HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Thursday for the first time since March, greeted by hundreds of shouting protesters, to vote on police accountability, absentee ballot and health care reforms, during a surreal session of the House of Representatives where members donned face masks and voted by computer, sequestered in their legislative offices.

At least six groups staged protests on the Capitol grounds, including police officers from across the state, members of Black Lives Matter, teachers, unionized health care workers, prison reform advocates and people concerned about ballot fraud. At its height, State Capitol Police estimated the combined number of protesters numbered roughly 1,500 people.

Only the House was meeting in special session on Thursday. The Senate is scheduled to meet on Tuesday.

“We are giving a clear message to our legislators that they have to do right by us. And if they don’t, they should be fearful of not being reelected,” said Brittney Yancy of Vernon, a college professor who was part of a group that supports the wide-ranging police accountability bill that calls for reforming police practices and training in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people.

“We have to speak up because there’s so many issues that are affecting black and brown communities. And this is why we’re here,” she said.

Police officers and their supporters, meanwhile, had a similar warning for lawmakers who support what they consider “an anti-police bill,” with many chanting “vote them out.” Members of the General Assembly are up for reelection in November. While there were mixed feelings about various parts of the bill, officers appeared to uniformly oppose a provision that would change immunity protections for police in some circumstances for violating someone’s civil rights. Also, many officers complained they felt unfairly targeted because of the actions of the officers in Minneapolis, who killed Floyd, and other “bad cops” across the country.

“We think this is an assault or an attack on law enforcement period. It’s a national trend,” said Andrew Matthews, executive director of the Connecticut State Police Union, which represents state troopers.

John Krupinsky, president of the Connecticut State Fraternal Order of Police and a 41-year veteran Danbury police officer, said he opposes the entire bill, which includes a new inspector general to investigate police use-of-force cases, periodic mental health screenings for officers, changes to the state’s “use of force” policy, moving from a subjective standard to a more objective standard; and new training requirements for police, including on implicit bias and how to manage crowds of people.

Krupinsky predicted the legislation will have a chilling effect on the police profession in Connecticut.

“People don’t understand. Guys, when they hear the shots fired call, they’re going to take a right. They’re not going to put themselves in the middle of this. They’ve got a chance to go to jail now. They’ve got a chance to have their house taken away,” he said. “Policing as you know it is over. Turn on TV and watch New York City if you want to see what’s going to happen if this bill passes as written, because that’s what’s going to happen.”

In recent days, lawmakers have been making last-minute changes to the police accountability bill, including the portion that would ban “qualified immunity,” making officers personally and legally liable for their actions. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said the latest version would change the statute of limitations for lawsuits against officers and make it clear the municipality where the officer works would be liable, not the officer personally, which she said is also untenable considering the financial exposure to taxpayers. It’s unclear whether that language will appear in the final version of the bill.

Klarides said a task force should study the issue and provide recommendations for lawmakers to consider in the 2021 session.

Meanwhile, the House voted 144-2 in favor of legislation allowing voters to use COVID-19 and their concerns about becoming exposed at the polls as a valid reason for using an absentee ballot in the November election. Connecticut has strict rules about when people can vote by absentee, limiting it to reasons such as being out of town during voting hours or being an active member of the armed services. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont already signed an executive order allowing COVID-19 to be an excuse for an absentee ballot in the upcoming Aug. 11 primary, but his authority ends before the general election.

Lawmakers also voted unanimously in favor of a bill that expands the types of health care providers that can provide telehealth services, a technology that has been used by many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also requires that insurance cover the cost. They were also expected to vote on a bill that would cap the price of insulin and diabetic supplies and create an emergency insulin program.

To the dismay of some nursing home workers, lawmakers do not plan to take up legislation during this special session that would address safety protocols at long-term care facilities. Dozens of unionized health care workers on Thursday rallied outside the Capitol, some holding a mock funeral to mark the deaths of at least a dozen Connecticut nursing home workers from COVID-19, demanding the state do more to ensure they have adequate personal protective equipment.

Jaritza Rivera, a personal care attendant from Hartford who works for home health care agency, said she had to wait several months for her employer to provide PPE and had to buy her own supplies. She said she’s worried about another wave of the coronavirus and would like lawmakers to make sure she and her colleagues will be well-protected and there will be a steady supply.

“This is very scary,” she said. “Times are hard, but we have to work it and we have to make a living. I hope that they protect us all because we’re front-line as well, working real hard to protect our patients and ourselves.”

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Associated Press writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.