Opinion: 2016 Legislative Session
The state legislature is preparing to head into the 2016 legislative session, which begins on February 3. This being an even-numbered year, the legislature will convene for a three-month period in what is referred to as a ‘short session’. During this time period, my legislative colleagues and I will be focusing on budgetary matters, and we will also be debating on matters raised through the committee process.
We will be addressing many important issues facing our communities and the State of Connecticut. The state budget will continue to be a contentious area of focus. Only one short month ago, the majority party passed a deficit mitigation plan in a special session to deal with the $350 million budget deficit at the end of 2015; a plan I strongly opposed and voted against.
Unsurprisingly, the governor’s budget director just released projections for a current-year deficit. Managing these budget issues will be a priority this session and I will work with my colleagues to support policies that rein in out-of-control spending, taxing and overregulation; policies which drive companies like GE to question Connecticut’s commitment to a stable business climate in which businesses of all sizes can grow and thrive. In GE’s case, leadership began exploring relocation plans for a state with a pro-business environment immediately following the passage of the state budget in June, 2015. Earlier this month, GE announced the move of its headquarters from CT to Boston.
Our current policies are clearly not putting our state on the right path, as evidenced not only by the deficit projections for 2016, but also the ballooning deficits in the out years. We need to focus on meaningful, long-term structural changes that will get our fiscal house in order. It is vital to the fiscal health of Connecticut that we stop using a band-aid approach in addressing our budgetary problems and end this cycle of fiscal irresponsibly.
I look forward to keeping you informed and sharing important information as we move through the legislative session. It is important to me that I represent my constituents to the best of my ability. Your input is very important because it informs me on the views of the people I represent. I will continue to submit my monthly column to share updates from the State Capitol. In addition, please visit my website www.repzupkus.com for current legislative information as it happens; you can also sign up to receive my newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/repzupkus . I do my best to post relevant information to you, your community and your businesses.
There are also several resources available to keep you informed and track what is happening at the State Capitol and I encourage you to take advantage of them.
Connecticut General Assembly: www.cga.ct.gov *Information on new bills, Legislative Committees, Caucuses, and events in the Capitol and Legislative Office Building, including public hearings. Connecticut Network (TV broadcast on cable access): www.ct-n.com *Watch live video of proceedings at the State Capitol and the Legislative Office Building, including session and public hearings. A DVR feature is also available.
Office of Fiscal Analysis: www.cga.ct.gov/ofa *Information regarding state revenue, general fund projections, recent rescissions made by the Governor, town grant data, and historical data on state spending. Read about the state budget as it stands at www.cga.ct.gov/ofa/explorebudget.asp .
Office of the State Comptroller: www.osc.ct.gov/openct
*Non-partisan reports on how state government spends taxpayer dollars. Office of Legislative Research: www.cga.ct.gov.olr
*Non-partisan reports on expansive issues from job creation to behavioral health. Summaries of public acts and committee documents are also available.