Rep. Srinivasan Takes Oath to Serve Fourth Term

HARTFORD — Assistant Republican Leader State Representative Prasad Srinivasan (R-31) joined fellow legislative lawmakers for opening day of the 2017 Legislative Session yesterday at the State Capitol. The Opening Ceremony and Joint Convention that heard Governor Malloy’s “State of the State Address” marked the beginning of Rep. Srinivasan’s fourth two-year term.

“The governor’s address began with predictability, and ended with predictability,” said Rep. Srinivasan. “What was extremely disappointing about this is the fact that the only ‘predictability’ that can be associated with the current administration is its complete ‘lack of predictability’.

“It was very disappointing to me that this unpredictability has come to fruition in the recent announcement that municipalities will be facing a further cut in state funding,” Rep. Srinivasan continued. “To give our town leaders this news at this late point in time is extremely frustrating. If this is predictability, perhaps we need to redefine the term.

“We had an amendment concerning House rules that our caucus presented yesterday on the House floor. This amendment required all contracts to come before the full Legislature for approval or rejection within 30 days of filing. Unfortunately this amendment did not pass with a very slim margin. The bipartisan spirit to start a legislative session was lacking,” said Rep. Srinivasan.

The General Assembly will be facing a significant budget shortfall entering the 2017 Legislative Session. The projected budget deficit for the biennial budget, covering 2018 through 2020, is approximately $3.5 billion. The governor has promised to present us with his budget in February.

House and Senate Republican budget priorities for the 2017 session continue to include implementing long-term structural changes to restore sustainability and predictability to the budget, and the “Prioritize Progress” transportation plan to fund and protect transportation dollars without tolls or tax increases.

Rep. Srinivasan will continue to serve as Ranking Member of the Legislative Public Health Committee – of which he has been a member for several years. He will now be serving on Environment Committee, which works closely with the Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Agriculture to oversee conservation, recreation, pollution control, fisheries and game, state parks and forests, water resources, flood and erosion control, farming, and domestic animals. Lastly, Rep. Srinivasan will now serve on the Judiciary Committee, which has cognizance of all matters relating to courts, judicial procedures, criminal law, probate courts, probation, parole, wills, estates, adoption, divorce, bankruptcy, escheat, law libraries, deeds, mortgages, among many other legal matters.

Rep. Srinivasan can be reached at Prasad.Srinivasan@housegop.ct.gov or 800-842-1423. Constituents can follow his legislative endeavors by logging onto www.repsrinivasan.com or connecting with him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repsrinivasan. Rep. Srinivasan also encourages Connecticut residents to follow committee meetings and House debates as they unfold live on Connecticut’s public affairs television network, CT-N, or by streaming the proceedings online by visiting www.ctn.state.ct.us.