© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Does Working More Days Make State Legislatures More Effective?

Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public Radio
The Connecticut House of Representatives being sworn in on the first day of the 2019 legislative session.

Connecticut purposely doesn't have a full-time legislature.

But state lawmakers' jobs aren't considered part-time either, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

They fall somewhere in between.

Many, if not most, state legislators work elsewhere to bolster the paychecks they earn at the State Capitol. The annual base pay is $28,000 and goes up to $38,689 for the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore. So a second income helps.

But with outside employment comes real or perceived conflicts of interest, whether allowed by the state's loose ethics rules or not, when lawmakers take part in decisions that might benefit their occupations or their places of business.

Would going to a full-time system mitigate that? Would the higher pay entice more people from different backgrounds to serve in the legislature?

For states that have full-time legislatures, are there noticeable benefits?

GUESTS:

READING LIST:

Hartford Business.com: Hartford Dysfunction Underscores Need For Full-Time Legislature - "Our part-time state legislature has proven time and time again it's unable to grapple with the complexities of state government."

Raising Hale.com: A Full-Time Legislature Would Mean Full-Time Trouble For Connecticut - "A full-time legislature would merely allow the self-serving more opportunity for personal gain."

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Chion Wolf and Lydia Brown contributed to this show.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.