Senator Judith G. Freedman (R-26) today voted with most of her Senate Republican colleagues in favor of a $16.07- billion 2007 state budget, saying that good points of the package outweigh the bad.

“While we do increase spending in this budget, the spending roughly approximates state residents’ personal income growth and falls under the spending cap. It is true that this budget does not do everything that we Republicans had hoped for, including addressing the estate tax and the cliff. However, this budget does have a lot of high points, including funding for a pilot program to provide state services to adults with autism. It is a good compromise budget that meets many of the needs of state residents,” said Senator Freedman, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Senator Freedman said she is pleased that the budget package fully funds the teachers’ pension system for this year and next year, increases the property tax credit, repeals the 15% corporate tax surcharge for the 2007 income year, creates three new job creation tax credit programs, sets money aside in the Rainy Day Fund, pays down some debt, funds special education excess costs at 4.5 percent of the per pupil expenditure, keeps the commitment to the state university and University of Connecticut matching grant endowment fund and adds more money for the expansion of charter schools. Senator Freedman said she is disappointed that the budget includes only a two percent increase in funding for private community based social service providers; she had hoped for a larger increase. 

“Ultimately, we are going to have to find a permanent solution to fully funding the teachers’ pension system. And, we have to address the estate tax because Connecticut needs a diverse senior citizen population, not only because of the taxes they pay but also for everything they else they contribute to our society. But, we will lose them, and all of the taxes they pay, not just the estate tax, if they feel unfairly treated and just pack up and leave. At the very least, I had hoped we would address the cliff issue, which is both burdensome and unfair,” said Senator Freedman.