In the 2016 legislative session, we made economic growth and support for small businesses a top priority. Keep reading to see some of our 2016 initiatives...

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I have several announcements to share with you this week!

It's been another busy week in Hartford and I'm pleased to say that I have great news to share!

Last Friday night, the House approved the needed adjustments to the FY2017 budget that closed the deficit through spending cuts, without raising taxes, borrowing, or tapping the Rainy Day Fund. I had anticipated providing you with an update and overview, but with the state bonding bill and the Governor's Second Chance 2.0 legislation impacting the budget, I will provide an update after these bills come before us for a vote.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill recently announced a new tool to track business formation in Connecticut. Her office has worked with the Connecticut Data Collaborative to launch a site, Ctbusiness.ctdata.org, which pinpoints where business activity is happening in the state and makes this data accessible to the public.

I, along with other members of New Haven's delegation hailed last week’s bipartisan agreement for protecting critical funding for municipal aid in FY ’16. The agreement restores hospital funding in full and preserves funding for core social services.

This week, we passed a bi-partisan agreement to put the 2016 budget back in balance, and restore the Governor’s cuts to hospitals, social services, and municipal aid.

Rep. Joe Gresko of Stratford discusses issues facing the state and his town on Cablevision’s public affairs program, Meet The Leaders.