Regionalism Bill Passes State House

The "Regionalism Bill" authored by first term State Rep. Brian Becker, D-19th District, passed the House on Thursday with unanimous support, according to a release received from the Connecticut General Assembly.

The bill's intent is to improve the collaborative process between cities and towns, eliminating procedural barriers and saving time, as well as money spent on municipal functions that can be combined.

According to the release, the bill has widespread support from state and municipal officials. It now heads to the state Senate.

“This bill is a real boost for regionalism,” Becker said in the release. “It clarifies that municipalities can work together in any area in which they think they can realize savings or efficiencies. It also shortens and simplifies the approval process, which currently can be cumbersome and costly. This will save cities and towns time and money.”

“The bottom line is that municipalities that want to work together to save costs and retain or improve services should be encouraged to do so, and should not have state law be an obstacle,” Becker said.