House Republican Press Release

January 31, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. DelGobbo Introduces 2006 Legislation

Legislative Proposals Will Help Connecticut Families, Protect Taxpayers, Jobs, Energy Users

State Rep. Kevin M. DelGobbo, R-70^th, Naugatuck, announced some of the legislation that he has proposed, in preparation for the 2006 legislative session that begins next week, February 8.

He noted that, under the state constitution, individual legislators are permitted to introduce only bills that are related to the state budget. Legislators can also request that legislative committees raise bills on other topics.

Among the proposals that Rep. DelGobbo has introduced are:

• Implementing the state spending cap that 80 percent of voters overwhelmingly approved as an amendment to the state constitution. This has not been formally implemented by the state legislature.
• Allocating $250 million of the anticipated state budget surplus to help fund the state Teachers’ Retirement System. The legislature has underfunded  the system every year since 2001, creating an unfunded liability of more than $5 billion.
• Reducing the gross receipts tax that homeowners and businesses pay on their electric bills from 6.8 percent to 4.0 percent. This will ease the burden on families and small businesses of rising electricity rates.
• Eliminate the 20 percent corporate income tax surcharge that the legislature reinstated last year, after it was scheduled to expire. This will encourage Connecticut companies to grow, maintain and increase jobs and thereby stimulate the state’s lagging economy.
• Enact “Jessica Law” to impose tougher penalties, tighter registration and more monitoring of sex offenders. This is named after nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford who was kidnapped and murdered by a registered sex offender that police has lost track of in Florida. Rep. DelGobbo was among the co-authors of Connecticut’s “Megan’s Law” on sex offender registration, named after Megan Kanka, who was  killed by a convicted child molester in New Jersey.
• Extending and expanding the Connecticut six-percent sales-tax exemption on energy efficient products that is scheduled to expire on April 1, 2006. This would increase the number of exempted products and extend the exemption through June 2007.
• Exempting veterans’ pensions from the state’s five per cent personal income tax. This will reduce tax burdens and encourage retirees to stay in Connecticut.
• Eliminating the municipal property tax on manufacturing equipment and reimbursing cities and towns for the lost revenues. This also will encourage manufacturers to remain and create more jobs in Connecticut.
• Implementing performance-based budgeting to assure taxpayers their dollars are well spent.
• Severely restricting government power to take private property through eminent domain laws.

Rep. DelGobbo serves the 70^th Assembly District of Naugatuck in the state House of Representatives.