Connecticut State Senate
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
New session started	January 5, 2011
Leadership
President of the Senate	Nancy Wyman, (D) since January 5, 2011
President pro Tempore	Donald E. Williams, Jr., (D) since July 1, 2005
Majority Leader	Martin M. Looney, (D) since January 8, 2003
Minority Leader	John P. McKinney, (R) since June 14, 2007
Structure
Members	36
Political groups	Democratic Party (22) Republican Party (14)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article III, Section 1, Connecticut Constitution
Salary	$28,000/year
Elections
Last election	November 2, 2010 (36 seats)
Next election	November 6, 2012 (36 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber Connecticut State Capitol Hartford, Connecticut
Website
Official Senate Page

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 94,600 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 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 the State Capitol in Hartford.

Contents 1 History 2 Leadership of the Senate 2.1 Current leadership 3 Make-up of the Senate 3.1 Members of the Senate 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

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 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 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 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 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 the General Assembly setting it at thirty-six immediately. Senatorial terms were raised to two years in 1875.^[1]

In 1814-15, the Hartford Convention met in the Connecticut Senate chamber of what is now the Old State House.

[edit] Leadership of the Senate

The Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President pro tempore presides over the Senate. 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 is Nancy Wyman of the Democratic Party. The President pro tempore is Democrat Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Scotland). The Majority Leader is Martin Looney (D-New Haven) and the Minority Leader is John McKinney (R-Fairfield).

[edit] Current leadership

Position	Senator	District
	President/Lieutenant Governor	Nancy Wyman	N/A
	President Pro Tempore	Donald E. Williams, Jr.	29
	Majority Leader	Martin M. Looney	11
	Minority Leader	John P. McKinney	28

[edit] Make-up of the Senate

Republicans gained one seat in the Connecticut Senate in the November 2010 midterm elections, ending the Democratic Party's supermajority in the chamber. Three Democratic senators resigned their seats prior to taking office: two to serve in Governor Dan Malloy's administration and one facing legal charges.^[2] Special elections were held on February 22, 2011 to fill these vacancies.^[2]

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)	Total
Democratic	Republican	Vacant
End of previous legislature	24	12	36	0
Begin	20	13	36	3
February 25, 2011[3]	22	14	36	0
Latest voting share *	61.1%	39.9%

[edit] Members of the Senate

Current members of the Connecticut Senate, as of March 1, 2011 (2011 -03-01)^[update].

District	Name[4]	Party	Hometown	First elected	Towns represented
1	John Fonfara	Dem	Hartford	1996	Hartford (part), Wethersfield (part)
2	Eric D. Coleman	Dem	Bloomfield	1994	Bloomfield (part), Hartford (part), Windsor (part)
3	Gary LeBeau	Dem	East Hartford	1996	East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington (part), South Windsor
4	Steve Cassano	Dem	Manchester	2010	Bolton, Glastonbury, Manchester, Marlborough
5	Beth Bye	Dem	West Hartford	2010	Bloomfield (part), Burlington, Farmington (part), West Hartford
6	Theresa Gerratana	Dem	New Britain	2011	Berlin, Farmington (part), New Britain
7	John A. Kissel	Rep	Enfield	1992	East Granby, Enfield, Granby (part), Somers, Suffield, Windsor (part), Windsor Locks
8	Kevin Witkos	Rep	Simsbury	2008	Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby (part), Hartland, Harwinton (part), New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury, Torrington (part)
9	Paul R. Doyle	Dem	Wethersfield	2006	Cromwell, Middletown (part), Newington, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield (part)
10	Toni N. Harp	Dem	New Haven	1992	New Haven (part), West Haven (part)
11	Martin M. Looney	Dem	New Haven	1993	Hamden (part), New Haven (part)
12	Edward Meyer	Dem	Guilford	2004	Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, North Branford
13	Leonard F. Suzio	Rep	Meriden	2011	Cheshire (part), Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown (part)
14	Gayle Slossberg	Dem	Milford	2004	Milford, Orange, West Haven (part)
15	Joan V. Hartley	Dem	Waterbury	2000	Naugatuck (part), Prospect, Waterbury (part)
16	Joe Markley	Rep	Southington	2010	Cheshire (part), Southington, Waterbury (part), Wolcott
17	Joseph Crisco, Jr.	Dem	Woodbridge	1992	Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden (part), Naugatuck (part), Woodbridge
18	Andrew M. Maynard	Dem	Stonington	2006	Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington, Voluntown
19	Edith Prague	Dem	Columbia	1994	Andover, Bozrah, Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Montville (part), Norwich, Sprague
20	Andrea Stillman	Dem	Waterford	2004	East Lyme, Montville (part), New London, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Salem, Waterford
21	Kevin Kelly	Rep	Stratford	2010	Monroe (part), Shelton, Seymour (part), Stratford (part)
22	Anthony Musto	Dem	Bridgeport	2008	Bridgeport (part), Monroe (part), Trumbull
23	Ed Gomes	Dem	Bridgeport	2005	Bridgeport (part), Stratford (part)
24	Michael McLachlan	Rep	Danbury	2008	Bethel (part), Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman
25	Bob Duff	Dem	Norwalk	2000	Darien (part), Norwalk
26	Toni Boucher	Rep	Wilton	2008	Bethel (part), New Canaan (part), Redding, Ridgefield, Weston (part), Westport, Wilton
27	Carlo Leone	Dem	Stamford	2011	Darien (part), Stamford (part)
28	John P. McKinney	Rep	Southport	1998	Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston (part)
29	Donald E. Williams, Jr.	Dem	Brooklyn	1992	Brooklyn, Canterbury, Killingly, Mansfield, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson, Windham
30	Andrew Roraback	Rep	Goshen	2000	Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington (part), Warren, Washington, Winchester
31	Jason Welch	Rep		2010	Bristol, Harwinton (part), Plainville, Plymouth
32	Rob Kane	Rep	Watertown	2008	Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Roxbury, Seymour (part), Southbury, Thomaston, Watertown, Woodbury
33	Eileen Daily	Dem	Westbrook	1992	Chester, Clinton, Colechester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Portland, Westbrook
34	Len Fasano	Rep	North Haven	2002	East Haven, North Haven, Wallingford
35	Tony Guglielmo	Rep	Stafford	1992	Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington (part), Hampton, Pomfret, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, Woodstock
36	Scott Frantz	Rep	Greenwich	2008	Greenwich, New Canaan (part), Stamford (part)

