Rep. Tina Courpas Takes Stand for Constitutional and Fiscal Integrity on the House Floor

Hartford, CT – In a dramatic turn on the House floor Saturday, freshman State Representative Tina Courpas (R-Greenwich) brought debate on a major Democratic proposal to a halt when she correctly pointed out that the Bill being debated employed a funding mechanism so significant that it required a 3/5 vote under the CT Constitution.

The legislation, SB 1, championed by legislative Democrats, proposes using about $300 million in surplus funds for an early childcare “endowment”—a sweeping and expensive allocation of funds. Rep. Courpas pointed out that the Connecticut Constitution places strict limits on how surplus funds can be spent unless approved by a supermajority vote, which in this case was 91 votes.

Courpas’s inquiry was dismissed twice by Democratic members of the House who incorrectly stated that the Bill required a simple majority to pass. Finally, after a third inquiry by Courpas and a pause in proceedings and a huddle among top Democrats, House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) ultimately conceded that Rep. Courpas was, in fact, correct.

Courpas said after the resolution of the Constitutional issue, “The very things that put our state on a better fiscal path are on the table in this bill. This is a bill which takes a very radical step, hence the three-fifths vote. I ask the chamber really to consider what is at stake here.”

Courpas, a freshman Republican from Greenwich, demonstrated a command of both the law and the long-term consequences of irresponsible budgeting.

Courpas said after the vote. “I was disappointed that the question was dismissed two times. However, I thank Speaker Ritter for his leadership, getting to the bottom of the issue, and fairly clarifying it in the end. Most importantly, the funding in the Bill was a major departure from the very controls which have put Connecticut back on the right track fiscally.  I voted no along with many if not all of my House Republican colleagues.  The Bill had good purposes – that was not the issue.  The way it was funded was a radical departure from fiscal responsibility.    Decisions like this are unsustainable for the state.”

The bill gained passage 101 to 45. Rep. Courpas’s intervention was a critical reminder that responsible governance requires more than good intentions—it demands adherence to our Constitutional frameworks designed to protect taxpayers.

Rep. Courpas can be contacted at Tina.Courpas@housegop.ct.gov or (800) 842-1423 with any questions or concerns related to state government. You can also follow her legislative activity by visiting her website, www.cthousegop.com/Courpas or on Instagram and Facebook.