Latest news with #ConnecticutStateSenate
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Connecticut State Senate advances legislation aimed at lowering electricity bills
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — After a brief debate and a nearly unanimous vote, the Connecticut State Senate advanced a major piece of energy legislation that proponents say will deliver a modest reduction of electric bills for ratepayers across the state. The legislation came after months of delicate, closed-door negotiations between legislators and members of the Lamont administration who were faced with a tangled web of competing interests within Connecticut's energy ecosystem. Gov. Lamont: Budget on the '1-yard line' 'We tried to thread the needle very, very carefully,' State Sen. Norm Needleman, the Democratic co-chair of the legislature's Energy and Technology Committee, said. In threading that needle, policymakers said they'd opted for changes that could deliver as much as $200 worth of annual reductions to ratepayers — depending on the size of their bill and other factors. That reduction will be delivered by shifting certain costs of the public benefits portion of ratepayer bills. Revenue from the public benefits charge is used to fund a range of government-directed energy programs, including the procurement of renewable energy. The charge was at the epicenter of ratepayer outrage last summer when a confluence of factors, including historically hot weather and costs associated with the operation of Millstone Nuclear Power Station, caused bills to spike. The Millstone-related costs were the primary driver of last summer's spike in the public benefits charge and have since come off of ratepayer bills as planned, but the flood of attention paid to the public benefits portion of the bill spurred lawmakers to scrutinize other programs funded by the charge. 'Some of the public benefits charges have already fallen off the bill,' Needleman said, referencing the Millstone costs. 'I've argued for a long time that there was a one time spike that happened quickly but is coming down at a slower rate. So, we're just sort of adding to how fast it's coming down.' Instead of placing the costs of certain programs on the backs of ratepayers, lawmakers will utilize bonding — essentially swiping the state's credit card — and cuts in certain areas. For Republicans, those cuts are welcome but not as expansive as they would've liked to see. State Sen. Ryan Fazio, the leading Republican senator on the Energy and Technology Committee, has long argued that the whole sum of programs funded by the public benefits charge off of ratepayer bills. Under that proposal, the programs would be neither covered by ratepayers or the state's credit card. Rather, those programs would be subject to the legislature's biannual budgetary process — a process that would in all likelihood mean the outright elimination of some programs. 'Senate Republicans and I have argued for years that we should be eliminating the public benefits charge,' Fazio said. 'But we're at least glad that we're able to find a compromise with our Democratic Party and pass legislation that delivers the first cut of any significance in public benefits programs.' The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Candidates for State Senate special election highlight their campaign
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — In the dead of winter, two candidates are squaring off in a special election for a vacant seat in the Connecticut State Senate. In Shelton, Stratford, Monroe and Seymour, voters will choose between Republican Jason Perillo and Democrat Tony Afriyie to fill a vacant seat left by former State Sen. Kevin Kelly, a Republican who has been nominated by Gov. Ned Lamont to serve as a Superior Court judge. Does your town have an upcoming special election? Perillo, a Shelton native, is a hospital executive who has served for nearly 18 years in the state House of Representatives. Afriyie spent much of his upbringing in Stratford, and currently works as an aide for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. Speaking with News 8, both candidates emphasized similar themes of economic development and the cost of living – though they outlined different approaches to address those challenges. For Perillo, his priorities are centered on addressing Connecticut's comparatively high cost of living, specifically the cost of electricity. Perillo said his first priority to deliver relief for ratepayers would be to 'eliminate the public benefits charge that's on everyone's bill.' 'It can be serious money and most folks don't get any benefit from it at all,' Perillo said. Afriyie said his first priority would be to support a state child tax credit. He says the measure will help address the state's cost of living challenges – particularly for working families. 'I think that the child tax credit is economic development,' Afriyie said. Perillo also stressed economic development, pointing to his record in the legislature advocating for state funds to support projects in his hometown of Shelton. 'That government infusion of money has helped private developers spend their own money to build really tremendous apartment buildings that have created housing opportunities and have helped keep taxes down for everyone who lives in the community,' Perillo said. Part of Afriyie's pitch to voters is a generational message. At 27, he would be the youngest member of the State Senate and among the first members of Gen Z (commonly defined as those born between 1997 and 2012) to serve in the legislature. Gov. Ned Lamont looks to expand preschool access in new legislation He said expanding economic opportunities for young people would be another priority if he is elected. 'I want to make sure that the pipelines that are going into advanced manufacturing, going into teachers, going into police officers, firefighters – that we have those skills getting trained by the high schoolers so that when they come out of high school, they're already that skilled workforce,' Afriyie said. The winner of the special election will serve in a State Senate currently dominated by Democrats. Led by State Senate President Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff, the Democrats outnumber Minority Leader Steve Harding's Republican caucus 25-10. Though they come from different parties and have different policy platforms, the two candidates currently share at least one common challenge: making voters aware that there is a special election that begins in about one week. Afriyie and Perillo have both been calling voters, posting on social media and braving the cold to canvas neighborhoods. 'They're always very, like, 'wow, it's really cold out and you're doing that,'' Afriyie said of his conversations on voters' doorsteps. 'The biggest challenge is when the heck is the election?' Perillo said. 'Because there's snow on the ground and I'm not usually voting when there's snow on the ground.' Early voting in the special election begins on Feb. 20 and runs through Feb. 23. Election day is Feb. 25. Click here for more information, including voting schedules and poll locations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
