Cathy Osten

Sen. Osten Votes To Extend Cost-Saving Measures For Ct Residents Into 2023

Extension of gas tax cut and increased funding for pandemic worker bonuses and home heating oil assistance

State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today joined the state Senate in voting to extend important, cost-saving measures first approved by Democrats last spring that will now provide more than $200 million in additional financial benefits and savings to state residents in the coming months.

Sen. Osten voted to extend Connecticut’s gas tax cut into 2023, saving motorists another $90 million through May 1. That gas tax holiday will be phased out gradually, avoiding a financial cliff and allowing for residents to acclimate to price shifts. The gas tax will increase 5 cents per-gallon, per-month, from January 1 to May 1

Sen. Osten also voted to allocate $75 million for a state program aiding essential workers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to invest an additional $30 million in Connecticut’s home heating oil assistance programs, in particular the Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program; the vote adds to the $97 million in existing state and federal aid already dedicated to helping Connecticut residents pay for winter heating costs.

The Senate also voted today to ensure retailers’ existing inventories of beverage containers not marked for recycling can continue to be sold after January 1, when new bottle laws take effect in the state.