Tolls Public Hearing Scheduled for FRIDAY

If you oppose tolls NOW is the time to make your voice heard loud and clear.

On Friday January 31, 2020, at 1:00 pm in Hartford, CT Democrats are rushing to hold a public hearing on their latest tolls proposal before forcing a vote early next week. You can read more about the bill here.

Draft Bill LCO #373 by Connecticut House Republicans on Scribd

You can come to Hartford on Friday to testify OR you can submit testimony online.

To speak out in Hartford:

• Come to the Legislative Office Building on Friday, January 31, 2020
• Signups will likely be held early in the day to testify later at the 1:00 pm hearing in Room 1E (more information to follow when made available)
• Tips and FAQs about testifying are available on our website by clicking here.
• Stay tuned for more details on how to testify in person.

To submit testimony online:

• Send a brief email ASAP to TRAtestimony@cga.ct.gov
• Put “NO to Draft Bill LCO #373. No to tolls” in the subject line.
• Include your name and town.
• Copy me on the email at Tom.Delnicki@housegop.ct.gov.
• Feel free to attend the hearing on Friday, January 31, 2020, at 1:00 pm in Hearing Room 1E.

What’s in the Democrats latest proposal?

What we do know:

• Tolls would be built in at least 12 locations throughout the state. Nothing in the bill stops the state from building additional toll locations in the future.
• Trucks will have to pay right away.
• Cars will be next. The protections in the bill are not even close to sufficient to stop future car tolling.
• It puts CT taxpayers at risk of lawsuits from the trucking industry and legal challenges from the state of NY.
• It is bought and paid for using taxpayer dollars. The governor is breaking his ‘debt diet’ to increase borrowing to buy votes.
• It borrows more than the Republican no-tolls transportation plan, putting more debt on future generations, and still requires tolls.
• Lawmakers will not have to hold a vote to increase toll rates and answer to taxpayers. The ability to raise rates will be entirely in the hands of a new state transportation council. And there’s nothing taxpayers or lawmakers can do to stop them.

What we don’t know:

• No details on the numbers.
• No details on which transportation projects will be funded, and which projects included in earlier proposals got cut.
• No evidence to show how much revenue tolls will bring in.
• No calculations showing the impact of toll avoidance.
• No analysis of how toll avoidance would impact local roadways.
• No explanation of if and how the Special Transportation Fund would remain in balance.