House Republican Press Release

February 6, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. DelGobbo: Gov. Rell’s Budget Address Sets Right Tone for Legislative Session

With many economists predicting an economic downturn in Connecticut and elsewhere in the country, the budget unveiled by Governor Rell today strikes the right tone as the 2008 legislative session begins to unfold, state Representative Kevin M. DelGobbo said today.

The governor’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2009 avoids tax increases, provides business tax relief and remains under the state’s constitutional spending cap, said Representative DelGobbo, R-Naugatuck, the House Rankling Member on the General Assembly’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee.

“Overall, I was very pleased with the governor’s budget proposal,” Representative DelGobbo said. “It is a responsible, realistic package that will help blunt the worst effects of a possible economic downturn in our state. It is balanced, it does not exceed the spending cap, and it offers some business tax relief to help our business climate and preserve jobs.”

“The governor’s budget calls for the repeal of the business entity tax, an annual levy that adversely affects small businesses,” Representative DelGobbo said. “Small businesses have been seeking permanent relief from this tax for several years.”

“I also look forward to working with the governor to enact other targeted tax relief measures that should enjoy bipartisan support in the state legislature, such as restoring the sales tax exemption for purchases of ‘energy star’ appliances, which will save taxpayers $23 million and give all of us a powerful incentive to conserve energy,” Representative DelGobbo said.

Other proposals offered by Governor Rell include:

• A proposal to reorganize the state Department of Transportation to enable it to better focus on transportation programs and projects that are priorities for the citizens of Connecticut.
• A measure to collect DNA samples from people charged with Class A and Class B felonies to help apprehend violent criminals.
• A tax credit for ‘green’ building construction, and an exemption from the estate tax for working farms.
• Funding to meet the unmet needs of returning veterans and tuition waivers at state colleges for children and spouses of persons killed in action.
• Hiring an additional 100 state troopers over the next five years for traffic enforcement to crack down on unsafe drivers.
• Providing $5 million for nanotechnology, an industry that draws on Connecticut’s strengths in the fields of biology and chemistry and has the potential to create thousands of jobs.
• Enacting a true ‘three strikes and you’re out’ law for violent felony offenders.
• Increased inspection of nursing homes and day care centers.