Posted on September 13, 2019 by jdooley
HARTFORD – State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) along with Senate and House Republican colleagues announced newly released details on a grocery store tax included in the Democrat state budget set to go into effect October 1, 2019 which could potentially encompass all cooked food from a rotisserie chicken to eight ounces of soup.
The Democrat-approved 7.35% tax will be applied to a long list of food items that have never been taxed when sold in grocery stores before, according to the state Department of…
Posted on September 12, 2019 by jdooley
HARTFORD–State Representative Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) joined the House Republican leadership today in calling on Gov. Lamont to stop holding local projects hostage in an effort to secure his plan for highway tolls.
The bond package has been delayed for months as the governor continues to push for tolls. All of the items Republicans singled out were part of the governor’s original bonding proposal and were later supported by Democrats on the Finance Committee but were never taken up by the majority party…
Posted on September 6, 2019 by jdooley
I would like to let the students in my district know that the Connecticut General Assembly is now accepting applications for the 2020 Legislative Internship Program!
As a member of the legislature’s Internship Committee, I have a great appreciation for the program and the value being an intern can provide you. A legislative internship is something that will stay with you forever, teaching you about the legislative process, teamwork, working collegially across party lines and working with constituents…
Posted on August 26, 2019 by jdooley
HARTFORD- In a bi-partisan, unanimous vote to provide fuel assistance to low income families across Connecticut, State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) supported this year’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Plan in the Appropriations committee today.
During a joint meeting of the Appropriations, Energy, and Human Services committees, Zupkus voted unanimously for the federal block grant LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Plan) that helps low income households cover the costs of deliverable fuels.…
Posted on August 9, 2019 by jdooley
Posted on July 31, 2019 by jdooley
I want to remind the residents of Bethany, Cheshire, and Prospect that a new state law on placing a ten cent tax on plastic bags takes effect on August 1st.
The legislation, Public Act 19-117, which was a section of the state budget, creates a statewide plastic bag fee of .10 cents per “single-use checkout bag” that must be collected by retailers making sales in Connecticut.
The collectors of this fee include a “store” defined as any retailer who is registered for Connecticut sales tax that sells…
Posted on July 24, 2019 by jdooley
Zupkus Opposes Special Deal for Hartford
HARTFORD- State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) voted against a sweetheart school construction deal for the City of Hartford Monday in the legislature’s Special Session.
Normally, the state school construction bill passes without opposition but today many members including Rep. Zupkus objected to language giving Hartford additional reimbursement which was higher than is typically given to town school projects. The total amount of state funds in school construction…
Posted on July 8, 2019 by jdooley
BETHANY- State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus and State Senator George Logan held a Town Hall Meeting in Bethany last week to provide residents with a post-session recap about the 2019 legislative session, the state budget and the debate on how to fund our state transportation projects without tolls.
Sen. Logan and Rep. Zupkus spoke to approximately twenty Bethany residents at the Town Hall.
Both Sen. Logan and Rep. Zupkus talked about how they opposed the state budget due to its many taxes, almost $2 Billion…
Posted on July 2, 2019 by jdooley
Prospect/Cheshire – State Representative Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) and State Senator Rob Sampson (R-16) hosted a Town Hall meeting at the Prospect Town Hall and Legislative Coffee Hour at McDonalds’ in Cheshire to discuss the just concluded 2019 legislative session, including the state budget, tolls as well as state and local concerns.
“I always enjoy having an open and engaging discussion with the residents I represent on topics affecting their daily lives,” said Rep. Zupkus. “Residents are frustrated with the current policies that are hampering job growth and causing residents to move. It is an unfortunate story playing out in Prospect and Cheshire, and throughout the state, many of our neighbors are leaving for lower cost states because Connecticut keeps dipping into their wallets one to many times. I understand their frustrations, and I am working to make the necessary structural changes we need to make to create a sustainable and predictable state government that we will attract businesses and people back to our state.”
The legislators fielded questions for an hour on issues ranging from out–of-control state spending to the ever-growing state budget including new state labor contracts pushed through on partisan lines.…
Posted on June 28, 2019 by jdooley
Every year, the Office of Legislative Research (OLR), the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA), and the Legislative Commissioners’ Office (LCO) compile a report of the major issues passed during the 2019 Legislative Session.
Also included is a budget summary with details on the many taxes that were approved in the state budget.
OLR provides brief descriptions on a number of issues in this report including legislation on opioid drugs, education, transportation and the state’s business climate, among…