East Haven State Rep. ALBIS LAUDS BIPARTISAN BUDGET

From The Town of East Haven: Representative James Albis (D-East Haven) praised passage of the bipartisan state budget ending Connecticut's fiscal crisis and protecting state funding for East Haven.

“I am pleased we were able to work across party lines to put Connecticut first,” Rep. Albis said. “While this budget doesn’t contain all items that either side of the aisle wanted, it was clear we could not keep moving forward by Governor Malloy’s executive order.”

Earlier this year, Governor Malloy proposed changes in education cost sharing (ECS) grants - the main source of state education funding for many towns. This, coupled with his proposal to require towns to contribute 1/3 of the cost of their teacher pensions, would have cost communities $400 million. Lengthy negotiations between Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate led to this budget agreement which includes elements proposed from all caucuses, avoids drastic cuts under the governor’s executive orders, and mitigates municipal aid that would have otherwise resulted in devastating impact to cities and towns.

The House of Representatives voted 126 to 23 in favor of a bipartisan state budget that places Connecticut in a position of fiscal stability and predictability. It refrains from increases to the income, sales, and corporate taxes and protects Connecticut’s social service and municipal funding programs while making significant structural reforms.

The budget:

Keeps East Haven’s state funding intact
Protects Yale-New Haven Hospital by maximizing federal funds
Maintains the property tax credit for seniors and families with dependents
Makes public education a top priority
Enacts long-term responsible budgeting measures, such as a bonding cap and improved long-term debt payment plans

Albis represents East Haven’s 99th Assembly District. He is Deputy Majority Leader and serves on the Finance Revenue and Bonding, Transportation, and Insurance Committees.

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