59-609: Minority The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly , the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut . The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits . The Connecticut State Senate is one of 14 state legislative upper houses whose members serve two-year terms; four-year terms are more common. As in other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and
118-604: A primary . During the primary campaign she charged her opponent opposed Megan's Law and was soft on sex offenders. She won both the nomination, and, in the general election in November, the office itself. She won re-election in 2002, but in 2005, while serving, she announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the gubernatorial election of 2006 . She withdrew from that race in September 2005, and on November 7, 2006, won
177-813: A Legislative Council prior to joining Canada , as did Ontario when it was Upper Canada and Quebec from 1791 (as Lower Canada ) to 1968. Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature, having abolished its lower house in 1934, while the Senate of Nebraska , the upper house prior to 1934, continues to assemble. The Australian state of Queensland also once had an appointed Legislative Council before abolishing it in 1922. All other Australian states continue to have bicameral systems, though all members are now directly elected (the two self-governing territories, along with Norfolk Island until 2016, have always been unicameral). Like Queensland,
236-517: A bill requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortion. On April 3, 2018, she announced her intention to run for Governor of Connecticut. In early May Bysiewicz received the endorsement of the Democratic PAC EMILY's List . Despite the access to a national donor's network and assistance on social media and other platforms that the PAC provided, Bysciewicz dropped out of the governor's race
295-506: A database of all the registered companies in the State of Connecticut. In 2006-07, she implemented new voting technology including adoption of the optical scan machine and a vote-by-phone procedure so that Connecticut voters with disabilities are able to vote securely and independently. She advocated with success at the legislature for the passage of a constitutional amendment that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries . On February 7, 2010,
354-405: A local Connecticut NPR radio program, who complained that she had improperly announced a winner. Bysiewicz argued that she had made it clear the results were "unofficial", and that she was merely "sharing information"; she promised to send Foley any information he required upon his request. She had planned to announce the official winner of the election on Friday, November 5, after receiving all of
413-410: A lower house) is described as unicameral . An upper house is usually different from the lower house in at least one of the following respects (though they vary among jurisdictions): Powers: Status: In parliamentary systems the upper house is frequently seen as an advisory or a "house of review" chamber; for this reason, its powers of direct action are often reduced in some way. Some or all of
472-504: A new lower house that no longer wishes to proceed with the bill. Nevertheless, some states have long retained powerful upper houses. For example, the consent of the upper house to legislation may be necessary (though, as noted above, this seldom extends to budgetary measures). Constitutional arrangements of states with powerful upper houses usually include a means to resolve situations where the two houses are at odds with each other. In recent times, parliamentary systems have tended to weaken
531-491: A number of observers questioned her legal qualification to hold the post, citing a state statute that requires the attorney general to have spent ten years in "active practice" of law. Bysiewicz claimed that her years managing the Secretary of the State's office should be applied against this requirement. She sought an opinion from the current attorney general, Richard Blumenthal on the issue. Blumenthal responded that he believed
590-574: A position which is known as "perfect bicameralism" or "equal bicameralism." The role of a revising chamber is to scrutinise legislation that may have been drafted over-hastily in the lower house and to suggest amendments that the lower house may nevertheless reject if it wishes to. An example is the British House of Lords . Under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 , the House of Lords can no longer prevent
649-438: A third term (running through 2010) as Secretary of the State. In her time as the chief elections officer and business registrar of the state, she has made technology a focus of her administration. Bysiewicz developed Connecticut's first electronic filing system for voter registration to prevent fraud and encourage registration. She also instituted an electronic business searching system called CONCORD that allows users to search
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#1732855548334708-667: Is Susan Bysiewicz of the Democratic Party . The President pro tempore is Democrat Martin Looney (D- New Haven ). The Majority Leader is Bob Duff (D- Norwalk ) and the Minority Leader is Stephen Harding (R- Brookfield ). As of January 2023, the makeup of the Connecticut Senate consisted of 24 seats for Democrats and 12 seats for Republicans . In the 2022 elections, Democrats picked up District 20, giving them 24 seats to
