April 27, 2016

Pathway To Sustainability

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Below you will find some information regarding recent happenings at the Capitol, specifically the Republican budget plan to balance our state’s projected $935 million deficit for the next fiscal year (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017).

Area Lawmakers: Republican Budget Plan Doesn’t Cut Local Education Funding; Makes Structural Changes Without Tax Hike

The current fiscal year ends June 30th, and you might recall that in late March the legislature approved a plan to ensure the state wouldn’t finish the year with a $220 million deficit. It was the second such “deficit mitigation” plan applied to the budget, which also saw Gov. Malloy make his own cuts to the extent allowable by state law.

Last week, we received news that wasn’t entirely unexpected: tax receipts are coming in lower than projected, ripping a $140 million hole in the budget. The legislature and the governor have yet to work out a plan to reduce this deficit.

In addition, the fiscal year that begins July 1 is $935 million in deficit. The legislature’s Appropriations Committee approved a plan to reduce some of that deficit and it included cutting education money the state provides to local school districts, especially hitting those in the 23rd District. Gov. Malloy then proposed deeper cuts by zeroing out education cost sharing grants to our towns. I’m opposed to those plans—we can’t shift the state’s problems to students and local taxpayers. I’ve advocated for structural budget changes to break this perpetual fiscal crisis.

Early this week, I stood with House and Senate Republicans in not only offering a plan to balance next fiscal year’s budget, but to also issue a fiscal framework to break us out of this deficit cycle. Click the image below to see our plan:

It is my hope that we can come to a positive, bipartisan agreement using this budget proposal as a guideline. However, the ball is in the court of the Democratic majority and Governor Malloy.

In other legislative news, I recently supported:

A proposal to create a relief fund for firefighters with cancer
A proposal to increase access to opioid reversal drugs
A proposal to implement an entrepreneur learner’s permit , which will help new business owners

Click on the following image to watch a video of me speak in favor of legislation to combat opiate addiction in Connecticut, which passed in the House of Representatives and now heads to the state Senate for further action.

In-District News

Just a reminder, National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is this Saturday, April 30 from 10:00 am – 2 pm. Please bring your unwanted prescriptions to any of the following locations:

Westbrook Resident Trooper Office, 866 Boston Post Road, Westbrook
Old Lyme Fire Department, Lyme Street Firehouse, 69 Lyme Street, Old Lyme
East Lyme Police Department, 278 Main Street, Niantic

End Of Session Updates

With the 2016 legislative session set to conclude on May 4, please keep an eye out for upcoming end-of-session updates in the district. These meetings will provide you with an opportunity to voice your thoughts and ask any questions regarding state and local issues.

Again, please feel free to contact me at any time.

All the best,

State Representative Devin Carney

23rd General Assembly District