Hartford Business Journal

8 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 27, 2025 Politics & Policy State Rep. David W. Yaccarino owns DJ's Cards and Comics in North Haven, a business he's operated for nearly three decades, even while serving in the legislature for the past 14 years. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Beyond The Chamber HBJ analysis finds CT state lawmakers have diverse occupational backgrounds; 10.3% are business owners were elected as legislators did not take their oaths of office for the current session: • Rep. Christine Conley (D-Groton), who is expected to be appointed to the state Workers' Compensation Commission; and • Rep. Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford), who is expected to be nominated as a judge. It also should be noted that HBJ included only practicing attorneys in its count, not just anyone with a law degree. Rounding out the top five occupa- tions in the General Assembly are teachers (including pre- and post-sec- ondary educators; administrators were counted separately) with 20 legislators or 10.8%; business owners with 19 (10.3%); nonprofit-related professionals with 12 (6.5%); and real estate professionals with 10 (5.4%). Of the attorneys, 21 are members of the House, making it the top occupation in that chamber. That's followed by teachers/educators with By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com S tate Rep. David W. Yaccarino (R-North Haven) can usually tell when another legislator isn't a baseball card or comic book fanatic. Yaccarino owns DJ's Cards and Comics in North Haven, a busi- ness he's operated for nearly three decades, even while serving in the legislature for the past 14 years. "Someone will say, 'Do you make a living doing that?' That's the famous line," Yaccarino said. "And I say, 'Are you sure you know what you just said?' It's embarrassing." While he's not the only successful business owner in the Connecticut General Assembly, his shop — which sells sports and gaming cards, comic books and collectibles — might be the most unique. Hartford Business Journal conducted an analysis of the occu- pations for all 185 members of the House and Senate (there currently are two open seats, one in each chamber) for the 2025 legislative session, which convened on Jan. 8. The intent was to determine the current or most recent jobs held by each member of what is supposed to be a part-time legislature, in an attempt to gain some insight into the life experiences and, possibly, motiva- tions of Connecticut's lawmakers. The analysis also found that the state legislature has fewer working-class members than is typical nationwide. The data According to HBJ's analysis, legis- lators in the House and Senate have more than 65 different occupations. The top occupation among all legislators is attorney, with a combined total of 25, or 13.5% of the General Assembly. That number would have been higher, but two attorneys who Top 5 occupations in the state legislature Attorney: 25; 13.5% Teacher: 20; 10.8% Business owner: 19; 10.3% Nonprofit-related: 12; 6.5% Real estate agent: 10; 5.4% Note: The state General Assembly overall includes 185 members: 126 Democrats and 59 Republicans. (The total reflects two open seats.) Source: Hartford Business Journal analysis Top 7 occupations in House of Representatives Attorney: 21 Teacher/Educator: 17 Business owner (current or former): 14 Nonprofit-related: 9 Real estate agent: 7 Medical-related: 6 Financial services: 5 Note: The House has 150 members, including 101 Democrats and 49 Republicans, and members have more than 65 different occupations. Top 7 occupations in the state Senate Business owner: 5 Attorney: 4 Union-related: 4 Nonprofit execs: 3 Real estate agent: 3 Medical-related: 3 Teacher: 3 Note: The Senate has 35 members, including 24 Democrats and 11 Republicans, with at least 25 different occupations.

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