NEWINGTON - The winter legislative session is underway in Hartford, and Newington and West Hartford residents had a lot to say about taxes, education, healthcare/parental rights, and more at a January 18 forum hosted by the state lawmakers.

       State Representatives Gary Turco (D-Newington/New Britain) and Kate Farrar (D-West Hartford/Newington) joined State Senator Matt Lesser (D-Newington/Rocky Hill/Wethersfield/Middletown/Cromwell) in holding the discussion, which drew a standing-room crowd to the Lucy Welles Robbins Library meeting room.

       “We’re here for you because we want to hear from you,” Farrar told those in attendance.

       The legislative session kicked off on January 4 and will run into June.

       “While the process goes on for a while, we’re just in the beginning, so we’d like to hear your opinions on it and what you’d like us to fight for,” Turco said.

       Cutting costs on local communities and their residents was a theme echoed across several issues -- education and taxes included -- and was both Governor Ned Lamont’s inauguration rallying cry and a central campaign issue in the 2022 midterms.

       And while Democratic legislators like Turco, Farrar, and Lesser would say that the more than $660 million in long term and temporary tax relief provided in the last state budget helped them at the polls, lawmakers from both parties are calling for additional relief as their constituents contend with inflated energy, fuel, and food costs.

       “We have a lot more work to do to ensure Connecticut has a bright economic future,” Turco said.

       Turco is serving on the Transportation, Higher Education/Employment Advancement, and Public Safety/Security committees this session.

       He says his priorities include reducing the cost of living, spurring economic growth, and improving road safety -- the latter of which, he says, has renewed urgency in the wake of State Rep. Quentin Williams’s death in a wrong-way vehicle collision on Route 9.

       “We lost a very dear friend of ours recently, and unfortunately, it isn’t the first death that’s happened this way,” Turco said.

       Farrar is serving as Vice Chair of the Finance/Revenue/Bonding Committee. She is also a member of the Higher Education/Employment Advancement and Transportation committees.

       “What’s important to me is ensuring that we create a system wherein everyone can thrive,” Farrar said. “For me, it means fixing an upside-down tax system where working people pay four times the taxes as the wealthiest people in the state.”

       Lesser, the new Chair of the Social Services Committee, is setting his sights on additional open space preservation measures -- particularly at Newington’s Cedar Mountain -- state funding for school infrastructure projects, and lower prescription costs.

       “We’re spending so much more than other countries, and it’s a huge burden on the middle class,” Lesser said of prescription drug costs. “I think we can do something about it.”

       Session will Examine Car Levy, Tax Structure, and more, Lawmakers Say

       Governor Lamont’s State of the State address was headlined by a pledge to pass middle class tax relief, and forum attendees wanted to know how their legislative delegation would look to bring that to fruition.

       “You guys did a good job reducing the cost-of-living last session, and I know the Governor claims we’ll see tax cuts,” said Newington resident Jon Trister.

       He says he’d like to see a phaseout of the car tax.

       So would Turco, and he says he’s not alone -- but he thinks it will need to be a gradual process.

       “We collect $1 billion from cars, so if we eliminate it in one day, that would just be put on our homes,” he said.

       And real estate levies are burdensome enough, attendees said.

       Gia Pascarelli, a Newington resident, says she worries that her mother, who lives in West Hartford, will have to relocate.

       “I’m concerned whether she can retire in place,” Pascarelli said.

       Farrar says she would look to increase the property tax credit -- a measure to alleviate what she described as the most burdensome levy on Connecticut homeowners, with municipalities leaning on their Grand Lists to pay for town services and education costs.

       On February 2, Governor Lamont unveiled a plan for $336 million in tax cuts -- a combination of legislative proposals that includes granting property tax credit eligibility to all adult Connecticut residents within the program’s current income thresholds (maximum $109,500 for single filers and $130,500 for joint filers).

       The benefit, for now, is only available to those 65 and older.

       Lamont is also proposing an increase of the credit -- from $200 to $300.

       As for motor vehicle taxes, the Governor’s plan would reduce the automobile Mill Rate ceiling from 45 to 29 -- and reimburse municipalities for the difference.

       And while lawmakers already approved an income tax exemption on annuities and pensions (available to single earners making no more than $75,000 and couples making less than $100,000), the Governor is urging lawmakers to accelerate the phase-in by three years.

