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Legislative
Process
The legislative process can be
very involved and complicated. Here is a brief overview of
how a piece of legislation is enacted:
When a bill is introduced it is assigned a number and a
title, for example: HB5543 An Act Concerning Equestrian
Paths. Once it is assigned a number, it is sent to a
committee to have a public hearing and be voted on. What
committee a bill is sent to is dependent upon what the bill
is about, for example, HB5543 is considered to be related to
agriculture, and bills involving agriculture in Connecticut
are often sent to the environment committee.
When a bill is in committee, it comes up for a public
hearing. This is the opportunity for you to testify on that
bill. Your testimony will be limited to a set time frame
(usually three minutes) as this will allow everyone a fair
chance to speak either for or against a bill. When
testifying you must reference the bill number and title, as
there will be many bills heard over the course of a day. If
you cannot testify at the public hearing, you may forward
copies of your statement to the members of that
committee.
If a bill is voted out of a committee, it can be sent to
another committee if appropriate, or straight to the floor
of the house for another vote. Once a bill has gone from
committee, there are no more public hearings, however, you
may then contact your specific legislator and explain to
them why you support or oppose a bill, and request that they
do they same.
When speaking with your legislators, always be
respectful and polite, and use the bill number and
title.
Once a bill is voted through the house and senate, it then
goes to the governor to sign. The governor may also veto a
bill if he chooses. Once the governor signs the bill, it
becomes a law on the date specified in the wording of the
bill-some bills do not take effect immediately, but have a
designated date to begin.
Once a bill is voted through the house and senate, it then
goes to the governor to sign. The governor may also veto a
bill if he chooses. Once the governor signs the bill, it
becomes a law on the date specified in the wording of the
bill-some bills do not take effect immediately, but have a
designated date to begin.
Along the way through committees and the house, a bill may
be amended (to add or subtract certain things in the
wording) or the wording may be changed (in which case the
bill will then reflect the term "favorable substitute)".
To contact your legislator regarding a specific state bill,
you may access the State of Connecticut General Assembly
website: http://www.cga.state.ct.us/default.htm
and do a search under the members of the house (for your
state representative) and the senate (for your senator).
If you do not know who your representative is, go to the
general assembly website and click on "house". When you get
to the next page, click on "find representative". This will
bring up a map of the state-and when you click on your
respective county, then town, and then click again, it will
take you to your legislators website. You may repeat this
search using "senate" to find you senator.
If the bill you are looking for is a federal bill, and not a
state bill, you may go to the Congressional website at:
http://www.congress.org/.
Both of these sites will allow you to get the latest status
of bills, read the actual full text of a bill, find contact
information for your legislator, and show how each
legislator voted on previous bills.
The Connecticut Horse Council, Inc. discusses bills prior to
public hearings and appoints delegates to testify at these
hearings. If you would like to participate in this process
on behalf of The Council please contact the legislative
committee.
A key piece that everyone must also remember, is the
importance of having a unified front, Legislators must get
the impression that all of us together are seeking the same
goals. The time for creating opinions on an issue is long
before the public hearing process - we present a much
greater argument if we are united.
Remember, you are a representative of our industry, and
the example you set is very important. It is also critical
for you to contact your legislator to voice your opinion as
an individual. Every single citizen has a right to speak, so
make your voice heard. What legislation is enacted is up to
us; let your opinion be known.
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