Rep. Carter Stands Firm on Budget Priorities

HARTFORD – State Rep. Dan Carter (R-2) cast his vote against the state budget bill and implementer during the legislative special session that convened on Friday, May 13th. The budget measure agreed on by majority Democrats and the governor does not raise state taxes, but cuts municipal aid in a way that will raise local property taxes. It also hits mental health services, bioscience research, education funding and hospital funding across the state.

Rep. Carter vied for protection of these services as well as much-needed structural changes to the way the State of Connecticut budgets in the long term – which was proposed in the Republican Budget Plan that does not raise taxes, does not raid the Rainy Day Fund and makes measured cuts that do not punish the most at risk; such as the poor and elderly. The plan also included a comprehensive five-year strategic plan that reduces spending and achieves savings that will result in actual surpluses.

“I refuse to encourage my constituents to smoke more, drink more, or gamble more,” said Rep. Carter. “But that’s what our legislative majority leaders are asking us to do. We are facing real-life budget deficits of $1.3 billion in 2018 and $1.8 billion in 2019, and our government is clinging to some backwards idea that revenues from cigarette and alcohol sales, and gambling losses, will be enough to cover those holes and allow them to maintain their zealous spending habits. Taxpayers and business owners are struggling as it is. This is not the way to honor what they’ve contributed to our state that’s barely keeping afloat. Let’s get real here: we’re in trouble.”

Amendments supported by Rep. Carter that were offered during the debate aimed at improving the budget package, but were defeated mostly on party-line votes. One of those amendments would have done away with the Citizen’s Election Fund (CEF), which provides millions of taxpayer dollars to candidates for state constitutional and legislative offices to run their campaigns. It’s a disservice to the state of Connecticut to know that state employee layoffs and cuts to already under-funded economic and social institutions are favored above sacrificing taxpayer-funded bumper stickers and campaign lawn signs.

To read more about what’s in the budget (highlights below), please click here: http://cthousegop.com/badbudget/

Cuts to the Most Vulnerable and Needy

• The cuts to hospitals are deeper than the Democrats’ original plan. This proposal includes a $30 million state cut to hospitals and creates a $130 million total cut to hospitals
• There is a $1 million cut to grants for DCF Psychiatric Clinics for Children
• $13.8 million cut to DMHAS includes $5 million cut to young adult services, $7 million to grants for mental health services and $1.7 million to grants for substance abuse services at a time our state is grappling with opioid and opiate abuse epidemic
• $580,000 cut to the American school for the deaf
• $2.2 million cut (1%) to services for the poor- TANF
• 1% Reduction to Connecticut Home Care Funding
• Fire training schools are cut by 24% ($120,000)
• Cut the Office of Early Childhood- $10.8 million

Cuts to Education

• $32.2 million cut to the Education Cost Sharing
• $4.3 million cut to Special Education
• Eliminates $23.3 million grant for school transportation and $3.4 million grant for non-public school transportation

Rep. Carter represents the 2nd District of Bethel, Danbury, Newtown and Redding.