       The plan also includes the expansion of the state’s student loan tax credit program -- which awards a 50% offset to businesses paying up to $5,250 of an employee’s outstanding education debt.

       “I asked our budget analysts to run some numbers to determine how we can cut taxes in a realistic way that won’t negatively impact the strong fiscal standing we’ve created, while targeting those cuts for those who can benefit most,” Lamont wrote in a prepared statement. “I’m hopeful that the legislature will agree that these cuts can provide relief, and this package can be the first in a series in the coming years as we continue bringing Connecticut’s fiscal stability on more and more solid ground.”

       Farrar is also looking at the tax structure -- one she says is past due for an overhaul.

       Two years ago, Farrar led a coalition of progressive lawmakers in pitching a plan that would have increased municipal aid and real estate and motor vehicle property tax credits, while providing a boost to education and expanding eligibility for affordable health insurance programs -- the funding would have come through tax hikes on corporations and the state’s highest earners, as well as more wiggle room on how much of the state’s capital gains tax revenue can be spent.

       This year, Farrar joined the Recovery for All Coalition -- a group of lawmakers who, along with 60 Connecticut organizations, are calling for a similar plan.

       “It invests in a range of supports for education, mental health, childcare, and housing,” Farrar said in a phone conversation.

       The plan would fully fund the state’s pandemic bonus pool for frontline workers -- many of whom will see a lesser payment than originally promised, due to concessions made after application volume exceeded early projections.

       It calls for $100 million for public sector worker safety, mental health support, workforce re-entry, and education services.

       Also on the agenda is the $90 million they say will fully fund the state’s Education Cost formula, as well as $251 million to boost paraeducator pay and professional development.

       The Coalition is also seeking to expand Husky coverage to all immigrants age 13 and older -- regardless of status -- for an estimated $83.6 million cost.

       Expanding state worker paid sick leave -- another tenet of their agenda -- would cost between $500,000 and $700,000.

       The plan also calls for a 2.5% cap on yearly rental housing rate increases.

       The Coalition’s agenda also looks to maintain current relief -- such as the 41.5% Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) rate, which is on par with the federal benefit.

       They propose an expansion of the child tax credit from $250 to $500 -- an estimated $250 million annual cost to the state.

       While the EITC was among several ratified relief proposals brought forth by the Coalition two years ago, the idea of imposing steeper levies on Connecticut’s richest residents got pushback from Republicans and moderate Democrats alike.

       Nevertheless, their plan, this year, includes:

       • A 5% surtax on capital gains, dividends, and taxable interest for single households making $500,000 and joint filers earning $1 million or more -- the revenue estimate is $650-800 million per year

       • A statewide 2-Mill property tax rate increase on commercial and residential property worth $1.5 million or more -- revenue is estimated at $150 million

       • An 11.5% corporate tax rate (and) 20% surtax for companies earning $100 million or more -- revenue estimate is $300-350 million per year

       • A $4 million tax system audit to close the state’s $2.6 billion “tax gap”

       • Establishing a new income tax bracket for $1 million, $10 million, and $25 million earners

       A 2014 Connecticut Department of Revenue Services-conducted tax incidence analysis found that households earning less than $48,000 saw an effective 24 percent rate -- the term “effective rate” referring to the amount of their income that goes toward taxes.

       That was compared to the 10 percent for those making $182,000-$287,000 and 6.5 percent for those earning between $2 million and $13 million.

       The updated analysis, completed in 2019, painted a similar picture.

       An average working-class family making $22,500 in pre-tax income pays an effective 25.96% rate -- winding up with $16,700, according to the report.

       Middle class families earning $97,400 have a 15.5% effective rate that nets $82,300 after taxes.

       The average wealthy family earning $3 million shows an effective tax rate of just over 7% -- which leaves $2,865,300.

       “Working people and seniors shouldn’t be bearing that burden,” Farrar said at the forum. “We need to be making sure the wealthiest in our state are truly paying what they owe.”

       Parental Rights Advocates Reject Vaccine Bill Proposal

       A bill allowing children ages 12 and up to receive vaccinations without parental permission was getting buzz on Newington social media pages, and a group of Newington and West Hartford residents brought their concerns about the tentative legislation to the forum.

