Balanced budgets have helped pay down long-term debt in the state. Big feathers in the caps of state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
As the legislative session gets underway, Connecticut's budget is in such good shape that they're actually talking about getting some money back to taxpayers.
NBC Connecticut's Mike Hydeck talks to State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden), who was recently also appointed chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee.
Mike Hydeck: So for the first time in decades, Connecticut lawmakers are now talking about having a meaningful debate on a middle-class tax cut. When you heard the governor mention that in his State of the State address, what were your thoughts on it?
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Jorge Cabrera: I was very encouraged. You know, I hear from my constituents, as I'm sure others do as well, about the cost of living here in Connecticut. And it is way past time that we focus on giving middle-class families a reasonable tax cut. So I'm excited about the importance of negotiations on this and the conversation. And I'm hoping that we could achieve it.
Mike Hydeck: I just interviewed Vincent Candelora. He's hoping for about 1% for $175,000 and under. Is that something that's palatable for you?
Jorge Cabrera: We'll see where the negotiations go. I think, you know, oftentimes, I think when we think of middle class here in Connecticut, because we do have higher incomes than the rest of the country, as well as high electricity rates. We know inflation has taken a bite out of people's budgets. I'd like to do something that is meaningful, that actually makes a real dent in people's lives. So we'll see where negotiations go. But I think we need to also look at higher incomes in Connecticut.
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Mike Hydeck: So a major challenge statewide is affordable housing. You know, it's been in the news for a long time. Local planning and zoning boards often fight projects that include it. Developers say it cuts into their bottom line. How can something like that be addressed on the state level?
Jorge Cabrera: Well, I think it has to be addressed. I think we all know we're in a crisis here in Connecticut when it comes to housing. I think the pandemic really proved how important that is. And I know lots of people, unfortunately, are starting to get evicted from their homes. Here in my own district, I've heard from my constituents who have seen in many cases, their rents double in some cases. So no, I know here in Hamden, we have a fair rent commission that stepped in, I think we need to make sure that people stay in their homes. I know this is not going to be easy, but we need to tackle it. It's not only affecting families, it's affecting the state's ability to attract and maintain businesses here in the state because you need a strong housing stock for all levels of people, working middle-class people who need affordable housing. I know our majority leader Jason Rojas, in the house just wrote an op-ed on this very issue. We all know we have to tackle it. We know it's not going to be easy. We know it's been a long time coming. But I'm hopeful that we can get something meaningful done.
Mike Hydeck: Some of the op-eds I've read on this topic say we should include big business, maybe the big contractors in town, because they're the ones who need a lot of people, where skilled labor need a place to live. Is that something that should be explored in your opinion?
Jorge Cabrera: I think so. I think everything has to be on the table. I think sometimes when we think of affordable housing, we have an image in our heads. And the reality is, I'm hearing from my constituents, most of them who work sometimes two-family incomes, who are still having a hard time paying their rent and paying their mortgage. And I think also the spillover effects of new construction. The jobs that it brings, are really an important piece to remind, remember, and to remind ourselves as we go into the session and draw politics, these are also workforce development programs.
Mike Hydeck: Your new committee chairmanship includes insurance. It has been two years since the Biden administration passed what's called the hospital transparency rule. So you as a patient know what you're going to pay before you get a service. That will also help you find out how much your insurance company will cover. We get viewer complaints here at NBC Connecticut, that that's not being enforced here, that hospitals are still opaque, insurance companies, as well. In your role in the insurance company, can something like that be addressed?
Jorge Cabrera: Absolutely. Right now we're looking at everything. Hospital transparency, pricing is really important. I hear from too many people who visit different hospitals for similar procedures and get different rates. And the fact is, when you're at a hospital, you're oftentimes in a situation where you don't have the time or even the frame of mind to worry about what things cost, but I think that's a big driver. And we really need to look at some equity there, we need to make sure that hospitals, as you say, are not opaque, as well as drug companies. This is a big bite of people's budgets, and we really need to tackle it and make sure people know what they're getting and what things are going to cost beforehand.
Mike Hydeck: Is it especially difficult, however, considering so many insurance companies are based here? They employ a lot of people here, too. So that's not gonna be an easy tug of war, I would imagine.
Jorge Cabrera: Yeah, you know, it's not easy. But you know, we're set up to Hartford to tackle difficult issues that are complex healthcare and hospital transparency is clearly one. I know that there's lots of different interests and different ways that people want to address this issue. But at the end of the day, we represent the people of Connecticut, and I know that health care is a big problem for many of my constituents. And I think we have to be clear that I'm agreeing to provide a service, especially when it comes to healthcare. In some cases, life and death situations, we need to know how you arrive at your pricing. It has to be fair, there has to be just, it has to be transparent. So I'm looking forward to tackling that.
Mike Hydeck: Got a little less than a minute. What's the most important issue between now and June in your mind?
Jorge Cabrera: There's lots of important issues. I think as you said at the top of the segment, we're in a really good position. I mean, our budget is doing well. We have balanced budgets, we have record surpluses, record rainy-day fund. I think now is the time in Connecticut to tackle the issues that make middle-class families' lives better. I know I'm going to be championing the Child Tax Credit, which Representative Sean Scanlon has been a champion of for years. At the federal level, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro did this. Unfortunately, it expired. But that lifted literally millions of people out of poverty. And I think if we're gonna get serious about helping the middle class in Connecticut and keeping them here, we need to tackle housing. We also need to tackle childcare costs, and I think the child tax credit needs to be increased, and also needs to be made permanent in the State of Connecticut. We're really going to help our families.
