Case Meets with Winsted Seniors

WINSTED – State Representative Jay Case (R-63) met with several senior residents at the Winsted Senior Center on Thursday afternoon to discuss the 2017 Legislative Session and the current status of the state budget.

“I wish I had more good news to bring, but the reality is there is a massive budget deficit that must be addressed. Through all the work the legislature put in this session, a budget was not even brought out for a vote,” explained Case.

Case held out his working draft of the Republican proposal at the meeting. The documents were packed into a black 3-inch D-ring binder, which served as a good visual for how comprehensive the budget package is.

“This is what I have been working on for countless hours,” said Case as he held the budget documents. “It is a disappointment that none of the concepts in this book were brought to a vote because of partisan politics. It is imperative that the legislature entertain and vote on a new ways to save money, shrink government, and not raid the taxpayers’ wallets.”

Case provided the group with the latest edition of the “Major Public Acts,” which is produced by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Research. The document can be viewed here. The caveat, however, was that most pieces of legislation that were passed in the 2017 Legislative Session had no fiscal impact.

Additional concerns expressed to Rep. Case included the dire need to preserve day programs through the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and increase transportation options to the remote Northwest Corner.

“I have always tried to preserve human services funding and will continue to fight to ensure that DDS programs have the resources needed to operate. With the proposed cuts, 1,000 students who are graduating high school this year will have nowhere to go next year without DDS programs, which is unacceptable,” explained Case.

Case also noted that he had put in several proposals to increase transportation options. “I have been working with the Department of Transportation to address this issue and get viable options for our seniors and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to get to and from work, shopping, and other activities,” Case concluded.

According to Case, the legislature is expected to convene at the end of the month to consider, and potentially act on a state budget. Details on the Republican proposal can be found at www.cthousegop.com/budget/.

###