House Republican Press Release

May 23, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Reps Hamzy, Burns: Majority Dems Kill House GOP Measure to Lower Gas Prices This Summer

Use Procedural Gimmick to Avoid Vote on Gas Tax Relief Legislation

If your vacation plans this summer include a lot of driving, you can thank the state legislature’s majority Democrats for making you pay an extra 25 cents a gallon for your gasoline, state Representatives William A. Hamzy and Ron Burns said today.

The Democrat majority in the state House of Representatives today used a parliamentary gimmick to kill an amendment offered by House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, that would have suspended collections of the state’s 25 cent per gallon gasoline tax between Monday, May 28, 2007 (Memorial Day) and Monday, September 3, 2007 (Labor Day).

“The majority Democrats in the state House and Senate have made it obvious over the past few weeks that they are adamantly opposed to suspending the gasoline tax,” said Representative Hamzy, R-78^th District, a Deputy House Republican Leader. “Today, they made good on their promises to deny Connecticut’s families any relief this summer from high gasoline prices by using a procedural gimmick to prevent a vote on our proposal to suspend the gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day – the peak driving months when residents taking family vacations could have used a break from high gasoline prices the most.”

“I was in the gallery with a group of St. Anthony School students when the voice vote that killed our amendment was taken. The students said they thought the Republican ‘nay’ vote was louder than the Democrats’ ‘yea’ vote to support the procedural motion that prevented a roll call vote on our amendment. From where I was standing in the gallery it seemed louder to me as well. Fourth and fifth graders are pretty savvy,” said Representative Burns, R-77^th District. “I am very disappointed that my Democratic colleagues used a parliamentary trick to prevent a roll call vote from being taken, which would have meant every legislator in the chamber would be on the record as supporting or opposing relief for our constituents through a suspension of the gasoline tax this summer.”