Sen. Kane, Rep. Williams Hail Legislative Accomplishments for Watertown Watertown Legislators to Continue Working Together To Promote Area Interests

State Senator Rob Kane, R-32nd District, and state Representative Sean Williams, R-68th District, said today they are pleased to have played a major role in helping to secure funding Watertown will receive as a result of state action they supported this year, along with helping to pass legislation that will benefit the town.

The legislators said they will continue to support state policy and legislation that promotes jobs, controls taxes, and protects law-abiding citizens.

“We believe Connecticut would be in a better position right now if the Democrat-controlled General Assembly had adopted the Republicans’ plan for a balanced state budget that, among other things, called for cutting gas taxes and phasing out the Business Entity Tax. These are solid business-friendly proposals that we will continue to work for – along with continuing to work against ill-conceived proposals like one offered earlier this year to raise money for the state by imposing a six percent delivery tax, something that would have hurt everyone from businesses to consumers,” said Senator Kane.

“Especially in this economy, it is important to do everything we can to keep businesses in this state so Connecticut residents have jobs. That means voting against raising the minimum wage – which I did – and helping businesses find cost-effective solutions to the high cost of providing health insurance instead of the expensive, probably ineffective, legislation passed by the General Assembly this year,” said Representative Williams.

Senator Kane and Representative Williams said they are pleased with much of the legislation adopted by the General Assembly this year, including those addressing criminal justice and the state’s participation in the federal “Money Follows the Person” program.

“The criminal justice reform special session was the same day I was sworn into office, and I was thrilled to be able to vote in favor of this important legislation on my very first day as a State Senator. While I still believe that Connecticut needs a true three strikes law mandating life imprisonment for those convicted of a third serious violent felony, I am happy to have voted in favor of the important reforms we did pass during the special and regular sessions,” said Senator Kane.

“Like Senator Kane, I am convinced that Connecticut needs a true three strikes law, and I will continue to work for this legislation until we pass it. Meanwhile, we are happy to have been able to help pass Money Follows the Person legislation to help relocate eligible nursing home residents to less restrictive settings. This is a quality of life issue that affects the people we represent,” said Representative Williams.

Both legislators noted that Watertown will benefit from state funding and grants they played a major role in helping to secure this year.

“Since I was sworn into office in January, the State Bond Commission approved a $498,697 Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant to help build an indoor recreation facility at Veterans’ Memorial Park and a $10,000 grant to upgrade the electrical system at the Clockwork Repertory Theatre. These are quality of life improvements for the town, and Rep. Williams and I are happy to have been able to work with Governor Rell to secure this funding,” said Senator Kane.

“Also, we are happy to have been successful in our efforts to secure state funding to help complete improvement projects and repairs, including replacing the roofs, at some of our schools this year. This was a priority for the town, but paying for it would have been difficult without state funding so Senator Kane and I were happy to help,” said Representative Williams.

Both legislators urged constituents to contact them to share their concerns or pass on their ideas for addressing state issues. Senator Kane can be reached at 1-800-842-1421, or via e-mail at [email protected]. Representative Williams can be reached at 1-800-841-842-1423, or via e-mail at [email protected].