HARTFORD — State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-Newtown) has issued a statement regarding Governor Lamont’s two-year state budget proposal, saying he was disappointed with the budget product.

The $46 Billion, 2-year budget relies largely on one-time revenue boosts from the Rainy Day Fund and the Federal Government’s COVID-19 relief package to close a $4 Billion state budget deficit.

“This budget is incomplete. You can’t have a two-year budget proposal where 45% of the funding comes from the Federal Government. That will leave major budget deficits in the future,” said Rep Bolinsky. “Our previous governors papered over budget deficits with one-time revenues and it led Connecticut into a large financial hole once those dollars were expended. COVID relief funds need to be used for pandemic relief and priority, related economic, family, educational and infrastructure challenges, not just to plug budget holes. For that, we must devote ourselves to structural adjustments and opportunities to create permanent, lasting, positive change. As I’ve been discussing since early 2020, the State of Connecticut has a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ on the horizon. I was happy to have the opportunity to discuss this [February 11] with Governor Lamont’s Budget Chief, Melissa Macaw. With as much as 25% of our aging state workforce expected to retire in the coming 18-months, we should turn our full attention to modernizing our state’s operations and invest in the technology needed to both serve taxpayers better and to create significantly greater organizational efficiencies.”

The governor also budgeted $50 Million in revenue from the sale of legal marijuana before the legislature has had a public hearing and a chance to debate and vote on the question of legalization, and relies on online gaming and sports waging revenue, which is still in the legislative process and faces many legal hurdles.

“I am vehemently opposed to instituting a mileage tax on [tractor trailer] trucks ($90 Million a year), which have been so crucial to us during the Covid ‘stay-at-home’ economic. The cost of the products we buy will only increase with this mileage tax and I see as a first step to [eventually] taxing everyone’s miles traveled, all for a revenue pick-up of about four-tenths of one-percent of the state budget,” said Rep Bolinsky. “And the thought of a new ‘Greenhouse Gas Tax’ on all-things energy, resulting from the Governor’s unilateral engagement in the TCI–Climate Initiative will cause working families to pay as much as 17 cents more for gas, heating oil and electricity needs to be understood by every taxpayer in our state. In tough economic times, do we really want to go there?”

Rep Bolinsky added, “Now that Governor Lamont has released his state budget proposal, the Appropriations Committee will be having public hearings on his proposal. As a member of Appropriations, serving on five-subcommittees and ranking member on two, I plan to examine line-by-line the budget proposal and make sure the voices of Newtown residents are heard.”

The Appropriations Committee will hold state agency budget presentations and public hearings from Thursday, February 18 through Monday, March 1. The budget hearing schedule can be viewed at https://www.cthousegop.com/bolinsky/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/02/APPROPRIATIONS-COMMITTEE-STATE-BUDGET-AGENCY-PRESENTATIONS-PUBLIC-HEARINGS.pdf.