Tweedie Supports Republican Plan to Restore Education Funding and Eliminate Budget Deficit

HARTFORD – State Representative Mark Tweedie (R-Glastonbury & Manchester) stood today with House and Senate Republican Colleagues as the caucus leaders presented a plan to restore nearly $20 million in education funding that was cut to Connecticut’s towns and cities mid-year and eliminate the projected Fiscal Year 2017 Budget deficit.

The proposal would allow the state to restore $18.9 million in Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding that was cut by the administration in December and also close the current budget deficit of $11.9 million as estimated by the Office of Fiscal Analysis. Towns were 7 months in to their fiscal year when the ECS money was cut, making it extremely difficult to amend their own budgets to make up for it.

“Our plan makes selective cuts to non-entitlement programs in a variety of state agencies in a way that avoids hardship for Connecticut’s citizens as best as possible,” said Rep. Tweedie. “In most instances, the proposed cuts represent a 5% reduction from the remaining balances. By taking them as a percentage of their total budget for the fiscal year in this way, the cuts will actually end up being far smaller than 5%.

“We must make education and municipal aid more of a priority in our budget plans,” Rep. Tweedie said.

The governor will be giving his budget address in a joint session tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.