Heavy snow and gusting wind shuttered schools and businesses across Connecticut Monday but the storm didn’t keep lawmakers from work.
Though the state Capitol was closed Monday, legislators convened committee meetings and public hearings, a move that Republicans called “ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous. Disrespectful. Arrogance,” the Senate Republican Caucus, including Minority Leader Stephen Harding, said in a statement Monday morning. “This shows what supermajority Democrats think of Connecticut residents.”
Democrats contend the sessions can be held safely on Zoom and YouTube Live through protocol honed during the covid pandemic to allow lawmakers to continue their work despite Gov. Ned Lamont declaring an emergency for the blizzard.
The Senate Republicans said that, instead of legislative proceedings, lawmakers should be focusing on the blizzard, though emergency management is generally handled by local officials.
“During this blizzard emergency, CT Senate Republicans are putting people first, working with municipal leaders and others for public safety,” they said. “That should remain the focus during the blizzard. Not politics.”
House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford said the legislature is operating under tight time constraints because the 2026 regular session is one of the shortest on record and ends May 6.
“We are in a short legislative session, so every day counts. But the safety of members, staff, and the public is our top priority,” Ritter said. “Under our rules — agreed to by Democrats and Republicans — we have this remote option, and our committee chairs have the discretion and flexibility to recess or postpone meetings and hearings if conditions like power outages make it difficult to proceed remotely.”
Gov. Ned Lamont said that the legislature, which is a separate branch of government, has the right to set the rules for its operations.
“The governor has been focused on ensuring the safety of state residents, leading through the storm, working with state agencies to keep our roads clear and utility companies to address outages,” Rob Blanchard, Lamont’s chief spokesman, said. “We don’t have any control over how the legislature chooses to conduct business during a short session.”
Legislators tuned in from their kitchens and home offices and compared weather conditions in their towns before getting to work.
“I live in New London and we are getting pounded,” Sen. Martha Marx said before the Appropriations Health Subcommittee Agency Presentations at 10 a.m.
Rep. Toni Walker in New Haven said that despite estimates that her area had gotten 16 inches, she found snow totals higher than that when she stepped out onto her deck.
Rep. Dan Gaiewski, also of New London, said he had lost power and had to travel to his parents’ house to join the meeting.
The Appropriations Committee heard budget presentations about the state’s health agencies and the majority leaders held a roundtable on affordable housing. Education, Government Administration and Elections, Public Health and General Law committees all held public hearings on numerous proposed laws, hearing and considering testimony from both public officials and the public.
The legislature’s Transportation Committee canceled its meeting Monday morning.
“In an effort to maximize public participation amid anticipated power outages and the large number of those registered to testify, we pushed the hearing back one week,” Rep. Aimee Berger-Girvalo, a Democrat from Ridgefield and co-chair of the Transportation Committee, said in a statement Monday.
“But it’s important to acknowledge our committee had greater scheduling flexibility than most, with two additional hearing dates already reserved. Not all committees shared this option due to large numbers of remaining bills and immovable committee deadlines.”
Sen. Ryan Fazio, a Republican representing Greenwich, on Sunday evening had condemned the decision to convene.
“Tomorrow, the state Capitol is closed but the Democratic leadership has announced that public hearings will continue over major legislation online-only, despite tens of thousands likely to lose power and internet connections and nobody being allowed to testify in person,” Fazio wrote on his campaign Facebook account.
Both Fazio and the Senate Republicans contrasted the continued work during the blizzard with expected emergency certification legislation.
“Just two days later, the same leaders and governor will push for a vote on “emergency certification” legislation that is really just an omnibus vehicle combining 15 different bills, most of which have had no public hearing at all,” Fazio said. “None of the policies contained are an emergency in any sense—just discretionary policy preferences. The real emergencies, like Connecticut’s Energy Emergency and Economic Emergency, the same leaders refuse to address.”
“Why even have a legislature when an ‘emergency’ can be declared by Democrats and the public is rendered voiceless?,” Senate Republicans said in their statement. “When there is an actual ‘emergency’ declared by the Governor, Democrats ram bills through. And when no ‘emergency’ exists, Democrats ram bills through.”
A public meeting scheduled for Monday evening at Avon High School regarding violent online extremist groups targeting children that was to be hosted by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is postponed.
Reporting from Courant reporter Christopher Keating is included in this article.