HARTFORD, Conn — The Connecticut House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to give all voters the option to vote by absentee ballot, given the possibility of an uptick of coronavirus infections this fall. The lawmakers on Thursday were also expected to consider a wide-ranging police accountability bill.
Returning to the state Capitol for the first time since March, legislators were greeted by hundreds of shouting protesters concerned about issues ranging from police accountability to protections for nursing home workers.
It was a surreal special session for the House of Representatives, where members donned face masks and voted by computer, sequestered in their legislative offices.
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Protesters were outside the state capitol building protesting the police accountability bill. The controversial 65-page bill drafted in the wake of the death of George Floyd puts in place implicit bias training. It would require body and dash cams, prohibit the use of military equipment, ban chokeholds, require officer bystander intervention, and would mandate mental health assessments.
*The Associated Press contributed to this article