State Budget

taxrelief
May 4, 2022
After months of negotiation and hearing input from residents across our state, I am happy to pass along great news. On Monday, the House of Representatives passed the state budget proposal which provides $600 million in historic tax relief to meet this moment of need for so many residents in our state. 

The state budget proposal creates the first-ever child tax credits, a 100% exemption on retirement income, a cap on car taxes, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and continues suspension of the gas tax. It also makes vital investments in the following areas:
 
Our state budget delivers on policies that are steps forward to achieving our environmental goals, including better health outcomes for all residents. The budget investments for a cleaner environment include:
  • New incentives for consumer and commercial electric vehicles
  • Establishing the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species
  • More sophisticated testing of shellfish
  • Repopulating native salmon and eel populations 
  • New waste management programming
  • Increasing access to rebates and vouchers to buy electric vehicles through programs like CHEAPR
  • Equalizing the registration fee for electric vehicles with all other motor vehicles and establishing a voucher program for the purchase of electric bicycles

In case you missed it, please see below for my speech on the House floor about the climate emergency:
 
This session we have been focused on responding to the ongoing youth mental health crisis, which has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although our schools have reopened for in-person learning and many precautionary measures have been rolled back, our students are still grappling with the social and emotional consequences. 

The budget will:

  • Assist local schools in expanded mental health staff and access to care
  • Provide mental health training to parents, students, and pediatricians
  • Help school-based health centers develop new mental health programming
  • Create new walk-ins for mental health emergencies
  • Establish a new position at the Healthcare Advocate to help families navigate care for children and adolescents
  • Expand 24/7 emergency mental health response
  • Establish state oversight and coordination of state response to kids' mental health needs
  • Expand mentorship opportunities
 
With our Rainy Day fund at a historic high and a projected budget surplus, Connecticut is investing in:
  • Arts and Culture
    • The pandemic had devasting impacts on Connecticut's arts sector. We're supporting the creative economy by investing in our museums, theatres, and other venues throughout the state. 
  • Social Services
    • Since the start of the pandemic, demand for nonprofit services has risen dramatically, and the high rates of inflation has impacted their operations. We're making direct investments in nonprofit agencies to help them keep up with inflation and continue serving our must vulnerable communities.
  • Minority-Owned Businesses
    • We're providing increased business development funding for minority-owned businesses to drive economic prosperity in our communities and make Connecticut more equitable.
 
Our schools are still rebounding from the pandemic, and this budget will ensure our students and educators have the supports they need to succeed. The budget will:
  • Increase local funding for special education
  • Expand minority teacher scholarships
  • Expand school choice opportunities
  • Stabilize funding for CT colleges and Universities
  • Expand successful LEAP attendance program
  • Double funding for bilingual education