Geraldo Reyes Jr

I was glad to see Governor Malloy sign the bipartisan budget I supported to close this year’s budget gap and move our state forward.

Throughout the year, I have had the opportunity to talk with many of you either through email, phone calls, or around town about the need to preserve services that our community relies on and make lasting structural changes. I believe this budget does that in a number of areas.

This budget:

• Rejects Gov. Malloy’s plan to burden local town and education budgets with state pension obligations;
• Does not increase sales or income taxes;
• Avoids the draconian education cuts proposed by the Republicans and the Governor’s Executive Order;
• Reinstates funding to our state universities and colleges;
• Invests in our tech schools and workforce development programs;
• Protects many of the social service and youth services programs our residents rely on, including Care4Kids and DDS funding;
• Implements spending and bonding caps to help reduce our long-term debt;
• Creates a process for distressed municipalities to apply for increased funding and assistance in restructuring debt with more state oversight and saves Hartford from having to declare bankruptcy;
• Requires future state labor contracts to be voted on by the Legislature;
• Provides for a sustainable revenue source to ensure the long-term solvency of the Special Transportation Fund;
• Saves CEP to keep special interests out of state elections.

Now that the prolonged budget debate is behind us and with the next legislative session slated to commence in the coming few months, we can redirect our focus to passing bills that strengthen our economy and invest in our municipalities.