As Connecticut lawmakers open their new session Wednesday, the pandemic that led them to grant the governor emergency powers almost two years ago will still play a significant role.
At the start of the session, public hearings and committee meetings will still be held remotely, due to COVID-19. Democrats, holding the majority, made that decision.
House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) hopes that things will open up more in March: "The building is open, but we're doing 'virtual' for February. I do think that the building... hopefully will be far closer to normal if the positivity rate and hospitalizations continue to drop they way they have."
A critic of remote hearings, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford), hopes changes are made soon, saying, "The virtual world of legislating doesn't work, and so as we begin the session, I would like to begin talking about getting back to 'in-person" in this building, and hopefully by March 1 that can happen."
The pandemic also figures prominently on the docket itself. The legislature will consider whether to extend Gov. Ned Lamont's pandemic-related executive orders beyond Feb. 15, when his emergency powers expire.
The most contentious of the governor's orders involves the statewide school mask mandate, which the governor is hoping to have lawmakers extend through Feb. 28.
The school mask mandate extension is expected to be approved. It's one of eleven executive orders the House will consider on Thursday. Most of those orders would be extended to Apr. 15.
The new legislative session runs through May 4.
