The funding is on the Bond Commission’s agenda for approval Friday, April 27, 2012, in Room 1E, Legislative Office Building, at 10:30 a.m.

The Beachport Housing funding is provided under the Department of Economic and Community’s Housing Trust Fund and involves 20 housing units.

“This is great news for Beachport Affordable Housing and the need to provide the additional housing,” Rep. Fritz said. “I have been working hard to secure the funding and am pleased Governor Malloy has placed the funding on the Bond Commission’s agenda for approval.”

Rep. Fritz welcomed funding for the following projects;

• Ball and Socket Arts, Inc., Community Arts Center, Cheshire; $1,689,000, these funds to finance various projects under the Regional Brownfield Loan Fund.
• North Farms Dam, Wallingford; $1,150,000, to finance the design of repairs to state-owned dams that have been determined to be high or significant hazards.
• Cheshire Fire School; $800,000, these funds will provide additional funds for design and architectural services for Fire Training School construction projects that also include projects in Torrington, Fairfield, Willimantic and Beacon Falls.

Rep. Fritz has been in the forefront supporting the Connecticut State Firefighters Association effort to ensure a long-term construction plan to upgrade the state’s regional fire schools.

"It is critical for the community, small businesses and the local economy that we keep the Wallingford facility open", said Rep. Fritz. "This facility was built in 1995 and has more space, more modern equipment and truck bays than Hartford. The proposal to move operations and workers to Hartford just doesn't make sense."

“The Wallingford facility provides vital services to the residents and businesses in our area and its closing will severely impact our local economy; including the loss of roughly 300 jobs,” said Sen. Fasano. “With high unemployment going into the new year now is not the time to lay people off.”

Connecticut currently has an unemployment rate of 8.4% (CT Labor Dept. as of Nov. 2011) one of the highest in the nation.

Sen. Fasano and Rep. Fritz joined a statewide delegation of U.S. Representatives and workers from the facility this week, as they discussed the proposed shut down. At the meeting of nearly 400 people - Senator Fasano stressed the importance of keeping the facility open in the community and of the resolve workers showed during the October 2001 anthrax contamination at the site.

“We will fight to keep this facility open,” said Sen. Fasano.

Senator Fasano has sent a letter urging the U.S. Postmaster General to reconsider closing the Southern Connecticut distribution center as the Postmaster General looks to stream line postal service around the country.

State Rep. Mary Fritz receives award from CGGA President Joe Arisco (right)
and Executive Director Bob Heffernan

"Virtually every greenhouse grower in her Cheshire-Wallingford district is on a first-name basis with this remarkable legislator," said CGGA Executive Director Bob Heffernan in introducing the award. "For nearly 30 years from her seat in the legislature, Mary has defended our growers time and time again. Because flowers and plants are more than half of all of agriculture in the state, Mary has uniquely understood her responsibility and took it on with great strength and determination,"

"There are 187 legislators in the Connecticut legislature, but each of them knows who carries the weight for the green industry -- who's the true expert on all our issues, and that's none other than Mary Fritz," said Heffernan.

“This award honors me greatly,” Rep. Fritz said. “Bill Milikowski had a vision for growers in the State of Connecticut and made it happen by founding this great organization.”

Connecticut Green Industries include local florists, greenhouses, garden centers, nurseries and landscapers. They represent half of Connecticut’s agricultural businesses with $1.1 billion in sales, or 3,000 companies that employ about 48,000 people.

More information on Connecticut Green Industries can be found at: www.flowersplantsinct.com.

“Town budgets are strained and residents need services. Cheshire and other towns will now be able to collect revenue more easily,” said Fritz. “I am pleased that Cheshire will be receiving this much needed revenue.”

The bill subjects telecommunications companies to generally applicable property tax collection laws for assessment years beginning on or after October 1, 2011.

HB 6292, An Act Concerning Personal Property Taxes by Certain Telecommunications Companies unanimously passed both the House and Senate.

The project is funded in part by the state and the town, but mostly through the Cheshire Library Gift Fund.

“I am very pleased that the project can now move forward with the last part of funding in place. These improvements will impact every library patron in a very positive way,” said Rep. Fritz. “Months of hard work have gone into securing the dollars to cover the construction costs and the project should be completed this year.”

The project includes renovations to the library with a reconfigured lobby and improvements to the children’s area. The lobby will have new electronic self-checkout stations that will scan the new radio frequency identification tags to be added to the library’s inventory. Those tags will allow for faster checkouts using the new self-service electronic tag readers.

The changes in the Children’s area will provide more space for families and young children while adding new study space for teenagers to do their work.

Total project cost is estimated at $160,000 and should be completed in the fall. The $50,000 from the state will be matched by $50,000 from the Library Gift Fund and the remaining $60,000 comes from Cheshire’s Capital Budget from last year.

The IRS Free File has offered low-to-moderate income taxpayers free since 2003, access to leading commercial tax preparation software. This year, every taxpayer with a 2010 Adjusted Gross Income of $58,000 or less may visit www.IRS.gov/efile to prepare, complete and e-file their federal and state tax returns at no cost.

“This is a great opportunity to use IRS Free File tax preparation software so you can easily prepare and e-file your federal and state taxes at no cost,” said Rep. Fritz.

Taxpayers may visit the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, and click on the “Free File” icon. Users will find a list of Free File Alliance member companies and may either choose the one that fits their needs or utilize the “help me find a company” tool. After selecting a company, taxpayers will be transferred to the company's website to prepare, complete and electronically file their federal income tax returns. Three of the 19 participating software companies also offer services in Spanish.

Rep. Fritz urged residents to make sure their computers and networks are secure before preparing their taxes online. “Please make sure your wireless network is secure, your antivirus software is up-to-date and establish a unique password,” Rep. Fritz said.

The State of Connecticut is among 38 states which allow taxpayers the ability to also file their state returns from the IRS site. Just click on the link marked “Federal/State e-file options” in the lower right hand side of the www.IRS.gov/efile page.