767-573: The Hartford Courant reported that Attorney General Blumenthal was investigating whether Bysiewicz violated the law by using e-mail addresses obtained by her office in their official duties for campaign use—soliciting campaign support and donations. In September, both Blumenthal and Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane concluded that she had not broken the law, and that no charges were warranted. On January 27, 2009, Bysiewicz made public her intention to seek
826-480: The 2012 election to replace the retiring Joe Lieberman but lost the Democratic primary to U.S. Representative Chris Murphy , who went on to win the general election. In 2018, Bysiewicz filed papers to run for governor of Connecticut but withdrew shortly before the Democratic Convention, in order to run for lieutenant governor as Ned Lamont 's running mate. She was nominated for lieutenant governor during
885-507: The German state of Bavaria had an appointed second chamber, the Senate of Bavaria , from 1946 to 1999. The Senate of the Philippines was abolished – and restored – twice: from 1935 to 1945 when a unicameral National Assembly convened, and from 1972 to 1987 when Congress was closed, and later a new constitution was approved instituting a unicameral Parliament. The Senate was re-instituted with
944-452: The Hartford firm of Robinson & Cole, L.L.C. where she practiced for four years, and then joined the legal department of Aetna where she was employed from 1992 to 1994. After the redistricting that followed the 1990 Federal Census, she decided to run in the newly redrawn Connecticut's 100th Assembly District, and defeated Republican Joseph Milardo by a margin of 61–39%. She was a part of
1003-513: The President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut Senate presides. The President pro tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President pro tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The Senate majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses. The President of the Senate
1062-624: The Rajya Sabha in India are nominated by various states and union territories, while 12 of them are nominated by the President of India. Similarly, at the state level, one-third of the members of the State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) are nominated by local governments, one-third by sitting legislators, and the rest are elected by select members of the electorate. The United States Senate
1121-638: The Senate of Canada are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. In the past, some upper houses had seats that were entirely hereditary, such as in the British House of Lords until 1999 and in the Japanese House of Peers until it was abolished in 1947. It is also common that the upper house consists of delegates chosen by state governments or local officials. Members of
1180-696: The State Capitol in Hartford . The Senate has its basis in the earliest incarnation of the General Assembly, the "General Corte" established in 1636 whose membership was divided between at least six generally elected magistrates (the predecessor of the Senate) and three-member "committees" representing each of the towns of the Connecticut Colony (the predecessors of the House of Representatives). The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut , adopted in 1639, renamed
1239-465: The 288 deputy and special deputy sheriffs working, the Program Review and Investigations Committee found just two Republicans. In 1998, Bysiewicz sought the Democratic nomination for Secretary of the State . At the state Democratic Convention, she lost the party's endorsement for the nomination, to Representative Ellen Scalettar, but won enough delegates' votes to qualify to run for the nomination in
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#17328555483341298-464: The Council and the House of Representatives. The Council contained the twelve assistants, deputy governor, and governor, who led the body, while the House was led by a Speaker elected from among its members. Because the governor led it and other notables sat in it, the Council took precedence to the House and when the two chambers were at odds, the House deferred to the council. The 1818 constitution renamed
1357-655: The Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut in the 2010 election . That February, Quinnipiac University conducted a poll in which they asked: "If the Democratic primary for governor were being held today and the candidates were Dannel Malloy , Susan Bysiewicz and Jim Amann, for whom would you vote?" Of the Democrats who responded, 44% said they would vote for Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, 12% said they would vote for Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and 4% said they would vote for James Amann, former Speaker of
1416-518: The General Assembly setting it at thirty-six immediately. Senatorial terms were raised to two years in 1875. In 1814–15, the Hartford Convention met in the Connecticut Senate chamber of what is now the Old State House . The Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In the absence of the lieutenant governor,
