Gentile lauds House passage of bipartisan state budget

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda Gentile, D-Ansonia, Thursday praised the bipartisan state budget ending Connecticut's fiscal crisis and restoring potential cuts for Ansonia and Derby.

State Rep. Linda Gentile

The budget passed the House of Representatives in a 126-23 vote. 

“This truly bipartisan budget is a win for both Ansonia and Derby, who were locked in limbo during the budget crisis,” Gentile said. “In addition to rejecting damaging cuts, this budget does not shift undue financial burdens onto local property taxpayers, invests in job creation efforts along with innovation and manufacturing, protects our community hospitals, and pushes Connecticut in the right direction.”

Under the governor’s executive order, both Ansonia and Derby were set to lose a significant amount of funding in municipal aid for the 2017-18 fiscal year. 
Specifically, Derby was set to lose $1.6 million and Ansonia was set to lose approximately $664,000. Under the bipartisan budget, all of this funding is restored.

“I have heard from town officials and residents that the potential cuts under the governor’s proposal would have been damaging to our communities and I am proud to have worked with members across the aisle to successfully restore them,” Gentile said. 

Additionally, the budget:

• Restores funding for scholarships for low and middle-income students, like the Roberta Willis Scholarship;
• Enacts a state spending and bonding cap;
• Maintains the property tax credit of $200 for seniors and families with dependents;
• Continues investments in job creation programs such as the Small Business Express, Manufacturing Assistance, Innovation Places and Brownfield Remediation.

The budget will now head to the governor’s desk for approval. 

This is a press release from Linda Gentile's office.