Tony Scott

CT House Republicans Unveil “Pathway to Affordability” Budget Plan

HARTFORD— State Representative Tony Scott (R-112) is supporting the House Republicans budget adjustment plan for the second year of the state budget. This is a series of policies aimed at making Connecticut more affordable, lowering household costs, easing property tax pressures, and addressing the school funding crisis facing communities across the state. The $27.9 billion plan, called “Pathway to Affordability,” is balanced, provides more than $400 million in tax relief, falls $167 million under the state spending cap, and spends less than the governor’s budget proposal and the product advanced by Appropriations Committee Democrats. “Making Connecticut more affordable should be the top priority of every legislator. Taking care of our children should be front and center, and that's what we're doing in this budget adjustment proposal. Connecticut residents have to prioritize what they're spending their household budget on, and the General Assembly should do the same," said Rep. Scott . School Taxpayer Relief & Affordability Plan (STRAP) The centerpiece of the House Republican proposal is the School Taxpayer Relief and Affordability Plan, or STRAP—a $365 million investment distributed to every city and town in Connecticut to help offset surging education costs and reduce the burden on local property taxpayers. If adopted, this would add $783,626 in aid to Monroe, $44,898 for Easton, and $507,817 in aid to Trumbull. The “Pathway to Affordability” plan includes a broad range of tax and fee relief: Increase the state’s maximum property tax credit to $650 and expand income eligibility, extending relief to 800,000 filers Curb healthcare costs by reducing a state levy on insurance companies ($20 million) that has been passed on to consumers in their monthly premiums Eliminate income tax on all Social Security benefits Eliminate the sales tax on children’s clothing Enact a “no tax on tips” exemption Reduce the sales tax on vehicles priced between $50,000 and $75,000 from 7.75% to 6.35%--because the cost of vehicles has risen sharply in recent years, and what once seemed like a luxury price point now covers everyday family minivans and work trucks Eliminate fees on certain occupational licenses Remove the “Passport to Parks” fee from motor vehicle registrations Ease local tax burden by providing $2.5 million to help municipalities cover early voting costs The plan is funded through new revenue and spending discipline, including: Recover $340 million by challenging New York’s “convenience of employer” rule, which forces roughly 80,000 Connecticut residents who work remotely for New York employers and pay income taxes to New York at rates higher (10.9% top rate) than they would pay here at home (6.99% top rate). The plan includes $1 million to help these workers file legal challenges against New York’s policy. Save $153 million by budgeting state employee positions based on realistic hiring trends rather than funding all vacancies at once Save $61 million by eliminating state-funded health insurance for undocumented immigrants, who retain access to care through Federally Qualified Health Centers Removes 25% of double-funding of ECS grants to municipalities, saving $29 million Save $12 million by reducing legislative earmarks Save $3.5 million by eliminating inmate text messaging Among our targeted investments in public safety and human services: $3.2 million to expand the CRISIS program helping police respond to and de-escalate situations involving individuals experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises $1.5 million for domestic violence shelters Provides funding to hire investigators for Medicaid Fraud Control $2.4 million to increase provider rates for Birth-to-Three child development services Creates an income tax deduction (up to $2k) for volunteer firefighter and EMS personnel

CT DOT To Hold In-Person Meeting on Easton Bridge Rehabilitation

The CT Department of Transportation will be holding an in-person public information meeting about the rehabilitation of the bridge carrying Valley Road over the Aspetuck River in Easton on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Easton Public Library (691 Morehouse Road). A Q&A session will immediately follow the presentation. The goal is to replace aging infrastructure with new components to ensure longevity and safety for all roadway users. Right-of-way impacts associated with the proposed project are not anticipated. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2028 based on the availability of funding and approval of permits. The estimated construction cost for this project is $2 million. This project is anticipated to be undertaken with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds. Comments and questions can be submitted for two weeks after the hearing, from April 30 through Thursday, May 14, 2026, to Hayley Martin at Hayley.Martin@ct.gov , DOT-FLBP@ct.gov , or (860) 594-2020.

Rep. Scott Applauds Grant Awarded to Aspetuck Land Trust

I'm pleased to share the news that Aspetuck Land Trust was awarded $5,000 towards Orchard and Pollinator meadow expansion. The DoAg Agricultural Enhancement Grant Program (previously known as the Farm Viability Grant) provides matching funds for projects that directly impact or foster agricultural viability. I've partnered with ALT in the past and am a supporter of their work.

Rep. Scott on Need for Sustainable ECS Increase

For a decade, Connecticut Democrats haven't prioritized education funding to our municipalities, despite calls from Republican lawmakers to fully fund the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula. Democrats have been in charge of the House, Senate, and Governor's office for years, so why hold a press conference now on adjusting ECS? I'm betting because it's an election year and the swell of voices of taxpayers and municipal officials has finally grown too loud to ignore. I'm happy to have the conversation though because our municipalities are in the middle of crafting their local budgets. The path to fully funding ECS to take the pressure off property taxpayers is long overdue. Connecticut residents must prioritize what they're spending their household budget on, and the legislature should do the same. Taking care of our children should be front and center. Instead, Democrats have prioritized millions of dollars for healthcare for illegal immigrants, earmarks for politically connected nonprofit operators, and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the former CSCU Chancellor to be a special advisor amid a spending scandal. Connecticut needs to allocate more money for education, I don’t think there's disagreement there anymore, but the devil remains in the details. Using an off-the-books funding stream is not the way we should be doing this because it's not sustainable. The stock market is doing well now which means Connecticut has more money than expected, but that won't always be the case. Using this $500 million in volatility funding goes against the spirit of the fiscal guardrails, which were put in place in 2017 because of shady budgeting practices that got Connecticut into a fiscal mess in the first place. Bridgeport was singled out during the press conference by legislative Democrats as needing help, because of their financial mismanagement, but an ECS increase can't just be given to the cities with the towns getting the scraps. Legislative leaders like talking about Fair Share, and this ECS increase needs to be proportional so all municipalities can get their fair share. I am ready and willing to work across the aisle on solutions that will help municipal leaders deliver quality education while providing relief for property taxpayers. I've stood with my caucus for years in proposing sustainable education funding for our communities, but they have largely been ignored. There have been brief talks about wanting to increase funding, but then it never comes to fruition in the state budget. The Republican House Caucus has once again proposed a bill to reduce local property taxes by rebasing the ECS grant formula by increasing the foundation amount and adjusting for inflation. We need a long-term solution for covering the rising cost of educating our children, without overburdening property taxpayers. I've been focused on making Connecticut more affordable and part of that is adjusting the ECS formula. I want to thank the parents, school administrators and staff, and especially the kids in Monroe and across the state who used their voices and spoke up for increased funding.

Statement from Rep. Tony Scott on 'Just Cause' Proposal

Hartford, CT – Call it what it is, it's state sanctioned trespassing. The so-called Just Cause bill , would allow someone to overstay the length of the term of their lease, regardless of the wants of the property owner, indefinitely. A lease is a contract, and just like an Airbnb, a car or a hotel, there is a signed agreement between two parties for a period of time, for payment. People who own property and rent it out will have their rights taken away under this proposal. I believe this bill could hurt tenants. There will be a lot more attempted evictions and that court action will be on a tenant's record leading to a hard time getting a rental in the future. SB 257 is a slippery slope that could have unintended consequences and we as a legislature must consider all the ramifications of what we do.