Steve Weir

Rep. Weir Stands in Stron Opposition to Vaccine Bill

"The vaccine bill before the legislature today places unilateral power in the hands of a politically appointed individual. Beyond the true lack of necessity or statistical evidence this legislation is warranted, the authority it grants to one individual while simultaneously removing someone else’s religious rights and freedoms should be a major concern to everyone," Rep. Weir said.

House Republicans Unveil Pathway to Affordability Budget

Lowering costs and smart investments are just two of the ways House Republicans are aiming to provide real sustainable tax relief. Our “Pathway to Affordability” plan delivers $400M in tax cuts while supporting families, first responders, students, and critical services. Key points: ➡️ More than $167 million below the spending cap ➡️ Provides more than $400 million in tax relief ➡️ Sustainable: Doesn’t rely on volatile, one-time revenues ➡️ Reclaims CT revenue from New York ➡️ Spends less than budgets from legislative Democrats and Governor Read more here .

House Republicans Drive Earmark Reform Bill

Recent scrutiny into how legislative earmarks were handed out revealed there was very little oversight into the process. Audits revealed that some of the organizations who were being awarded money lacked any verifiable public presence or solid track record of work. This combined with a federal probe prompted House Republicans to push for reforms. HB-5039 was developed in response to those concerns and the need to provide additional oversight and transparency. An important component of HB-5039 is addressing a gap that allows recipients to pass along funds to another organization without approval, transparency, or accountability. Additionally, earmark recipients would also require prior approval and any organization receiving passed-along funds would also be subject to the same transparency requirements as the original earmark recipient.

House Republicans Offer Plan to Provide Much Needed Tax Relief

Representative Weir and his House Republican colleagues are working to provide residents with real tax relief, not election year gimmicks. Our first proposal would provide permanent tax relief by more than doubling the maximum credit. This would expand income eligibility by approximately $20,000 (for single filers) and ($30,000 for joint filers), benefitting more than 800,000 filers across our state. Connecticut is losing roughly $340 million to New York due to the "convenience of employer" rule. Under this rule, Connecticut residents who are employed by a New York company (but work remotely) are paying income taxes to New York rather than Connecticut. The House Republican's plan would bring that money back to the taxpayers of Connecticut through sustainable relief. Read more here .

Rep. Weir Fights for Parental Choice

Representative Weir stood alongside his Republican colleagues in support of the thousands of Connecticut families who submitted testimony and packed the legislative office building today in support of educational freedom. HB-5468, if implemented as proposed, would directly impact homeschooled, parochial, and private school students. One of my first concerns with this bill is how the public hearing process is being handled and the lack of respect to the thousands of residents who want their government to hear them. Representative Weir believes a troubling aspect of this proposal is the removal of parental choice that permits them to choose which type of education their children receive. In addition, this bill would require parents to submit annual filings with the school district, a curriculum portfolio, and comply with other mandatory reporting requirements. It also involves DCF anytime a child leaves a school system (including moving to another district), which DCF testified it does not have the resources with which to comply. "I oppose HB-5468 because I believe parents should be the ones to make these types of choices that affect their families, not the government," Rep. Weir said.