House Republican Press Release

April 28, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Tick, Tick, Tick…

By State Representative John J. Ryan

As we are writing this, we have finally hit single digit days here at the General Assembly (meaning there are less than 10 days left in the Session) and there are more topics than would fit in the first four pages of this paper. One of the truisms of government is that we generate more than 1/2 of the "news" in the last few days of legislating (so of course it is more difficult for you, the consumer, to keep track of what really is happening!)

So let's cover as much as we can:

Republican budget proposal: the team that brought you the “no new taxes” budget proposal that actually went into effect last year is at it again! I hope that you saw the news stories on Tuesday of this week about the plan offered by (we) Republican legislators to:

· Cut gas prices by 10 cents through a summer state tax moratorium and a roll back the scheduled gross receipts tax increase of .5 percent on July 1. Those roll backs will save consumers $50 million.

· Eliminate the $250 Business Entity Tax that all businesses pay just for opening their doors over two years to save $35 million ($17.5 million in the first year)

· Phase out of the so-called Death Tax cliff that will save estates $24 million and help keep more people in Connecticut ($12 million in the first year).

· Offers up to 11,600 eligible state workers an early retirement incentive program, or ERIP, to save a projected $163 million in the next fiscal year.

Note that there is no reason that this cannot be done, see the details at…… http://www.housegop.ct.gov/

      Other “quickies”:

* Gov. Rell names new DOT Commissioner – a well received announcement thus far that bodes well for supporters of mass transit; see the details at the 4.22 entry at www.ct.gov/governorrell !

Speaking of the most popular Governor in the nation, you probably saw (and ignored) the dust-up about who-told-who-when there would be cost increases in a proposed new rail-repair facility; if you perceived it as a mere partisan attempt to find some way, any way to attempt to criticize Rell, you have got the idea!

* “3 Strikes”- after much wrangling, the majority party finally came around and we passed a revised “persistent offender bill”…this was not as tough a provision as the “3 Strikes” law that Republicans wanted, but it is some progress.

This does not scratch the surface on the legislative news, but I hope you will watch the media coverage in what is happening in Hartford in the last days of this year’s session! Remember, it’s your tax dollars we are talking about…pay attention!

As always please feel free to contact me with your concerns and issues. As your state representative, it is my job, and my priority to represent you and to make sure that your needs and concerns are addressed at the capitol.  You can write to me at Room 4200, Legislative Office Building, and Hartford, CT 06106-1591, send me e-mail at John.Ryan@housegop.ct.gov or call my office toll-free at 1-800-842-1423.