Senate Republican Leader John McKinney Announces Statewide Fiscal Responsibility Tour

March 4, 2013

State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-Fairfield) today announced an eight-town “Fiscal Responsibility Tour” to discuss Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s FY2014-FY2015 budget proposal and to gather public input for the coming legislative debate.

“Over the next two months, there will be a vigorous debate about the direction of our state and particularly its fiscal management. I want public input to be at the center of this debate. That’s why I’m hosting this tour,” Sen. McKinney said.

The first stop on Sen. McKinney’s tour will be the Enfield Town Hall Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday March 11th. Over the next four weeks he is scheduled to make stops in Bristol, Danbury, Greenwich, Manchester, Stratford, Wallingford, and Westbrook. More events could be added.

“Two years ago, when Governor Malloy was proud of his budget he went on a statewide tour to promote his vision of ‘shared sacrifice.’ That vision never materialized. Instead, government spending increased, promised savings from state employee unions were never achieved, and hardworking taxpayers were disproportionately burdened with the largest tax hike in our state’s history. With that track record, it is not surprising that Governor Malloy hasn’t initiated a public tour to review his latest proposal. But, I think it is more important than ever for the legislature and the governor to hear from the people of Connecticut,” Sen. McKinney said. “We need to find a way out of this fiscal crisis together. So, the primary purpose of our tour is to listen and learn.”

Sen. McKinney said another purpose of the tour is to educate. “As I’ve said before, the governor’s budget is the most dishonest I’ve seen in my 15 years in the legislature. There are a number of areas where his rhetoric simply doesn’t match the reality of his proposal. For example, he claims $1.8 billion in cuts, but his budget actually spends $1.8 billion more over the next two years. And he promised no new taxes, but instead extended several taxes that were set to expire. People deserve to know the truth, so we will spend some time on this tour separating fact from fiction.”

Each tour stop will include a brief presentation of the governor’s budget proposal and an update on the budget process in the General Assembly, followed by an extensive question and answer period for the general public. Members of the Senate Republican Caucus will join Sen. McKinney at events in their respective districts. The caucus has held similar tours to discuss state budget issues and jobs legislation over the past two years.

Sen. McKinney said he expects that the budget the legislature ultimately votes on and passes will look much different from the governor’s current proposal. “There are simply too many holes in the governor’s budget for it to gain legislative approval without significant changes. I want Connecticut residents to be heard as those changes are being considered by their elected representatives.”

DATES, TIMES AND LOCATIONS FOR STATEWIDE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY TOUR
All Events Open to the Public

March 11 (Mon), 7-8:30pm
Enfield Town Hall Council Chambers
820 Enfield St., Enfield, CT 06082

March 14 (Thur) 7-8:30pm
Stratford, Wooster Middle School Auditorium
150 Lincoln St., Stratford, CT 06614

March 18 (Mon) 7-8:30pm
Wallingford Public Library Community Room
200 North Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492

March 21 (Thur) 7-8:30pm
UPDATED LOCATION: Bristol Public Library
Meeting Room 2
5 High St., Bristol, CT 06010

March 27 (Wed) 6-7:30pm
Greenwich Senior Center
299 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830

April 1 (Mon) 7-8:30pm
Manchester Community College-Great Path,
(Great Path Academy Bldg), Community Commons Room, 2nd Floor, GP203
Manchester, CT 06040

April 8 (Mon) 7-8:30pm
Danbury, Broadview Middle School Auditorium
72 Hospital Ave., Danbury, CT 06810

April 9 (Tue) 7-8:30pm
Westbrook Public Library
61 Goodspeed Dr., Westbrook, CT 06498

For more information about the Fiscal Responsibility Tour, please contact Peggy Deschenes, Connecticut Senate Republicans, (860) 240 8884.