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In Under the Gold Dome, Judge Robert Satter explains how the Senate differences from the House:
The dynamics of deliberating and voting in the Senate differ from those in the House. Although the basic procedures are the same in both chambers, there is one significant variation. Each session day the senators meet in separate party caucuses to go over every bill to be taken up that day. The chairs in the majority caucus or the ranking members in the minority caucus explain the significant context of bills from their committees marked for action that day.
The opposition's anticipated amendments, if any, are also discussed. These discussions can be intense and heated, with every facet of the bill examined. Then each caucus takes a vote. [...]
Because of the Senate caucus system, debate on the Senate floor tends to be perfunctory: the majority caucus vote is known, so the outcome is often preordained, and senators who have had their say in caucus are disinclined to repeat the discussion in the chamber. Unfortunately, however, this lack of floor debate has drawbacks. Caucus discussions are not recorded, so the courts are deprived of the Senate debate that may reveal the legislative intent of the bill, and the public is deprived of a window into the performance of their senators.
Satter, Robert. Under the Gold Dome: An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature. New Haven: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2004. 107-108.
The dynamics of deliberating and voting in the Senate differ from those in the House. Although the basic procedures are the same in both chambers, there is one significant variation. Each session day the senators meet in separate party caucuses to go over every bill to be taken up that day. The chairs in the majority caucus or the ranking members in the minority caucus explain the significant context of bills from their committees marked for action that day.
The opposition's anticipated amendments, if any, are also discussed. These discussions can be intense and heated, with every facet of the bill examined. Then each caucus takes a vote. [...]
Because of the Senate caucus system, debate on the Senate floor tends to be perfunctory: the majority caucus vote is known, so the outcome is often preordained, and senators who have had their say in caucus are disinclined to repeat the discussion in the chamber. Unfortunately, however, this lack of floor debate has drawbacks. Caucus discussions are not recorded, so the courts are deprived of the Senate debate that may reveal the legislative intent of the bill, and the public is deprived of a window into the performance of their senators.
Satter, Robert. Under the Gold Dome: An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature. New Haven: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2004. 107-108.