Connecticut legislature refuses to override Gov. Ned Lamont’s vetoes. Activists hoped veto of solitary confinement bill would be rejected.

The Connecticut legislature declined Monday to override any of Gov. Ned Lamont’s four vetoes, despite concerns about various bills.

Lawmakers lacked the high bar of two-thirds votes necessary in both chambers to overturn Lamont’s vetoes on solitary confinement, probate orders and two land conveyance bills.

When compared to the hundreds of bills that pass each year, veto overrides are relatively rare in Connecticut. At one point, there were no overrides in at least 13 consecutive years from 1994 through 2007. Both Democratic Gov. William A. O’Neill and Republican Gov. John G. Rowland never had any vetoes overridden while serving during 10 legislative sessions each.

So far, Lamont has not had any bills overridden since taking office in 2019.

The most high-profile bill was Lamont’s veto of changes to solitary confinement in the state prison system — a controversial measure that prompted intense interest at the state Capitol.

House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford said reaching the necessary two-thirds override total of 101 votes was difficult because the original bill passed with only 87 votes in June.

Supporters of eliminating solitary confinement stood outside the Capitol each day near the end of the legislative session in June, and former UConn basketball superstar Caron Butler made a plea to Lamont to sign the bill. The measure set strict limits on how solitary confinement could be used and allowed almost all inmates to remain out of their cells for a minimum of 6 1/2 hours a day, with exceptions.

Lamont, though, agreed with prison supervisors who rallied against the measure.

“This legislation places unreasonable and dangerous limits on the use of restraints,” he wrote in his veto message. “The bill … only permits correctional officers with the rank of captain or higher to order the use of handcuffs and only permits therapists to order restraints during the psychiatric emergency.”

Lacking the votes Monday, most legislators did not travel to Hartford. Instead, lawmakers held “tech” sessions in both the House of Representatives and Senate with skeleton crews before quickly adjourning in less than 10 minutes.

Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly of Stratford raised concerns about the prison and probate bills.

“The governor is entitled to veto any bill, and the legislature has a right to challenge or let a veto stand,” Kelly said. “But what the governor did regarding the bill limiting the use of solitary confinement, vetoing the measure and then quickly issuing an executive order to implement his own vision on the issue, is troubling given where we are today. Governor Lamont has become far too comfortable ruling by executive order and the Democrat-controlled legislature is far too comfortable letting him.”

A longtime elder care attorney, Kelly said Lamont should not have vetoed a bill regarding probate court orders.

“Regarding the governor’s veto of a bill impacting Probate Court orders that gained unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate, I remain disappointed that Governor Lamont is siding with big government over poor, vulnerable and disabled individuals,” Kelly said. “I will continue to fight for the most vulnerable and work to ensure orders and decrees from Probate Court — the people’s court — are respected by executive branch agencies.”

Lamont said he vetoed the bill because it would force state agencies to “honor probate court decisions to which they were not a party.’' That, he said, “may violate federal and state law, pose a substantial risk of losing federal funds, violate a basic principle of law and result in increased costs that were not included in the budget.”

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com