Kevin Brown

During the 2023 Legislative Session, I worked with my colleagues to pass a new two-year state budget that stands up for consumers, including a freeze of scheduled increases on the diesel tax, which helps lower the price of groceries and other commodities while reducing the cost of doing business in Connecticut.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in our country. This important holiday was unknown to many for several years, but thanks to the tireless work of advocates, it is now rightfully recognized throughout the country.

The 2023 legislative session came to a close at midnight last Wednesday. I am proud of all of the legislation that my colleagues and I were able to craft, debate and pass during our time in Hartford. Below are a few bills that passed over the past few days:

The Connecticut Department of Transportation recently announced a project that will help keep our roads safer. The department has begun designing Wrong Way Detection Systems, which will be installed at 42 limited access highway off-ramps, including two in Vernon.

K-12 needed more resources, so we prioritized educational spending and special education funding in the new two-year balanced and bipartisan state budget approved by the House of Representatives.

After months of negotiations, the House of Representatives delivered a state budget that includes the largest income tax cut in the state’s history and significant increases in funding for local schools, also known as Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funds.

The House was in session this week. My colleagues and I were able to pass several pieces of legislation, including a few that I wanted to highlight:

We are delivering on key legislative priorities this session by addressing specific concerns affecting our Intellectually, Developmentally Disabled (IDD) population, which has been lacking adequate funding and services for far too long.