Press Release
October 26, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DANBURY DOES WELL UNDER NEW STATE BUDGET
House Passes By Overwhelming 126-23 Margin
State Representative David Arconti (D-Danbury) voted in favor of a new state budget that sets Connecticut on the right fiscal path. The budget is a true bipartisan agreement – nearly four months in the making following the start of the new fiscal year that began on July 1st. The budget avoids further Draconian cuts by executive order.
Danbury residents will benefit from the budget by not having to pay highway tolls, fees on cell phones, or more income and sales taxes. Funding is preserved for higher education – which bodes well for Western Connecticut State University. Firefighters receive funding for cancer healthcare and new provisions allow hospitals to receive increased funding from Washington. The $200 property tax credit for seniors and residents with dependents remains intact.
The new budget provides much-needed relief from mandates on cities and towns, sees an increase in education cost sharing funds in the second year of the budget and also exempts recipients of Social Security benefits from the income tax starting in 2019.
This budget – long overdue – is a document created through compromise. It places Connecticut on a new frugal spending path. While most programs and services get reduced funding, the goal is to limit the negative impact on the state’s most vulnerable citizens.