To the Editor:

This week marks the end of 2016; next week means the beginning of the 2017 Connecticut General Assembly Session, officially kicking off on January 4. This upcoming session will be highlighted with important issues that will affect every citizen in the State of Connecticut. For my readers, I have compiled a few interesting points to keep an eye on over the next six months or so.

*The Election of 2016 was historic for many reasons, one of them being that our neighbor to the north, Massachusetts, legalized marijuana by referendum. This has further fueled the debate over the same issue here in Connecticut. So far, several prominent Connecticut legislators have introduced bills to legalize marijuana, including the President of the Senate - and the Speaker of the House has promised to hold a public hearing which means we will be closer than ever to legalization. Unlike Massachusetts, Connecticut won't need a referendum, just a bill to pass the legislature and be signed by the governor.

*In September of 2016, a judge ruled that the way Connecticut distributes its education funding is "irrational and unconstitutional" and gave the General Assembly several months to address the problem. The time frame was unrealistic but now that the session is opening, the Education Committee along with the budget committees will begin to reformulate how education dollars are portioned out to the local Boards of Education. How will this affect the cities? Does this mean more funding or less funding for our smaller towns? Nobody seems to know - but the answers will be forthcoming.

*The State Senate is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats (18 to 18) but the Democrat lieutenant governor, who presides over the chamber, has the constitutional authority to break voting ties on bills. In the House, while the Republicans are still in the minority, they have their largest numbers (72 to 79) since the Reagan landslides of 1984. Further, there is a new Speaker and Majority Leader running the House operation. All of this will make for an interesting session where voting on party lines will be scrutinized and absences literally mean daily power shifts.

*Finally, we have the biennial state budget for 2017/2019. Revenue has been significantly down over the past several years and spending has not been properly adjusted enough, which means we have had numerous deficits throughout the last two years. With all the politics surrounding the tight legislative majorities coupled with a gubernatorial election upcoming in 2018, there will be much attention paid to how we decide to operate our state government for the next two years.

As the Connecticut General Assembly Session gets ready to kick off for 2017, there are lots of unanswered questions: Will Connecticut be next to legalize recreational marijuana? Will the next biennial budget have any new taxes or tax increases? How will the state fund local education moving forward? With all the questions that remain there is something I know for sure. As your State Representative I want to hear what you have to say and what you think about the direction of our state. E-mail me at JP.Sredzinski@housegop.ct.gov or call 860-240-8700.

JP Sredzinski, State Representative, District 112

280 Shelton Road, Monroe         December 27, 2016