Farmington Valley And Today's Planning And Development Public Hearing, Tax Incidence

February 28, 2024


 
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Dear Neighbor,

Please see the video open to this week's newsletter below!
 
I hope you all have a great week,

Eleni
 
THE FARMINGTON VALLEY AND TODAY'S PLANNING
AND DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HEARING 
I am pleased to share that today in the Planning and Development Public Hearing, we discussed HB5272 AAC THE EXPIRATION OF CERTAIN LAND USE APPROVALS AND THE NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION GUARANTEE FUND. The reason for the bill was to attempt to mitigate the problems towns and constituents in the Farmington Valley faced because of a builder acting in purported bad faith.
 
I have worked on this bill for over a year taking into account the input of municipal leaders, constituents, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Department of Consumer Protection among others. This bill seeks to do several things.
 
First, as you may be aware, Connecticut has a New Home Construction Guarantee Fund that protects consumers. Enacted in 1999, the current statute will allow awards of up to $30,000 if you meet the requirements outlined in the statute. As it is 25 years later, it’s time for that amount to be raised and we hope to raise it to $50,000. Typically any money that is left in this fund is swept into the general fund and we want to ensure more money is going into the pockets of people who were harmed.
 
Second, the bill seeks to fix an unintended consequence of legislation from 2020. PA23-163 extended approval times for development to up to 14 years of certain properties. While the intent was to address some of the lag time builders were experiencing during the pandemic, the intent was not to allow developments where people had moved in to have to wait on a developer/builder for 14 years to complete critical infrastructure like safety fencing, landscaping, water mitigation, and roads. The fix would allow towns to set an earlier date for completion, especially if no measurable work is being done for multiple years.
 
We received great feedback today that will improve the bill further and I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues on it as we move it through the legislative process.

Please watch the video below.
 
 
NO SURPRISES FROM LATEST TAX INCIDENCE REPORT
In Connecticut, we tend to conduct studies where we are not surprised with the outcome. We know Connecticut’s tax system is regressive; it’s one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on and something we frequently hear from our working and middle-class constituents.

The numbers show the state relies on the middle class and working poor to support it more than the wealthy. Half of Connecticut tax filers pay over 20% of their income to state and local taxes. The top 1% pays less than 10%.

With the Tax Incidence Study, we can enact changes to taxation that will ultimately move our state forward and attract businesses and, more importantly, their future employees while investing in our most important asset – our people.

For a look at the study from Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark Boughton, please click on the image below.
 
FOR PPP BORROWERS IN DEFAULT 
From the Small Business Association's CT District Office...
  • PPP borrowers in default must comply by March 3rd
  • Failure to comply will result in referral to the U.S. Department of Treasury for collections with exuberant fees
  • PPP borrowers can avoid default and repercussions by completing the PPP forgiveness application

Resources Available for PPP forgiveness:
 
PLEASE TAKE MY SURVEY
I have heard from many of you since adding the survey here last week. I thank you for your responses and I do read them. As I mentioned before, I also use them to inform my positions and representation of our district.

Thanks for helping make me a better legislator and if you haven't done so already, please click on the image below to take the survey.
 
EARLY VOTING STARTS IN MARCH
The early voting dates for the 2024 Presidential Primary are March 26th, 27th, 28th, and 30th with local polls open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Presidential Primary is April 2. Voting is from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your local polling place. For more voter information, please click on the image below.
 
CONNECTICUT AND BLACK HISTORY 
Connecticut Black women during WWII!
 
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH BEGINS FRIDAY
Though it’s Leap Year and we have an extra day of February tomorrow, Women’s History Month kicks off on Friday and I look forward to sharing important women from history with you. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,

Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative
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