by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — House Speaker Matt Ritter had a stern warning for any representative thinking about violating the chamber’s rules of decorum Thursday.
“This is the historic House of Representatives,” the Hartford Democrat said as he opened the Feb. 5 session. “It’s not an elementary school, and I’m not a hallway monitor. I am the duly elected speaker of the house, and I was elected to enforce the rules of this chamber and I will do that.”
House Speaker Matt Ritter addresses the House Chamber during the Feb. 4, 2026 session. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
Ritter’s admonition was in reference to state Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato, R-Bristol, who during Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State Address Wednesday stood and turned her back to the dais, gesturing toward the words “ICE IN” on the back of her jacket.
The gesture occurred during a sustained round of applause after Lamont had made comments about the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
“That young mother shot twice in the head in Minneapolis – The White House called her a domestic terrorist; she reminded me of my daughter,” Lamont said. “Connecticut is protecting our schools and courthouses, where people go not to break the law but because they are following the law. ICE, everywhere you go uninvited, violence follows. Go home. We are keeping Connecticut safe without you.”
Ritter on Thursday referred to House Rules Section 45, which reads, “No person shall smoke in the House Chamber or the gallery. No person shall conduct a conversation on a wireless telephone or similar device in the House Chamber while the House is meeting. No person shall take or possess a sign, banner, placard or other display material in the gallery or in the House Chamber while the House is meeting. The presiding officer and the sergeant at arms shall enforce this rule.”
“So, I don’t want to see signs. I don’t want to see placards. I don’t want to see coats. I don’t want to see pins,” he said. “The only place we ask this is in our historic chamber, so we can have decorum and do what everyone else has done in the past.”
Ritter acknowledged a limited gray area in the rule, for example with American flag lapel pins, but warned the representatives not to turn the House chamber into a circus.
“The rules, if you violate them, there are swift and effective measures that there will be the votes to enforce,” he said. “Do I make myself clear that we are not going to have this tomfoolery and riffraff ever again in this session? Don’t test me.”
As Ritter concluded his scolding, House Democrats began applauding, prompting him to immediately reprimand his own party’s members, loudly repeating “No” before moving on to the House’s regular agenda.
State Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato speaks to reporters following Thursday’s legislative session at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s session, Pavalock-D’Amato, who was not in her seat while Ritter was speaking and exited the chamber flanked by two Capitol Police officers after she said she had received a threat, said she respected the chamber and the speaker, but had no regrets about her actions.
“I think some of the things that were said yesterday were out of line,” she said of Lamont’s speech. “I’m supporting ICE, I’m supporting those officers who support us, protect us, protect our children and I think that’s the most important thing here. For the governor to come after ICE like he did, I’m sorry I don’t have any regrets.”
Before the session, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford had addressed the issue during a media briefing, saying Lamont shared blame for the incident.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora answers questions during a Feb. 5, 2026 media briefing outside the House Chamber. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
“Obviously, Rep. Pavalock-D’Amato, she did what she did and she wanted to make a statement, just as, in my mind, Gov. Lamont went to that bully pulpit and made an offensive statement as well, characterizing ICE as untrained officers,” he said. “I think we need to take the rhetoric down, and the temperature down. And I do understand we have rules of decorum that need to be enforced. They should be enforced on both sides of the aisle.”
In response to a follow-up question, Candelora implied that Ritter should have interrupted Lamont’s speech.
“I wish he would have checked himself, but certainly if I was the speaker on the dais, I probably would have said something,” he said.