Senator Tony Hwang (R-28th) summed up the 2023 legislative session as one where “many positive things” were accomplished, and as having some “missed opportunities.”

Hwang noted that at the beginning of the session, the legislature voted to “maintain fiscal guardrails” around bonding and a spending cap for the next five years.

“We are living within our means,” said Hwang. “We produced a budget with the highest tax cut in history, a middle class and working class tax cut we are very proud of.”

The tax cuts would reduce the two lowest marginal rates on the income tax. The 3 percent rate imposed on the first $10,000 earned by singles and the first $20,000 by couples would drop to 2 percent. The 5 percent rate imposed on the next $40,000 earned by singles and the next $80,000 by couples would drop to 4.5 percent.

That relief is aimed at Connecticut’s middle class. The budget would begin to phase out the tax cut for singles earning more than $105,000 per year and for couples making more than $210,000.

Hwang also noted that the Earned Income Credit for low income individuals has been raised from 30.5 percent to 40 percent.

“That’s a huge amount for filers with low income,” said Hwang. “It will really help them.”

Hwang said that an additional $150 million was added to Educational Cost Sharing, and Special Education will be “fully funded,” as in previous years “most towns never got the full percentage” promised.

Assistance to nonprofits was increased by 2.5 percent, the Republican recommended amount. The governor had a 0 percent increase and the Democrats had a 1 percent increase. The fact that the final budget used the higher Republican number, Hwang noted, showed how the process was bipartisan with every caucus having their ideas considered. The nonprofits themselves had been asking for a 9 percent increase.

Hwang noted that the chance to assist nonprofits was also a “missed opportunity” because Connecticut is one of four states in the Union that has a “dual delivery system,” in which the state has programs that are duplicated by nonprofits.

“Our nonprofits offer the same services at 55 cents on the dollar, at better quality,” said Hwang, who believes that this year could have been an opportunity to eliminate the “dual delivery system.”

“It’s a missed opportunity in a time of surplus to fund change to the government long-term,” said Hwang.

Hwang said that more than $800 million will be going toward housing development and housing financial assistance. He said it was important to make sure the program is administered “efficiently and effectively.”

“One lesson I learned with ConnectCT, is that housing and rental assistance is not utilized as much as it could because of the bureaucracy,” said Hwang. “Housing is near and dear to me, and this money needs to be spent wisely.”

Of importance in the budget is the nearly $2 billion utilized to pay down long term debt, which Hwang said netted the state $300 million less in interest payments, which “can be used for schools and roads.”

Hwang said his main criticisms regarding the budget come from the fact that the bill was 832 pages, given to them at 3 am the night before the vote, and contained a number of bills unrelated to the budget. One bill had been passed by the senate in an edited form, but the original unedited version was part of the budget bill.

Vision Zero

As the ranking Republican on the Senate’s Transit Committee, Hwang cosposored the Vision Zero bill, which has the “grand idea of implementing the vision of zero fatalities for cars, passengers and motorcyclists.” He called it a comprehensive bill to make incremental changes in behavior of drivers. Part of it is the controversial red light cameras that were implemented, and Hwang said they “worked hard to address social equity and profiling.”

He also noted the bill was “permissive” and allowed towns to put in cameras at the recommended intersections, but did not require them. For any red light that has a camera, he said that there would be “significant signage to let people know” and the cameras would be noted in major GPS systems.

“This is not a trap to capture people,” said Hwang. “People worry about big government and the loss of independence.”

He also said the bill sunsets in three years and could be reconsidered then if there are problems.

The bill also addresses wrong-way driving. The legislation will eventually install wrong-way detection systems at over 120 highway exit ramps that are deemed “high risk” by state transportation officials who have studied nearly 700 ramps statewide.

“These improvements of warning signage and electronic sensors on our roadways will hopefully prevent future senseless tragedies,” Hwang said. “Wrong-way collisions killed 23 people in 2022 in Connecticut in 13 different accidents. The state recorded only two wrong-way crashes in 2020 and four in 2021. This law will help to stop wrong-way drivers and save lives.”

The state of Connecticut has already begun installing wrong-way driving technology on several on-ramps of I-84, Route 2, I-95, I-395, Route 291, and I-391.

There are also plans to install the technology on I-91 in Windsor at the northbound HOV exit and Exit 42 northbound and southbound.

Anyone that witnesses a wrong-way driver should call 911 immediately with the location.

The bill includes provisions for “significant investment” in increasing wrong-way signage and electronics, as wrong-way drivers have become a huge problem, according to Hwang.

Gun Control Bill

Hwang voted in favor of House Bill 6667, “An Act Addressing Gun Violence.”

“I wanted to be respectful for Second Amendment followers, but with the current violence, it’s time to move forward.

Some of the major provisions in the bill include:

*The bill bans the open carrying of firearms in public, while continuing to allow concealed carry with a permit except for particular locations.

*The bill increases gun dealer accountability by permitting the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to issue a notice of violation and impose an order barring sales for any dealers violating any of their responsibilities.

*The bill closes loopholes in the state’s ban on assault weapons by including “other” firearms with banned features analogous to those on banned pistols and rifles and pre-September 13, 1994, “pre-ban” firearms that were carved out of the original ban.

*A new registration will open for these 2023 assault weapons. If purchased before the date of passage, these weapons can be registered until May 1, 2024. If registered, owners can continue possessing them but further transfers are generally barred.

*The bill ensures enforceability of the state’s ban on large-capacity magazines by making possession a class D felony for prohibited persons and a class A misdemeanor for non-prohibited persons.

Another bill that Hwang mentioned was a bill for early voting, allowing mail-in voting 14 days before the bill. The rub, according to Hwang, is that the bill was not fully funded to help municipalities purchase equipment needed to implement early voting.

“We needed that funding, otherwise it’s an unfunded mandate on municipalities,” said Hwang.

Another bill would be to place a state constitutional amendment for no excuse absentee balloting on the ballot in 2024.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.