1475-579: The House. In a poll conducted by the Susan Bysiewicz gubernatorial exploratory committee in October 2009, support for incumbent governor Jodi Rell fell to 47% in a head-to-head contest with Susan Bysiewicz, who received 41% of the respondents' vote. When asked how they would vote if the election was held between Rell and Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, poll respondents said they would vote 52% for Rell and 31% for Malloy. In Bridgeport alone, those taking part in
1534-719: The Labour Government of 1999 tried to expel all hereditary peers from the Lords, the Lords threatened to wreck the Government's entire legislative agenda and to block every bill which was sent to the chamber. This standoff led to negotiations between Viscount Cranborne, the then Shadow Leader of the House, and the Labour Government, resulting in the Weatherill Amendment to the House of Lords Act 1999 , which preserved 92 hereditary peers in
1593-515: The Republicans' 12 seats. Current members of the Connecticut Senate, as of January 4, 2023. Rep Upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature , the other chamber being the lower house . The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted power than the lower house. A legislature composed of only one house (and which therefore has neither an upper house nor
1652-420: The U.S. Senate seat which had been held by Joe Lieberman , who retired at the end of that term. Her campaign was endorsed by numerous elected officials as well as the political action committee EMILY's List . Bysiewicz was subsequently defeated by US Representative Chris Murphy , who defeated Republican Linda McMahon in the general election. Two years later, Bysiewicz returned to private practice, joining
1711-463: The abolition, while the centrist Fianna Fáil was alone among major parties in supporting the retention of the Seanad. Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz ( / ˈ b aɪ z ə w ɪ t s / BYE -zə-wits ; born September 29, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut since 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of
1770-453: The ballot shortages in Bridgeport for the confusion; despite her role as Chief Elections Officer she denied bearing any responsibility for the ballot shortages. Bysiewicz said she had directed local officials to order enough ballots but had not monitored Bridgeport officials to ensure the directive was followed, as she had no legal authority to do so. Bysiewicz answered Tom Foley directly, on
1829-418: The ballots, noted that other communities ran out of ballots. She disputed the widely quoted figure of 21,000 ordered ballots, but didn't provide an alternative number. Ayala said, "We base the number of ballots we order on prior elections. The Republican and Democratic registrars agreed on that number.". Bysiewicz cited these counting delays—including a bag of uncounted ballots found after Election Day —caused by
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1888-503: The committees to "deputies", the Corte to the Court, and established that the magistrates were generally elected for yearlong terms; the magistrate who received the highest number of votes would serve as governor for the year, so long as he had previously served as a magistrate and had not been governor the previous year. Other magistrates were elected deputy governor, secretary, and treasurer. Although
1947-471: The conduct of the election in Bridgeport, where local officials ordered an inadequate number of ballots to meet turnout. President Obama had paid a last minute visit to the City of Bridgeport, and introduced Dannel Malloy , and the resulting increase in ballot requirements took the local election board by surprise. Bridgeport Democratic Registrar of Voters Santa Ayala, one of two officials responsible for ordering
2006-455: The council to the Senate, removed the governor and deputy governor from its membership, and removed all remaining judicial and executive authority from it, but it remained largely the same in that it still consisted of twelve generally elected members. It was in 1828 that senatorial districts were established and the number of senators revised to between eight and twenty-four; the number was altered to between twenty-four and thirty-six in 1901, with
2065-408: The court's 7-0 unanimous ruling that Bysiewicz failed to meet the requirements of General Statutes Section 3-124, which outlines the qualifications for state attorney general. In consequence, Bysiewicz was unable run for attorney general in 2010, leaving former State Senator George Jepsen the sole remaining Democratic candidate in the race, which he subsequently won. On November 3, one day after
2124-596: The federal U.S. Senate , the Senate is reserved with special functions such as confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to the state's executive departments, the state cabinet, commissions and boards. Unlike a majority of U.S. state legislatures, both the Connecticut House of Representatives and the State Senate vote on the composition to the Connecticut Supreme Court . The Senate meets within
