Rep. Pizzuto Calls for Restoration of Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund to Municipalities
Key Takeaways
- Rep. Bill Pizzuto calls to restore tribal fund distributions to municipalities.
- Bill would set fixed annual distribution of about $152 million statewide.
- Municipal leaders demand predictable funding to lower property tax pressure.
Rep. Pizzuto Calls for Return of Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund Dollars to Municipalities
Hartford, CT. – Legislators and municipal leaders joined together at the State Capitol to call for restoration of the Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund to its originally codified level. State Representative Bill Pizzuto (R-71), who represents Middlebury and Waterbury, was among those co-sponsoring legislation to ensure predictable and equitable funding moving forward.
"The legislature should be doing everything it can to help municipalities bring down property tax levels, and one way we can do that is by restoring this funding stream to the statutory level," said Rep. Pizzuto.
For 25 years, starting in 1993, every Connecticut municipality received annual grants from the Mashantucket Pequot Mohegan Fund. Since 2019, 44 towns, including Middlebury, have received nothing due to a state legislative override of the statutory formula, and other cities and towns saw their funding reduced.
"In the Fund’s first year, the State collected approximately $88 million and distributed the entire amount to local governments. Today, the State receives approximately $139 million annually from the Tribal Nations. Despite this increase in revenue, the Governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year Ending 2027 allocates only $54,072,789 to municipalities, which is less than half of the revenue received," noted Rep. Pizzuto.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities asked Rep. Pizzuto to deliver remarks during an April 8, 2026, press conference on this issue. CCM noted that these funds were swept into the State’s General Fund to offset repeated budget deficits.
"Connecticut has enjoyed several years of surpluses, in part because of the fiscal guardrails reining in spending, so the funding streams promised to municipalities should be sent to those cities and towns. They need predictability from Hartford, especially when they are working to craft their own budgets," said Rep. Pizzuto.
Senate Bill 388 would set a fixed annual distribution of approximately $152 million that would be divided among all 169 municipalities.