[edit] See also

• Connecticut State Capitol
• Connecticut General Assembly
• Connecticut House of Representatives

[edit] References

1. ^ Under the Gold Dome: An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature, by Judge Robert Satter. New Haven: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2004, pp. 16-27.
2. ^ ^{a b} Shultz, Susan (February 24, 2011). "Most of state's special elections conflicted with school breaks". DarienTimes.com. http://www.darientimes.com/news/darien-features/local-news/5000429.html. Retrieved February 25, 2011. 
3. ^ Democrats Theresa Gerratana and Carlo Leone, elected (Districts 6 and 27, respectively); Republican Leonard F. Suzio elected (District 13)
4. ^ "Senate Members (listed alphabetically)". Connecticut General Assembly. http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/slist.asp. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 

[edit] External links

• Connecticut State Senate
• Connecticut Senate Districts Map
• State Senate of Connecticut at Project Vote Smart
• Connecticut Senate at Ballotpedia

v · d · eMembers of the Connecticut State Senate President of the Senate: Nancy Wyman (D) • President pro Tempore: Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D) • Majority Leader: Martin M. Looney (D) • Minority Leader: John P. McKinney (R)        John Fonfara (D)    Eric D. Coleman (D)    Gary LeBeau (D)    Steve Cassano (D)    Beth Bye (D)    Theresa Gerratana (D)    John A. Kissel (R)    Kevin Witkos (R)    Paul R. Doyle (D)    Toni N. Harp (D)    Martin M. Looney (D)    Edward Meyer (D)    Len Suzio (R)    Gayle Slossberg (D)    Joan V. Hartley (D)    Joe Markley (R)    Joseph Crisco, Jr. (D)    Andrew M. Maynard (D)    Edith Prague (D)    Andrea Stillman (D)    Kevin Kelly (R)    Anthony Musto (D)    Ed Gomes (D)    Michael McLachlan (R)    Bob Duff (D)    Toni Boucher (R)    Carlo Leone (D)    John P. McKinney (R)    Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D)    Andrew Roraback (R)    Jason Welch (R)    Rob Kane (R)    Eileen Daily (D)    Len Fasano (R)    Tony Guglielmo (R)    Scott Frantz (R)    Democratic (22) •    Republican (14) • Connecticut General Assembly • Connecticut House of Representatives • Connecticut State Senate

v · d · eLegislatures of the United States United States Congress United States House of Representatives · United States Senate State legislatures Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S) Territorial legislatures American Samoa (H, S) · District of Columbia · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) · Puerto Rico (H, S) · U.S. Virgin Islands Obsolete Philippine Islands (A, C, NA)

v · d · e State of Connecticut Hartford (capital) Topics Culture · Constitution · Delegations · Elections · Geography · Government · History · Images · People · Visitor Attractions Regions Coastal Connecticut · Gold Coast · Greater Bridgeport · Greater Danbury · Greater Hartford · Greater New Haven · Litchfield Hills · Lower Connecticut River Valley · Naugatuck River Valley · Quiet Corner · Southeastern Connecticut Counties Fairfield · Hartford · Litchfield · Middlesex · New Haven · New London · Tolland · Windham Cities Ansonia · Bridgeport · Bristol · Danbury · Derby · Groton · Hartford · Meriden · Middletown · Milford · New Britain · New Haven · New London · Norwalk · Norwich · Shelton · Stamford · Torrington · Waterbury · West Haven Places Towns · Boroughs · Villages · Historic Places · Geography