In the midst of an election season marked by uncertainty, one thing is clear: Gov. Ned Lamont will not reintroduce the highway tolls concept next year.
At a press conference yesterday, Lamont said he would not bring back the tolls idea when the General Assembly begins its regular session on Jan. 6. The governor fought hard for bringing tolls back in the 2020 regular session ”“ primarily as a way of paying for improvements to the state”™s infrastructure, and to bring it in line with other New England states ”“ but Republicans were vocal in their opposition and Democrats failed to even bring it to a vote.
“I”™m looking at other alternatives,” Lamont said yesterday. “I”™m going to put those on the table. And I”™m going to ask the legislature to make a decision.”
Democrats have added seven seats to their state House majority and two to their Senate plurality, with those figures now standing at 98-53 and 24-12, respectively.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and incoming House Majority Leader Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) have yet to identify what they view as top legislative priorities for 2021, though Looney has indicated that property tax reform could be on the agenda.
