Rep. Fishbein, Republicans Unveil No-Tax-Increase Budget

State Representative Craig Fishbein (R-90) today joined his Republican House and Senate colleagues and unveiled the fully vetted, no-tax-increase “Confident Connecticut” budget that preserves vital state services while making structural changes to alleviate future financial stressors that have led to a “permanent financial crisis” and massive, repeated budget deficits.

The proposal released today does not increase taxes or push state expenses onto towns, cities or hospitals, while also increasing education funding under a new Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, restores core social service programs and confidence in government to budget within a spending cap.

“Make no mistake, the budget plan we put out this afternoon is a tough one, but it is a practical solution to turn Connecticut’s economy around,” Rep. Fishbein, a member of the legislature’s Conservative Caucus, said. “By making tough choices to live within our means and spend no more than we bring in, we can begin to undue decades of fiscal mismanagement and straighten out the future. With predictable taxation and state spending, taxpayers and businesses will have the stability and confidence to flourish.”

The plan spends $700 million less than the Democrats’ and $313 million less than Governor Malloy’s proposals. It also enacts the Republican “Prioritize Progress”  transportation plan to repair and replace deteriorating roads and bridges by investing $63 billion over 30 years without adding tolls or increasing taxes, and strengthens the Special Transportation Fund in future years by reducing reliance on transportation related revenue for use in the General Fund.