Hartford—The House approved a $51 billion, two-year budget on a vote of 139-12. Broad-based tax relief proposed by House Republicans was adopted in the budget plan, including a reduction in the income tax from 5% to 4.50% and 3% to 2%.

“I am pleased we’re helping the middle-class through tax relief and helping the nonprofits by increasing their funding by 2.5 percent. While the Highway use Tax was unfortunately not eliminated under this plan, the reporting requirement will be moved to quarterly instead…

Hartford— A contentious zoning reform proposal calculating affordable housing needs was going to be mandated, but the bill narrowly approved 78-68 in the early morning hours on Saturday turned it into a study. This bill was brought out shortly before midnight Friday as an amendment to an unrelated bill.

“Under this bill, the Secretary of Office and Policy Management would assess the need for affordable housing, by town, for informational purposes. There is no action under this bill on what those…

Hartford — The Connecticut Senate has given unanimous consent to a bill previously approved by the House of Representatives to improve public safety in and around Squantz Pond State Park. State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) along with Senators Stephen Harding (R-30) and Julie Kushner (D-24) introduced H.B. 5009, requiring the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish a safety capacity and closure of the park to more visitors, regardless of entry by vehicle or…

Hartford—The House has approved a bear management bill.  State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-New Fairfield) voted in favor of the bill but believes more needs to be done to reduce bear-human interactions.

State law generally prohibits the killing of bears, but this bill addresses the taking of bears in self-defense, allows the taking of certain nuisance wildlife, and prohibits intentionally feeding potentially dangerous animals.

“The Environment Committee heard testimony on other bills that would…

Hartford—The House has unanimously approved An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Department of Motor Vehicles. SB 994 contains a provision proposed by State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) about emergency contact notifications.

This bill calls for a study on the feasibility of establishing and maintaining an emergency contact information database or a revision of motor vehicle records to add emergency contact information.

“This would provide law enforcement and first responders…

Hartford– The House has unanimously passed a bill Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) introduced to establish the crime of Harmful Communication With a Minor.

HB 6737 would ensure predators who are purposely targeting children with harmful intent can now be brought to justice with the creation of a new Class A misdemeanor.

” Having served for 30 years as an Adult Probation Officer and Chief Probation Officer supervising sex offender groups, I want to note that this addresses a loophole that was…

Hartford—State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) voted against An Act Concerning Extended Producer Responsibility for Tires, creating a stewardship program to oversee the collection and recycling of used tires.

As Ranking Member of the Environment Committee, I questioned the proposed changes included in the bill. Currently, retailers charge about a $5 fee to customers to accept and dispose of old tires.

“While I support the goal of preventing illegal dumping, that’s already against the laws…

Sherman—State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) presented citations to Sherman School students today in recognition of their academic achievement. Sarabelle Hafer, Eliana Ostrosky, and Audrey Wiggins were recipients of the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. The President’s Award for Academic Achievement went to Casey Witt. The students were previously recognized during a school-wide ceremony.

“This recognition speaks to the fine work these students have done in class, and to the…

HARTFORD—House Republicans on Friday called for the legislature’s Judiciary Committee to hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Connecticut Practice Book regulation that specifies the percentage of police or court-set bond an individual must pay to free themselves from jail while their criminal cases are pending.

On May 8, the Rules Committee of the Superior Court held a public hearing on an amendment to CT Practice Book section 38-8 (Ten Percent Cash Bail) that would increase the maximum…

Hartford – The New Milford Delegation hosted “New Milford Day” at the State Capitol on Thursday. State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford), who began the tradition in 2018, was joined by State Representatives Cindy Harrison (R-Southbury), Pat Callahan (R-New Fairfield), and State Senator Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield).

The tradition began as an event for lawmakers to learn about New Milford and its dedicated community partners, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and local programs. The…