Senate Republicans Unveil Legislative Agenda “A Confident Future”
September 15, 2016Hartford – The Connecticut Senate Republican Caucus today unveiled their policy agenda for the next legislative session. The Republican plan “A Confident Future” presents multiple policy proposals aimed at moving Connecticut in a new direction to grow jobs, renew business confidence, build opportunity, and restore people’s trust in government. The Confident Future plan outlines the Republican priorities the caucus will pursue in the 2017 legislative session which begins in January.
“Our goal is to make Connecticut a better place to live, work and raise a family. This plan shows exactly how Republicans in the state Senate plan to move Connecticut in a new direction to restore people’s confidence in our state and define a brighter future for jobs and families. Connecticut is facing serious economic challenges. Republicans have the right ideas to change this downward spiral, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. These policy changes are the first steps that must be taken to change course,” said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven).
“We believe Connecticut is a great state with incredible potential, and with the right policies we can bring opportunity, success and stability to our families. We need to restore people’s trust in our state to create opportunities and a reliable, predicable business environment,” said Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore Kevin Witkos (R-Canton).
“A Confident Future” identifies three main areas Republicans will focus their efforts:
- Creating Financial Stability & Predictability. A reliable state with business confidence is the best environment to grow jobs. By reforming the state’s spending and borrowing, Republicans plan to improve the state’s financial health to support a more predictable business environment so that job creators don’t have to worry about what new tax proposals could be awaiting them in bad budget years.
- Supporting Families and Growing Opportunity. Connecticut’s future depends on supporting our families and creating opportunities for all to succeed. The Republican plan includes policy proposals to strengthen Connecticut cities and help improve life for families in urban areas. It also includes reforms for the state’s child welfare agency, proposes restoring education funding that was cut in recent budgets, protects seniors and the developmentally disabled, and offers new ideas to improve health care and insurance quality and accessibility.
- Restoring Trust in Government. The Republican legislative agenda contains proposals to ensure that government operates efficiently and transparently and uses tax dollars as wisely as possible. Proposals include ideas to reduce DMV wait times, eliminate waste, live within our means, strengthen campaign financing laws, and create a more transparent budget writing process.
Republican budget proposals include properly funding transportation needs without tolls or new taxes like the mileage tax, reducing the size of state bureaucracy, and making long term structural changes to government. The Republican priorities also include specific tax relief proposals to reduce the burdens on individuals and job creators, such as property tax relief and phasing out taxation of pension income.