HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Recently appointed House leaders announced the Chairs of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, the Appropriations Committee and the General Bonding Subcommittee while at the State Capitol on Tuesday.
House Speaker-designate Matt Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas appointed Representatives Sean Scanlon, Toni Walker and Patricia Billie Miller to head the committees that Ritter calls "the three pillars that support the state's fiscal foundation."
Representative Sean Scanlon will serve as the House Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.
Scanlon said he is deeply honored to be named Finance Chair and looks forward to help grow the state's economy.
There are opportunities that come with the fiscal challenges of the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Scanlon said on the north steps of the State Capitol.
"And I believe that we do have a big opportunity here when we come back into the session in this building in January to lead for the people that we know are hurting right now, that know that we want this state to succeed and that we want to come out of this pandemic stronger than when we came into it," Scanlon said.
When crafting the next state budget, Scanlon said he'll be thinking of the people that are struggling financially.
House leaders announced longtime committee leader Toni Walker as the House Chair of the Appropriations Committee.
According to Walker, the upcoming session will be a difficult one because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Unemployment in Connecticut is over 800-thousand since March. One week in October, we processed 156-thousand applications in the Department of Labor for unemployment. That is a key issue that we have to work on," Walker said.
Other issues Walker said she hopes to address include the lack of access to child care and education, the nonprofit organizations that are facing serious financial struggles and the inaccessibility of mental health resources or services.
Representative Patricia Billie Miller has been reappointed as House Chair of the General Bonding Subcommittee of Finance, Revenue and Bonding.
Officials are looking to ensure a bond package is included in the state's budget this year, Miller said, because municipalities were hurt last year without it.
Miller stressed that projects for improving the conditions of a community are important, such as the expansion of a special care hospital in New Britain or the repairs needed for a leaking ceiling of a school.
"I will work hard as I have in the past to make sure that the people of this state are taken care of and their needs are met," Miller said.
At the State Capitol, Ritter explained that part of the reason the announcements are being made earlier than previous years is because the previous Finance Chairman, Representative Rojas, is now taking on his position as House Majority Leader.
With the newly appointed Finance chairman, Rojas will be able to settle into his position as Majority Leader and not have the workload of two positions at once.
The other reason is related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next legislative session will look very different, Ritter said, possibly through June.
"So, I think it's fair to all the Chairs that they have an opportunity a little earlier than normal to make their mark, to have the meetings they need," Ritter said.
More announcements of Chairs of the House Democratic Caucus are expected through late November or early December.
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