Connecticut SJ 38: RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO MAKE REFERENCES TO INDIVIDUALS GENDER-NEUTRAL.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Senate Joint
Resolution No. 38
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2145

Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS

Introduced by:
(GAE)

RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE
CONSTITUTION TO MAKE REFERENCES TO INDIVIDUALS GENDER-
NEUTRAL.
Resolved by this Assembly:

That the following be proposed as an amendment to the Constitution 1
of the State, which, when approved and adopted in the manner 2
provided by the Constitution, shall, to all intents and purposes, become 3
a part thereof: 4
Section 1. Section 1 of article first of the Constitution is amended to 5
read as follows: 6
All [men] persons when they form a social compact, are equal in 7
rights; and no [man] person or set of [men] persons are entitled to 8
exclusive public emoluments or privileges from the community. 9
Sec. 2. Section 4 of article first of the Constitution is amended to read 10
as follows: 11

Senate Joint Resolution No. 38

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Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish [his] such citizen's 12
sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty. 13
Sec. 3. Subsection a. of article twenty-ninth of the amendments to the 14
Constitution is amended to read as follows: 15
a. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have a right to be 16
heard by [himself] the accused's self and by counsel; to be informed of 17
the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted by the witnesses 18
against [him] the accused; to have compulsory process to obtain 19
witnesses in [his] behalf of the accused; to be released on bail upon 20
sufficient security, except in capital offenses, where the proof is evident 21
or the presumption great; and in all prosecutions by information, to a 22
speedy, public trial by an impartial jury. No person shall be compelled 23
to give evidence against [himself] such person's self, nor be deprived of 24
life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall excessive 25
bail be required nor excessive fines imposed. No person shall be held to 26
answer for any crime, punishable by death or life imprisonment, unless 27
upon probable cause shown at a hearing in accordance with procedures 28
prescribed by law, except in the armed forces, or in the militia when in 29
actual service in time of war or public danger. 30
Sec. 4. Section 10 of article first of the Constitution is amended to read 31
as follows: 32
All courts shall be open, and every person, for an injury done to [him 33
in his] such person, such person's property or such person's reputation, 34
shall have remedy by due course of law, and right and justice 35
administered without sale, denial or delay. 36
Sec. 5. Section 15 of article first of the Constitution is amended to read 37
as follows: 38
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of [himself] such 39
citizen and the state. 40
Sec. 6. Article fourth of the amendments to the Constitution is 41

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amended to read as follows: 42
The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate, the number of such 43
jurors, which shall not be less than six, to be established by law; but no 44
person shall, for a capital offense, be tried by a jury of less than twelve 45
jurors without [his] such person's consent. In all civil and criminal 46
actions tried by a jury, the parties shall have the right to challenge jurors 47
peremptorily, the number of such challenges to be established by law. 48
The right to question each juror individually by counsel shall be 49
inviolate. 50
Sec. 7. Article twenty-first of the amendments to the Constitution is 51
amended to read as follows: 52
No person shall be denied the equal protection of the law nor be 53
subjected to segregation or discrimination in the exercise or enjoyment 54
of [his or her] such person's civil or political rights because of religion, 55
race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex or physical or mental disability. 56
Sec. 8. Article third of the amendments to the Constitution is 57
amended to read as follows: 58
There shall be a regular session of the general assembly on the 59
Wednesday following the first Monday of January in the odd-numbered 60
years and on the Wednesday following the first Monday of February in 61
the even-numbered years, and at such other times as the general 62
assembly shall judge necessary; but the person administering the office 63
of governor may, on special emergencies, convene the general assembly 64
at any other time. All regular and special sessions of the general 65
assembly shall be held at Hartford, but the person administering the 66
office of governor may, in case of special emergency, convene the 67
assembly at any other place in the state. The general assembly shall 68
adjourn each regular session in the odd-numbered years not later than 69
the first Wednesday after the first Monday in June and in the even-70
numbered years not later than the first Wednesda