Bristol legislative delegation weighs in on budget

Posted By: Staff June 8, 2023

Bristol’s legislative contingent, Democrat and Republican, voted to approve the governor’s $51.1 billion biennial budget this week, joining others statewide to make the budget a bipartisan success.

On Wednesday, Bristol Republicans touted the budget for its fiscal restraint in a press release. The day before Bristol’s lone Democratic representative, in a separate release, applauded the governor and speaker of the house for bringing millions of dollars to Bristol and working constructively with Bristol’s delegation.

The final vote in the House of Representatives was 139-12. In the Senate the budget passed 35-1. The budget now moves on to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Republican State Reps. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato (77) and Joe Hoxha (78) and Sen. Martin (31) voted in favor of the budget for honoring the fiscal controls put into place by staying below the spending, bonding, and volatility caps, according to their release.

The previous day Democrat Mary Fortier (79) said in a separate release that despite working within strict financial guardrails the budget delivers for Bristol.

The budget not only provides broad-based tax relief for Connecticut residents but is also locally focused on the needs of Bristol residents.

Bristol Hospital will receive $7 million, giving them much needed support following the COVID-19 pandemic. Bristol Public Schools will also receive $105 million through the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funds.

In addition, Bristol will also receive $1.9 million in PILOT payments; $1.3 million for Town Road Aid: $7.2 million in Motor Vehicle Tax Reimbursement; $808.898 for Adult Education; $50,000 for the Bristol Boys and Girls Club; and $80,000 for Human Resource Agency of New Britain Inc. with offices in the city.

The budget also includes a newly created “Fallen Hero” account for families of a fallen officer killed in the line of duty, $5.4 million in property tax relief for veterans, phasing out the income tax exemption for pension & annuity income and individual retirement accounts, increases to the Earned Income Tax Credit for working families, increases to essential crisis intervention call responses provided by 211 and additional funding for homeless shelters.

“This budget provides to the Bristol community as a whole outweighs its negative aspects,” Pavalock-D’Amato said in the release by the Republican contingent.

“I, along with my colleagues, worked really hard to make that message into a reality in this budget,” said Hoxha, also in the Republican release, referring to his commitment to small and blue-collar towns like Bristol and Plymouth, which he also represents.

“This budget addresses increases in spending in areas where we need it the most,” said Martin, citing investments in apprenticeship programs which are critical to the state’s economic growth.

In her release from Tuesday, Fortier offered a “special thank you to Speaker of the House Matt Ritter and Gov. Lamont for working with the delegation.”

There are 98 Democrats and 53 Republicans in the Connecticut House of Representatives. There are 24 Democrats and 12 Republicans in the Connecticut State Senate.

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