CONNECTICUT DEMOCRATIC PARTY
330 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106 • ctdems.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2013

CONTACT: Elizabeth Larkin
(860) 560-1775

(Hartford, Connecticut) — The Connecticut Democratic Party today released the following statement from Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo:

“I’d like to congratulate the governor and Democrats in the state legislature on the steps taken and the strides made during this difficult but productive session.  Despite the fiscal and economic challenges the state continues to face, we have made progress on several fronts.  As the Governor always says, we’re not where we need to be yet and we have a long way to go,  but we are clearly headed in the right direction:

“A balanced, GAAP compliant budget that lives within its means, contains no new taxes, and maintains the state’s investment in job creation and education was passed.  In particular, funding for Next Gen is an ambitious investment in higher education and economic development that paves the way for Connecticut children to complete for 21st century jobs.

“Partisan gridlock and political bickering in Washington have stalled the movement to raise the minimum wage on a federal level, giving the states two options: wait for Congress to reach a common consensus, or start the dialogue on their own.  Connecticut, always a leader, has chosen the latter course and has passed a minimum wage increase to $9 an hour by the end of 2015.

“A new energy plan was passed that offers a lower cost to consumers by providing cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy.  And it will create many good paying jobs.

“For municipalities, the MORE Commission allows them to realize savings by connecting them to the Nutmeg Network, regional common school calendars, and increase their efficiency on a local level.

“Aid to cities and towns was maintained in the budget, which should help hold down local property taxes.

“Finally, Governor Malloy and the General Assembly acted deliberately and carefully in the wake of the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in passing the comprehensive gun violence prevention and school safety bill.  The bill increases funding for mental health care, provides funding to make our schools safer by developing new safety and infrastructure standards, and it creates a registry for both deadly weapon offenders and deadly weapons themselves.   This bill passed with wide public and bipartisan support.”