Zupkus Op-ed: Legislative Update

Legislative Update
by State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus

As the state legislature moves through the 2016 legislative session, I continue to express my deep concern and frustration about the direction in which our state is headed. Daily news headlines continue to report that our state is in fiscal trouble, with little sign of relief. After the last budget passed on June 3, 2015, the legislature was immediately called back into session less than 4 weeks later because of the howling and public outcry to undo the burdensome taxes on residents and businesses the majority party approved. Three months later, in mid-September, Governor Malloy instituted $103 million in rescissions, including deep cuts made to community hospitals, in an attempt to balance the budget.

To make matters worse, on December 9, 2015, the legislature was again called into a special session to fix the $350 million deficit facing the state. Again, with promises that this fix was going to mend the underlying problems and put our state back on solid fiscal ground, the majority party passed yet another ‘mitigation plan’ to solve the deficit. Unsurprisingly, just three short months later, it was reported that Connecticut had again fallen short and was now facing a new $220 million deficit. The legislature has been called in for a budget session next Tuesday, March 29 where, once again, we will be tasked with attempting to remedy the fiscal crisis our state is facing. I’m also greatly concerned because on April 15, tax revenues will be updated. We will undoubtedly be facing revenue shortfalls, which would mean that immediately, whatever budget fix is put in place next week will completely fall out of balance two weeks later.

It is utterly disheartening that the majority party is content to operate fiscally under what is sadly becoming the ‘new norm’ of cycling quarterly budget deficits, only to continue to cover those deficits at the expense of the elderly, the needy and the most vulnerable, and while raising taxes on the middle class. This is not the way that an efficient government should run, and we, the people of Connecticut demand better.

With this being a ‘budget adjustment year’, the legislature is tasked with addressing fiscal and budgetary issues. With the ongoing budget crisis we continue to face, the legislature should be focused solely on making meaningful long-term, structural reforms to put a stop to the fiscal hemorrhaging that is taking place and begin to focusing on putting Connecticut back on solid ground with sustainable, predictable policies in place.

It is evident that over the last year, the majority party favored policies of patchwork budgeting is not working for our state. What’s even more bewildering is that instead of making the budget our number one priority in the legislature, we are instead concerned about passing bills that mandate water sprinkler fire extinguishers in homes, regulate pricing on liquor, fund police training, or charge businesses $1 per hour for every employee that makes under $15 (where the money does not benefit the employee and go into their pocket, but instead goes into the state’s general fund).

Our main concern this session should be to get our fiscal house in order and put our state on a better path, where our businesses want to stay and create jobs, our residents can make an honest living and take care of their families without struggling and our most vulnerable residents and those who are in need of help receive it.