Rep. Hall Applauds Passage of Biennium Budget, Much Needed Tax Relief

HARTFORD – State Representative Carol Hall voted on Monday night in favor of the state’s $51.1 billion biennium budget that honors the fiscal controls put into place in 2017 bipartisan budget by staying below the spending, bonding, and volatility caps.

One of the most notable inclusions in the biennium budget comes in the way of $800 million in tax relief over the biennium, something Representative Hall and her Republican colleagues championed last spring. While Monday’s budget doesn’t reach the $1 billion in broad-based tax relief proposed by Rep. Hall and her colleagues, it does contain the largest personal income tax cut in state history.

“I’m pleased that this budget includes many initiatives, namely the extensive tax cuts, brought forth by my colleagues were included in this bipartisan budget agreement,” Rep. Hall said. “Working collaboratively always makes for a budget that better represents all of the residents of Connecticut. I’m happy we were able to put together a package that the majority of representatives can sign off on.”

It also includes $5.4 million in property tax relief for veterans, increases to essential crisis intervention call responses provided by 211, additional funding for homeless shelters, a newly created ‘Fallen Hero’ account for families of a fallen officer killed in the line of duty, phasing out the income tax exemption for pension & annuity income and individual retirement accounts, and increases to the Earned Income Tax Credit for working families.

Additionally, East Windsor will now receive $1 million per year as part of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund.

“Securing this additional funding for the Town of East Windsor has been a joint effort from the entire delegation since the decision not to go forth with the casino was made by former Governor Malloy,” Rep. Hall said.

After careful examination by Republicans to the hiring frequency of state agencies, it was determined that millions in allocations were made for state jobs that were never ultimately filled. As a result of this analysis, a real-world approach to forecasting future state employee staffing levels was used to find a $200 million reduction in spending.

The final tally when voted on in the House of Representatives was 139-12. The budget has also overwhelmingly passed the Senate 35-1. It now moves on to the governor’s desk for his signature.

###