February Legislative Update – the Start of the 2018 Session

On Wednesday, February 7th, the 2018 Legislative Session commenced its “short session.” This three month session only allows legislators to propose bills related to budgetary, revenue and financial matters; bills on other subject matters may only be brought up by committees. Since the current fiscal year budget is about $245M, it is important that the legislature stay focused on improving Connecticut’s current economic outlook.

Regarding the budget, Governor Malloy released his proposed state budget adjustments earlier this week. His recommendations include new taxes, higher fees, the elimination of certain tax credits and tax exemptions, and additional sweeps of state programs to balance the budget.

Click here for more information from the governor’s office on his proposal.

Click here for the legislature’s non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis with a summary of the governor’s plan.

Click here for an article on the governor’s budget proposal from the CT Mirror.

One thing to keep in mind is that the governor’s budget proposal is just that – his proposal. The legislature’s Appropriations Committee and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee will also have the opportunity to craft legislation to fix the current deficit. I sit on the Finance Committee, so I will be engaged in the discussion.

The first step in this process is hearing from the public. The Appropriations Committee will host a series of public hearings over the course of this month. Input from the public, local leaders, state agency heads and other interested parties will help the Committee craft a budget that will be forwarded for consideration.

The Appropriations committee will be holding public hearings all week beginning February 15th. Please check here for their budget-hearing schedule.

I hope you will consider sharing your thoughts with the committee and me. Your voice matters, click here for some pointers on how to testify.

If you plan to attend any of the state budget public hearings, please submit 30 copies of written testimony at the time of sign-up, but not later than 2:00 P.M. on the day of the public hearing. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing.

If you cannot testify but wish to submit testimony, please email your written testimony in Word or PDF format to APPtestimony@cga.ct.gov and copy my office email at Devin.Carney@housegop.ct.gov.

The Appropriations committee has a deadline of April 5th to report out a state budget.

2018 Major Issues Report

Aside from the state budget, legislative committees will be considering other proposals. The state’s non-partisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) recently issued its report on important issues that the General Assembly may face during the 2018 legislative session.

These issues may include tolls, reducing state regulations, electric vehicles, the legalization of marijuana, revising the state’s education cost sharing formula, renewable energy goals, and paid family medical leave, among others.

You can view or download the report by clicking here. I hope you will share your thoughts with me on any of these issues and others that are important to you.

Staying Up-To-Date

I encourage you to also stay up to date with legislative activity by checking the following resources:

CT-N– you can follow committee meetings and House debates as they unfold live on Connecticut’s public affairs television network, CT-N, or by streaming the proceedings online here.

The CGA Website– the Connecticut General Assembly website provides a variety of resources including bill search and a daily calendar of events happening at the Capitol. To visit the website, click here.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at (860) 240-8700 and devin.carney@housegop.ct.gov.

Sincerely,

Devin Carney