2023 Session Wrap up
It was 2023 session wrap up and our elected officials, Rep. Lucy Dathan, Rep Keith Denning, Sen Ceci Maher, shared their progress with us at the Library on June 26. Below are the highlights.
Budget highlights:
Achieved a strong bipartisan budget with tax relief with record rainy day fund of $3.3B.
Continues the Earned Income Tax Credit, the most successful anti-poverty program in American history.
Keeps our promises related to local education funding and provides additional $435M million over the next two years, while holding harmless towns that would have otherwise lost funds. It also provides additional funding to school systems for special education funding.
Supporting Education
Increased in birth to three programs including head start, honoring commitment to increased child care provider rates.
Increased K-12 educational funding by $435M over the biennium, accelerating the Educational Cost Sharing formula (ECS).
Expanding debt-free community colleges.
Key Voting initiatives passed
Early Voting Implementation: Post 2022 referendum, allows 2 weeks of early voting for General Election and 5 days for primary elections. Provides some funding for towns.
Voting Rights Acts: Mirrors Federal John Lewis Voting Rights - prevents municipalities from taking actions that interfere with right to vote and gives affected voters redress, safeguarding the right to vote.
No Excuse Absentee Voting: Will ensure that in 2024, that there will be a referendum to allow the voters to decide to implement.
“Approximately 1 in 4 women (23.2%) and 1 in 7 men (13.9%) have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”
Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence
Expansion of electronic monitoring pilot program of family violence offenders
Alimony reforms for victims
Increases the number of family violence crimes as disqualifiers for purchasing firearms
Transportation Improvements
Automated Traffic Enforcement: Allows Municipalities to use speed and red light cameras
Transport Sector CO2 Reduction Target: Requires DOT to biennially establish transportation CO2 targets and sets the maximum amount allowed
Wrong Way Driving Countermeasures: Requires DOT to expand the installation of system to alert drivers are going the wrong way
Environmental
Solid Waste Management: Planning for waste management following MIRA’s closure in 2022. Tire disposal management program.
Utility Regulation Reform: Updates to how PURA regulates the utilities. Rate recovery limitations established. “Take back the grid 2.0”
Black Bears Management: Expands bear management techniques to aid with habituated bears.
PFAS: Increase in Muni support for additional PFAS testing and remediation
