Stephen Meskers

I am honored and excited to be appointed Chair of the Commerce Committee and am looking forward to working with the administration and furthering its pro-business agenda. I thank Speaker Ritter and Majority Leader Rojas for placing their confidence in me to lead this Committee.

I am pleased to report that responsible budgeting and major structural changes made to pension and teachers' retirements plans are putting Connecticut on much more solid fiscal ground and saving taxpayers billions in debt payments.

With many families in Connecticut facing added financial strain due to rising prices, the legislature went into special session earlier this week to provide some relief. A bipartisan bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Lamont extends the current suspension of the gasoline tax, provides additional funding for energy assistance programs, and continues premium pay for frontline workers.

The state has announced a five-year, $46.6 million investment to expand small business assistance programs across Connecticut, specifically supporting small business owners who may have previously experienced barriers to accessing financial support. This initiative will also support startup businesses, which is great news for our economy.

Access Health CT's (AHCT) Open Enrollment Period will open on Tuesday, November 1. During this period, individuals can renew their coverage, explore the various policy options for the first time or see if they can save money.

Earlier this summer, the Biden Administration announced student loan debt relief, and I'm pleased to share that the application is now open!

This weekend, several new laws in Connecticut will go into effect on October 1. These laws are a result of my colleagues' hard work during the 2022 session.

State Comptroller Natalie Braswell announced that her office will transfer $3.1 billion into the rainy-day fund. This move triggers a statutory mandate that requires a one-time, special payment of $2.8 billion to be made toward the state’s unfunded pension liabilities.