Posted on June 30, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

After five months of committee hearings, public testimony, and floor debates, the 2021 legislative session adjourned at midnight on June 9, ending my first regular session as your representative. A special session was held on June 16 during which cannabis legalization and the budget implementer were passed. I’ll send a separate e-mail with my thoughts on that session and those bills.

Covered in this update are two significant bills passed during the final days of regular session: HB 6688 (the truck tax), and HB 6689.

HB 6688 – AN ACT CONCERNING A HIGHWAY USE FEE

HB 6688 passed by a vote of 88-59 in the House, and 22-14 in the Senate, with all Republicans voting “NO.” This highway use tax will charge large trucks based on their weight (26,000 pounds or more) and classification (classes 8-13) at a rate of 2.5 – 17.5 cents per mile. The tax applies to both in-state and out-of-state trucks that use Connecticut roads and highways. It is projected to raise $90 million per year for the Special Transportation Fund (STF).