       “This is starting to become a pattern where they’re chipping away at parental rights,” said West Hartford resident Grant Brown.

       He was referring to House Bill 5480. It was introduced by Democratic House Rep Kevin Ryan, and lawmakers at the forum say it’s the first they’d heard of it.

       A typical legislative session sees the introduction of hundreds of bills -- many of which won’t even make it to a vote, Turco said.

       “On face value, it’s saying 12-year-olds and older can get shots without parental consent,” Brown pressed. “Would any of you support that?”

       Turco and Farrar said that first glance, age 12 seems “too young” -- but would like to hear all sides of the issue. The bill could become subject to a legislative public hearing.

       “I don’t support it,” Turco said. “A 12-year-old definitely needs parental permission, but I would like to hear a public hearing.”

       Lesser described it as a balancing act -- between safeguarding parental rights and providing children in abusive homes with avenues by which they can seek help.

       He acknowledged that the debate extends to other issues, such as youth access to mental health services.

       “We want them, if they’re suicidal, to be able to go to a therapist, even if they don’t feel comfortable telling a parent,” Lesser said.

       But some attendees were opposed to that sort of policy as well.

       “I don’t want to have to wait for three therapy sessions before I’m told that my child is suicidal,” one parent said.

       Parental notification, in the case of vaccines, can be lifesaving, added Newington resident Dana Havens.

       “What about allergies?” Havens asked. “This could actually be deadly.”

       Education Leaders Sound Off on Unfunded Mandates, School Meals Funding

       Connecticut school districts are asking the legislature to provide additional funding for universal no-cost school meals -- what they’ve described as a lifeline for families still struggling through inflation and the pandemic’s economic impact but might not normally qualify for the free or reduced-cost lunch/breakfast program.

       Newington, which at the time, still had limited funding to continue its universal meals program, is one of those districts.

       “You can’t learn if you’re hungry, so I think that’s super important to pay for,” said Board of Education member Amy Perrotti.

       The state provided an additional $30 million, last year, to supplement federal COVID funding for that purpose. Now that that’s expired -- or close to lapsing -- in many districts, Turco is introducing legislation for funding to cover the next two years.

       One full year would cost the state $90 million, according to the State Office of Fiscal Analysis.

       But that proposal, if it passes, won’t take effect until June -- which is why Turco says he’s calling for a short-term funding infusion through the emergency certification process.

       Finishing the year with universal no-cost school meal access in place would cost an Office of Fiscal Analysis-estimated $60 million.

       “I’m feeling somewhat optimistic based on conversations with my leadership. It seems like there’s a good number of people pushing for some kind of short-term funding to provide for schools,” Turco said. “Newington was able to find some money to extend this a little longer, but that is running out very quickly.”

       Board of Education Finance/Budget Committee Chair Anastasia Yopp raised concerns about another bill �" first passed in 2021 -- that sets reading curriculum standards for school districts and requires districts to adopt from a set of seven pre-selected programs.

       It would cost Newington Public Schools (NPS) an excess $500,000 to switch over from its current reading program, Yopp said.

       That was the potential cost figure provided by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Maureen Brummett, who told the Board of Ed. back in December that the current curriculum is superior to those deemed acceptable by State Department of Education (SDE), which has been charged with implementing the policy -- and that she would be seeking a waiver from the requirement.

       “Putting forth an unfunded mandate that will cost $500,000 strangles our Board,” Yopp told lawmakers. “We had to fight to keep our teachers and administrators last year. How do you expect us to handle this?”

       Lawmakers say that while they support the spirit of the legislation -- to hold districts accountable for closing a statewide achievement gap in reading -- the SDE’s implementation could have been less stringent.

       The bill establishes a Center for Reading within the Department of Education for the selection of up to five programs for approval. Under the legislation, districts have until July of this year to choose one of the approved programs.

       “We’re disappointed in the way the Department has implemented it, and we’ve asked them to remedy that,” Farrar says.

       The waiver process is built in, but Turco and Farrar say they will look to other fixes if Newington’s petition is unsuccessful.

       “If Newington is not granted the waiver, I think we need to have another conversation, and it may be that we need to look at [new] legislation,” Turco said.