Border Toll Bill Takes Detour; Sen. John A. Kissel to Continue Opposition

Sen. John A. Kissel (seen testifying before the legislature’s Transportation Committee last month) says he will continue to fight the border tolls concept in the future on behalf of north-central Connecticut residents and businesses until the idea is put permanently in the breakdown lane.

A bill which would have established tolls on Connecticut’s New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island borders was watered down on March 15, as the Connecticut General Assembly’s Transportation Committee voted to instead study the concept. The study will be submitted by Feb. 1, 2014. Sen. John A. Kissel, a longtime opponent of tolls, was encouraged by the action.

“We were able to take the border tolls idea out of the fast lane, for now,” Sen. John A. Kissel said. “Many people in Enfield and north-central Connecticut drive to Massachusetts on a daily basis for work or errands. Putting a toll on Connecticut’s northern border would unfairly penalize them. Tolls near the state line would impede commerce, hurt Connecticut tourism and possibly set off a toll war in New England. And let’s not forget that we just endured the largest tax hike in state history. Border tolls represent yet another tax on state residents. The idea will keep coming back in future years, though, because state officials are continually searching for new revenue to help cover government overspending. We’ll continue to fight the border tolls concept in the future on behalf of north-central Connecticut residents and businesses until we put it permanently in the breakdown lane.”