PHOTO: Sen. Seminara Responds to Gov. Lamont’s Biennial $50.5 Billion Budget Proposal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 9, 2023

Sen. Seminara Responds to Gov. Lamont’s Biennial $50.5 Billion Budget Proposal

HARTFORD – Senator Lisa Seminara (R- Avon) today reacted to Gov. Ned Lamont’s two-year $50.5 billion biennial state budget proposal that includes an income tax cut and a ten-year renewal of budget guardrails that Republican lawmakers championed in 2017.

“Although the spending, borrowing, and volatility caps and the bond lock that protects them predate both myself and the Governor, I certainly support their extension and applaud the notion of another five years of prudent fiscal restraint.

With that said, I’m no fan of a 3.5% spending increase, and I firmly believe that the personal income tax deduction proposed by the Governor today could be more significant and impactful. If the Governor’s proposal is adopted by the majority Democrats, Connecticut families won’t see any relief at all for at least a year and when they do it only amounts to $300 for single-filers and $600 for joint-filers. The families I talk to are dealing with staggering increases in their utility bills, healthcare costs, and grocery prices. The Governor’s budget doesn’t address those critical areas. In fact, majority Democrats continue to promote policies that actually harm our family budgets in other ways. If the majority Democrats in Hartford were interested in translating their tax cuts to true everyday savings, they would end their ongoing work on policies that increase the price of everything from electricity to eggs.

I’m glad the Governor is making an attempt to focus his priorities on issues such as workforce development and fiscal restraint. We must do more to focus our efforts on those populations that are underserved and often underprioritized. Over the next three months, we will continue to see how seriously legislative Democrats are—or are not—taking fiscal responsibility for the legislative policies they introduce and enact. The state can only spend and increase costs so much before the damage is passed on to us, the taxpayers.”

PRESS CONTACT:
Hannah Lemek at [email protected] or (860) 240-0474