is at the bills conception. There needs to be some reason for improvement from which the bill is born. In order for the bill to even be introduced it has to have a sponsor. A sponsor is a legislator, or multiple legislators, who are responsible for the bill throughout its journey. Only a legislator can introduce a bill. After the bills introduction there are certain steps the bill must go through, starting with a general assembly committee and ending with the governor taking action, which will determine whether the bill will become a law or have to start the process again. One thing that makes Connecticut’s bill procedures different is the strict deadline in which a bill must be filed. Unlike other states who have an