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Y O U R S TAT E R E P R E S E N TAT I V E

Gail

Lavielle

2015 LEGISLATIVE REPORT

Parent-Child Hero Award - CT Parent Power

Humanitarian Award STAR, Inc., for service to people with

intellectual disabilities and their families
Environmental Champion & Transportation Leader
CT League of Conservation Voters
Appointment to the School Construction Priority List Review Committee

Protecting the independence

of local government
I led successful efforts to defeat proposed legislation (HB 6851) that would
have given state-level appointees in a new quasi-public Transit Corridor
Development Authority the ability to make planning and development
decisions in town and city centers across Connecticut without local approval.
Residents and their local representatives in communities throughout the
state raised serious concerns about this proposal, as it would have
diminished their ability to shape the character of their cities and towns and
exposed residents and businesses to increased threats of eminent domain.

Capitol Updates by Email

Dont want to miss an important legislative hearing, or
curious about state budget decisions that have an impact
on your checkbook? Visit my web site to sign up for
updates on these subjects and more: replavielle.com

replavielle.com

Childrens Champion Award - CT Early Childhood Alliance

gail.lavielle@housegop.ct.gov
Toll free: 800-842-1423
Room 4200, Legislative Office Building
Hartford, CT 06106-1591

Norwalk, Westport, and Wilton

100% voting and attendance record for the 5th consecutive year

State Representative

Gail Lavielle

Accomplishments on your behalf

143RD DISTRICT

Norwalk,
Westport &
Wilton

Notable legislation

Connecticuts budget debate...

I was pleased to play a leading role in passing bipartisan legislation

in several areas:
Good Government and Transparency

A bill I introduced, which became PA 15-151, ensures rigorous oversight of economic

development funds by requiring the state to include in all of its grant agreements with
businesses a deadline when they must either 1) return unused grant funds, or 2) apply
for authorization to apply unused funds for another purpose.

ABLE Accounts for Persons with Disabilities

I introduced and strongly advocated for new legislation that allows people with
disabilities and their families to save money in tax-free ABLE accounts to pay for
disability-related expenses like education, health care, transportation, housing, job
training and personal support services.

Improving Our Schools

As Ranking Member of the Education Committee, I helped craft legislation that

allows waivers from costly mandates for school districts that propose innovative ideas
for replacing them. Another new law eliminates the minimum budget
requirement for high-performing districts and gives more budget flexibility to districts
with declining enrollment. Other new legislation we passed requires teacher
preparation programs to include comprehensive training in identifying and addressing
dyslexia; facilitates reciprocal certification for out-of-state teachers qualified in
shortage areas; and requires a statewide comprehensive review of standardized testing
practices.

Connecticut ended fiscal year 2015 on June 30 with a $113 million deficit that had to be closed by tapping the Rainy Day Fund. Now, less than
halfway through fiscal year 2016, the state is already facing a deficit of $370 million for the current year, and the legislatures nonpartisan budget
office has projected deficits totaling more than $4 billion for the next three years.
Even after the two largest tax increases in CTs history, deficits continue to plague the state. The reasons: spending that far exceeds the tax bases
capacity to pay for it, excessive borrowing, massive unfunded liabilities, and growing state labor costs. The result: escalating tax pressure on
people and businesses, job growth lagging behind the rest of the country, and lack of funding for infrastructure and services for the neediest.
Structural budget changes, not short-term measures, are required to fix these long-term issues.

The budget approved by the legislature

The alternative budget plan I supported

Legislators from both sides of the aisle and the administration have
recognized that the budget that passed (and that I did not support),
exacerbated Connecticuts finances instead of setting the state on a
sustainable path. It was met last spring with vigorous opposition by GE
and many other businesses, members of the public, and the media, and
passed by only a slim margin. Among its provisions:

My House and Senate Republican colleagues and I proposed an

alternative budget plan that would have spent $765 million less than the
adopted budget, required Gov. Malloy to achieve labor savings he
promised in 2011, restored funding for programs for the most vulnerable,
and introduced significant reforms of labor costs designed to generate
savings far into the future. Our proposals included:

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Expanding Emergency Care for Epilepsy

I introduced legislation that, as part of PA 15-215, expands emergency care for

students who have seizures while at school or at a school activity. Previously,
only school nurses were allowed to administer emergency anti-seizure medication
in a school setting. Now, specially designated and qualified school employees
may do so when the school nurse is unavailable, and the Department of Education
must provide a training program for these employees.

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I also supported successful bipartisan legislation that:

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Allows towns and cities to create tax increment financing districts,

which open new financing possibilities for municipal economic
development projects
Provides stronger protections against elderly abuse
Allows hospital patients to designate a caregiver and requires
hospitals to provide caregivers instructions for home care (CARE Act)

Creates new standards for bicycle safety

Bans variable rate contracts for residential electricity customers

Facilitates the installation of residential solar

energy systems for homeowners
Requires the development of a long-term
plan to preserve and protect Long Island Sound

Facilitates the states acquisition of open space

Creates a Connecticut Women Veterans program

A 7% spending increase over two years

$1.6 billion in total tax increases, with many onerous changes for the
middle class
Adding 200 new state jobs over two years

No new tax increases on residents or the businesses employing them

Phasing out income tax on pension income under $100,000

Keeping spending under the state spending cap

$550 million in tax increases for businesses, including unitary

combined reporting
$212 million in hospital tax increases and a new tax on same-day
surgery centers

$350 million in state employee raises and $228 million for overtime
expenses, as well as 12% raises for certain appointees

A $32 million cut to transportation funding in 2016

Preserving funding for the intellectually disabled, seniors, and the

mentally ill

Ensuring long-term transportation infrastructure funding without new

taxes or tolls
State labor cost reforms, including overtime management and defined
contribution plans for new employees, that would save $600 million in
2016-17 and more in future years.

Our alternative budget was initially rejected by majority lawmakers. This fall, however, when expanding deficits demonstrated that the adopted
budget wasnt working, the administration asked us to bring our proposals back to the table for bipartisan negotiations. This is good news for
everyone, because the legislature accomplishes the most for its constituents when all of us work together in the interest of the entire state.
I hope that bipartisan collaboration will lead to budget policies that create a predictable and friendly business environment, preserve programs for
the neediest, reduce taxes on residents, and make structural reforms that will restore CTs finances, and begin
repairing its reputation as a place to live, work, and retire.