In 2025, the Levin Center conducted a study of all 50 states to examine how legislatures ensure government programs work effectively for citizens. Factors such as legislative oversight committees, routine engagement with executive agencies, collection of casework data, digital transparency tools, and user-centered policy evaluation were of particular importance. The full report can be found here.
State Summary #
In 2024, there was little to report on the state of Connecticut and how it was or was not engaging in people-centered oversight behaviors. The only committee listed on the State Legislature’s website at that time with the specific purpose of conducting oversight was the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, and there is no evidence that this committee was meeting or engaging in any behaviors that would be considered oversight.[1]
However, on the Legislature’s home page is a section titled, “Citizen’s Guide”. In this section is a link, “Become a Part of the Process” that takes users to a video that walks them through how to register to testify at a hearing. This suggests the state is interested in receiving some public input, but outward solicitations for public input are otherwise quite limited (e.g., a whistleblower form on the website of the Auditor of Public Accounts).
A bright spot, however, is the state’s Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee, a creature of the Legislature with broad membership from all three branches of state government and community members. The committee’s approach to juvenile justice in Connecticut has driven numerous meaningful changes to the juvenile justice system.[2]
[1] In 2025, the Legislature created a new Joint Government Oversight Committee.
[2] Townsend, Jim, “Oversight: The Key to Restoring Public Confidence,” Democracy Journal, June 11, 2024, https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/73/oversight-the-key-to-restoring-public-confidence/.
