July 28, 2017

Klarides-Ditria, Logan Meet with Residents in Beacon Falls

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BEACON FALLS – Last week, State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria and state Senator George Logan hosted a post-session recap and budget update in Beacon Falls. The recap provided residents with the opportunity to hear the real facts about the state’s dire fiscal situation and to ask questions about the issues facing the state.

Rep. Klarides-Ditria said, “The reason no budget has been called is the majority party Democrats control what gets called and what doesn’t get called. For months, Republicans have had a balanced no-tax-increase budget on the table, but the Speaker has decided to turn a blind eye to a solid plan that will set Connecticut on a new path forward. If Republicans were in charge, a budget would have been passed during the regular session. We need to take action on a budget immediately, and every day that the Democrats wait, vital state services will be shut down.”

Sen. Logan said, “Rep. Klarides-Ditria and I stand ready, willing and able to do our jobs and to pass a state budget which protects property taxpayers, education funding, and services for our most vulnerable residents. We thank Beacon Falls taxpayers for staying active and apprised of these issues, and we will continue to put the taxpayers first.”

During the meeting, the lawmakers discussed their caucus’ budget plans. The GOP proposals both balance the $5.1 billion deficit and make significant structural changes. Klarides-Ditria and Logan explained that the House and Senate Republican Caucuses continue to be ignored by Democrat leaders, and Republicans are ready for a budget vote.

Both lawmakers, who are in their freshmen year, said they were against the governor’s plan to shift teacher pensions onto municipalities and the Democrats’ plan to raise the sales tax.

Residents focused their questions on the state budget and the state employee pension and healthcare agreement that will be voted on by the legislature*. The legislators said they would not be voting in favor of the SEBAC package because the deal would extend the state employee contract from 2022 to 2027, prevent layoffs for another four years, and doesn’t eliminate longevity pay.

The lawmakers urged residents to view the GOP proposals on their websites, RepNKD.com and SenatorGeorgeLogan.com.

*Note- The House approved the SEBAC package on a nearly party-line vote. The Senate will be taking action on the agreement on Monday, July 31st.