Rep Hovey Compiles Survey, Opposes Budget Proposal

HARTFORD — State Representative DebraLee Hovey, R-112th, believes tax increases approved last week by the Democrat-controlled Finance Committee target many Newtown families, penalize employers, and threaten Connecticut’s economic future. So Rep Hovey has asserted that she intends to oppose the package when it comes to the floor of the State House for a vote.

Rep Hovey said in a release this week that she also will cast a No vote on the 2005–2007 Democrat budget approved last week by the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee, which would cost taxpayers about $32 billion over the two-year life of the package. The budget proposal would increase spending by 13 percent over two years and exceed the state’s Constitutional Spending Cap by $434 million during the first year of the biennial budget and by $491 million in the second year.

“Connecticut is slowly recovering from an economic slump that lasted almost three years but, although the employment picture has improved over the past four quarters, we have yet to recover all the jobs that were lost in the aftermath of 9/11,” Rep Hovey said. “The tax increases that were put in place to deal with projected deficits during those years aggravated our economic problems and prolonged them. While the low-tax states in the south and southwest are recovering from the downturn and creating jobs, Connecticut’s economy continues to struggle.

“Raising income tax rates once again on the hard-working people of Monroe and Newtown — and on other overburdened taxpayers in Fairfield County and elsewhere in Connecticut — will mean people will have less to spend and will postpone the kinds of big purchases that stimulate economic growth,” Rep Hovey said. “Increasing taxes on corporations will reduce their profit margins and leave them with fewer dollars to expand their operations and create new jobs. The Democrat tax and spending packages will hurt Connecticut families and needlessly jeopardize our economic future. Their budget and tax packages are irresponsible and will hurt the people of Connecticut. I cannot support them.”

In addition to raising more than $800 million from the income tax, the Democrat proposal calls for $109 million in corporate taxes over two years. The tax package would impose a surcharge on the corporate tax for the next three years at a rate of ten percent the first year, and 15 percent in each of the following two years. Governor M. Jodi Rell had proposed phasing out the surcharge over a two-year period.

Survey Results

Newtown voters in her district overwhelmingly (85 percent) support the state program that provides grants to towns to help them acquire and preserve undeveloped open space land and favor (75 percent) the enactment of legislation to cap noneconomic awards in medical malpractice cases, Rep Hovey said in a release May 2.

Residents are strongly opposed to a proposal to use tax dollars to pay for political campaigns and to legislation that would allow gay marriage in Connecticut, she said.

Those were some of the responses to a legislative survey Rep Hovey mailed to 112th District voters several weeks ago. Almost 700 voters responded to the survey.

“The 112th District had one of the highest rates of return among state representatives from the House Republican Caucus who surveyed their districts. The heavy return rate shows that the citizens of Monroe and Newtown are paying close attention to what’s going on at the State Capitol and are well aware of the fact that legislation enacted by the Connecticut General Assembly affects all of us — for better or worse,” Rep Hovey said.

Noting that about 60 percent of those who responded to the survey opposed legislation to allow gay marriage, Rep Hovey cast a No vote on the bill to authorize civil unions in Connecticut. With 82 percent opposed to using tax dollars to pay for political campaigns, Rep Hovey said she also would vote No on any campaign finance bill that would divert scarce tax dollars to campaigns for state elective offices.

“The people of the 112th District expressed their opinions on these two issues very forcefully and their views are passed on to my legislative colleagues when voting on the two measures. The citizens of Monroe and Newtown sent me to Hartford to protect their interests and to support measures that benefit our communities. I will continue to do just that. I rely on your responses to my surveys to help ensure that my votes best reflect your views on the issues. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my 2005 survey and I congratulate you on your interest in and commitment to good government in Connecticut,” Rep Hovey said.