2183-477: The following restrictions are often placed on upper houses: In parliamentary democracies and among European upper houses the Italian Senate is a notable exception to these general rules, in that it has the same powers as its lower counterpart: any law can be initiated in either house and must be approved in the same form by both houses. Additionally, a Government must have the consent of both to remain in office,
2242-459: The general election, Bysiewicz announced that Democratic candidate Dannel Malloy was the unofficial winner of the race, beating Republican Tom Foley . Later that evening the Associated Press , who had also called the race largely based on Bysiewicz's announcement, "un-called" the race when it found that Foley actually led in its vote count. One major reason for the election discrepancies was
2301-460: The house. Compromise and negotiation between the two houses make the Parliament Act a very rarely used backup plan. Even without a veto, an upper house may defeat legislation. Its opposition may give the lower chamber a chance to reconsider or even abandon a controversial measure. It can also delay a bill so that it does not fit within the legislative schedule, or until a general election produces
2360-401: The largest Freshman class of the state legislature since 1974. In 1994, she won re-election to a second term with 67% of the vote. In 1996, she won re-election to a third term with 66% of the vote. She was elected state representative for the 100th Assembly District of Connecticut for three successive terms starting in 1992, representing until 1998 about 22,000 constituents living in parts of
2419-435: The law to be valid, but the question as to whether Bysiewicz met the requirements had to be decided by the courts or the legislature. Bysiewicz also had to explain filing a form seeking a waiver of a state fee, when she claimed not to be actively practicing law. Her spokesperson said she had made a mistake. While Bysiewicz vowed to continue her campaign despite the qualifications controversy prominent Republicans suggested she
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2478-415: The magistrates and deputies sat together, they voted separately and in 1645 it was decreed that a measure had to have the approval of both groups in order to pass. The Charter of 1662 replaced the six magistrates with twelve assistants, not including the governor and deputy governor, and renamed the legislature to the General Assembly. In 1698, the General Assembly split into a bicameral body, divided between
2537-435: The newly established New York and Stamford law firm of Pastore Shofi & Dailey, where she headed their new Glastonbury office. Her practice concentration consisted of "corporate law and finance, banking, securities and contract negotiation." Bysiewicz said that while she did not have "any immediate plans to pursue public office" she would not rule out re-entering politics. On April 18, 2017, Bysiewicz announced that she
2596-419: The official ballot results. Late in the afternoon of Friday, November 5, Bysiewicz announced Dannel Malloy as the official winner in the gubernatorial election by a much larger vote total of 5,637 votes, which differed from the early results announcement two days earlier when she declared Malloy the unofficial winner by 3,103 votes. On January 18, 2011, Bysiewicz announced her candidacy in the 2012 election for
2655-593: The party's primary ballot for governor and state senator Gary Winfield of New Haven and Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, a union organizer from Newtown, planned to contest the nomination for lieutenant governor. Bysiewicz is the chair of the Connecticut Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census, and of the Governor's Council on Women and Girls, a platform for women engaged in politics and public policy. Bysiewicz met her husband, David Donaldson, while she
2714-452: The passage of most bills, but it must be given an opportunity to debate them and propose amendments, and can thereby delay the passage of a bill with which it disagrees. Bills can only be delayed for up to one year before the Commons can use the Parliament Act, although economic bills can only be delayed for one month. The House of Lords is sometimes seen as having a special role of safeguarding
2773-532: The poll were asked who they would vote for if the primary were held that day and they said Bysiewicz 31.44 percent, Malloy 14.56 percent. In January 2010 Bysiewicz dropped her bid for governor, choosing to run for attorney general . On January 21, 2010, Quinnipiac University released its results a poll of the primary for attorney general which found that Susan Bysiewicz had a 52-point lead (Bysiewicz 62, Jepsen 10, Undecided 24, 593 Democratic Voters, MOE +/- 4%). After Bysiewicz announced her bid for attorney general,
2832-424: The powers of upper houses relative to their lower counterparts. Some upper houses have been fully abolished; others have had their powers reduced by constitutional or legislative amendments. Also, conventions often exist that the upper house ought not to obstruct the business of government for frivolous or merely partisan reasons. These conventions have tended to harden with a passage of time. In presidential systems,
2891-525: The restoration of a bicameral Congress via a constitutional amendment in 1941, and via adoption of a new constitution in 1987. A previous government of Ireland (the 31st Dáil) promised a referendum on the abolition of its upper house , the Seanad Éireann , during the 24th Seanad session. By a narrow margin, the Irish public voted to retain it. Conservative-leaning Fine Gael and Left-leaning Sinn Féin both supported
2950-478: The state of Connecticut from 1999 to 2011 and a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999. She was briefly a candidate for governor of Connecticut in 2010 , before dropping out to run for Connecticut Attorney General . She was disqualified from running for the office by the Connecticut Supreme Court and announced in 2011 that she was running for the United States Senate in
3009-734: The state primary. Bysiewicz was born September 29, 1961, in New Haven and raised on a farm. The daughter of Stan and Shirley Bysiewicz, she was raised by a Catholic family of Polish and Greek descent in Middletown, Connecticut . She received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law . During law school, she wrote Ella: A Biography of Governor Ella Grasso . Bysiewicz practiced law in New York City for two years as an associate of White & Case (1986–88). In 1988 she became associated with
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#17328555483343068-524: The towns of Middletown (64% of her constituents) and Middlefield (10%), and throughout the town of Durham (26%). In the House, she investigated the political power of County Sheriffs and Connecticut's last vestige of patronage politics at the local level. The sheriffs are only political positions of Connecticut county government , which was eliminated in 1960. Democrats control the Hartford County Sheriff's Department , for example, and of
3127-500: The uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom and important civil liberties against ill-considered change. The House of Lords has a number of ways to block legislation and to reject it; however, the House of Commons can eventually use the Parliament Act to force something through. The Commons will often accept amendments passed by the Lords; however, the two houses have sometimes reached a constitutional standoff. For example, when
3186-526: The upper house is frequently given other powers to compensate for its restrictions: There are a variety of ways an upper house's members are assembled: by direct or indirect election, appointment or a mixture of these. Many upper houses are not directly elected but appointed: either by the head of state, by the head of government or in some other way. This is usually intended to produce a house of experts or otherwise distinguished citizens, who would not necessarily be returned in an election. For example, members of
3245-413: The week before the state Democratic convention and teamed with candidate Ned Lamont to run on a ticket as his running mate. To do so, however, would require that both she and Lamont obtain the party's nominations, and as of the date of the announcement, May 15, 2018, Bridgeport mayor Joseph P. Ganim and former commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs Sean Connolly were seeking places on
3304-477: Was "cooked" and "delusional." Under deposition on March 31, 2010, Bysiewicz admitted that "she has never argued a case before a judge and couldn't remember being in a courtroom to observe litigation since law school." On May 5, 2010, Superior Court Judge Michael Sheldon ruled that Bysiewicz was legally qualified to run for state attorney general. However, when the case reached the Connecticut Supreme Court on May 18, Justice Flemming L. Norcott Jr. handed down
3363-567: Was attending law school at Duke. Donaldson ran his father's insurance business in Manchester , now the Bysiewicz/Donaldson Agency. The couple has three children, daughters Ava and Leyna, who attended Wesleyan University, and son Tristan, who graduated from Middletown High School. Italics indicate next-in-line of succession for states and territories without a directly elected lieutenant governor or whose lieutenant governor office
3422-851: Was chosen by state legislatures until the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. The upper house may be directly elected but in different proportions to the lower house - for example, the senates of Australia, Brazil and the United States have a fixed number of elected members from each state, regardless of the population. Many jurisdictions once possessed upper houses but abolished them to adopt unicameral systems, including Croatia , Denmark , Estonia , Hungary , Iceland , Iran , Mauritania , New Zealand , Peru , Sweden , Turkey , Venezuela , many Indian states , Brazilian states , Canadian provinces , subnational entities such as Queensland , and some other jurisdictions. Newfoundland had
3481-472: Was forming an exploratory committee for a possible race for Connecticut's 13th senate district. She said that since the election in 2016 of Len Suzio, the first Republican elected in the district which encompasses the cities of Middletown and Meriden for several decades, she had been prevailed on by many Democrats eager to regain the seat. (The 2016 election tied the state senate at 18-18.) Bysiewicz attacked Suzio as an "extremist" pointing to his sponsorship of
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