2020 Candidate Questionnaire
Rep. Laura Devlin
Republican – 134th House District (Fairfield & Trumbull)
Incumbent
#1) BACKGROUND: Community services for people in need are funded by state government through contracts, grants, and Medicaid. Over the years, community nonprofits have been cut in budget after budget, causing significant reductions in funding for community services and harm to the people of the state. When faced with cuts, community nonprofits cannot raise taxes or prices, forcing them to cut services, lay-off employees or close programs. This is a model that cannot sustain itself – and it puts Connecticut’s quality of life at risk. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unanticipated expenses for Personal Protective Equipment and more, revenue losses as people are avoiding in-person services, and constantly changing guidance on staffing ratios, etc.
QUESTION: If elected, would you stand-up in your caucus and tell your colleagues to support increases in funding for community nonprofits?
Please check one:
Yes: __x_
No: ___
Additional Comments: I have been and will continue to be an advocate for increased funding for our community nonprofits and equally a voice against policies that put our non-profits in a worse position. Particularly as it relates to costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have and will continue to join my caucus in urging the governor to ensure additional relief funding to cover the cost of PPE and more.
#2) BACKGROUND: Community nonprofits are exempt from paying taxes by state and federal law because they provide services that would otherwise need to be provided by government. Nonprofits do not pay federal and state corporate income taxes for their charitable activities, donations to nonprofits are tax deductible, and nonprofits are exempt from Connecticut’s sales tax and local property taxes. Recently, there have been efforts at all levels of government to weaken the tax-exempt status of nonprofits, most notably at the local level with municipalities assessing property taxes to property used for charitable purposes.
QUESTION: Would you support legislation to clarify that community nonprofits that provide essential services are not subject to property taxation?
Please check one:
Yes: _x__
No: ___
Additional Comments: Until we can get state spending in order, and make good on obligations such as PILOT, those efforts will continue. I do not support changing the tax-exempt status of nonprofits.
#3) BACKGROUND: Even though community nonprofits deliver more than 90% of residential services to people with Intellectual/Development Disabilities (I/DD) and 60% of clients served by Local Mental Health Authorities in Connecticut, the State continues to operate some of these services itself, with State-operated facilities staffed by state employees. The State and nonprofits provide the same services, (and substantiated quality of care) but nonprofits do so at half of the cost (i.e., nonprofits negotiate medical and dental insurance every year, while the State is locked into a contract; nonprofits don’t have long term debt obligations associated with healthcare and retirement plans, nonprofits can more easily manage overtime, etc). Given the reality that thousands of state employees are expected to retire by 2022, the State could use this upcoming biennial budget to redesign the service system to be more modern, efficient, sustainable, and simply help more people.
QUESTION: If elected, would you support converting more state-operated services to the nonprofit sector? If not, how would you ensure that state funding is able to help more people?
Please check one:
Yes: __x__
No: ____
Additional Comments: I have consistently advocated to eliminate the state’s dual-delivery system and support moving more state-provided services to our nonprofits. However, the reality is without greater balance in the make-up of the state’s legislature, it will be difficult to make this change.
#4) BACKGROUND: The nonprofit arts and culture community enhances Connecticut’s quality of life. The arts make our communities better places to live and work – they create jobs, generate revenue, and are key considerations when families and businesses are thinking of locating in our state. A recent study found that Connecticut’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generates $797 million in annual economic activity for the state, supporting over 23,000 jobs and generating $72 million in local and state tax revenue. Yet all this economic activity is at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many arts and cultural organizations that offer live performances have suspended all events, as some venues cannot be inexpensively reconfigured to social distance seating and/or improve ventilation. Further, major fund-raisers, another important source of revenue, have been postponed until further notice while general donations are also down as more people are unemployed.
QUESTION: Would you support state funding to keep art and cultural institutions in business until they can get back on their feet after the pandemic?
Yes: _x__
No: ___
Additional Comments: The arts contribute in so many ways in addition to revenue – they provide an outlet for expression and help build connections, and shared experiences. I have already advocated for specific instances of state funding and encourage that more broad relief can be provided through federal funding.
#5) BACKGROUND: Community nonprofits across Connecticut serve over 500,000 people, employ 117,000 and spend $29 billion annually in Connecticut’s economy. Nonprofits contribute to our state’s communities, economy and quality of life; they support the developmentally disabled, feed the hungry, provide behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, and help prisoners re-enter their communities. Nonprofits also enrich the state through art and culture — providing visual arts and performances and preserving our state’s historical landmarks.
QUESTION: What has been your experience with nonprofits in your community?
Answer: I have a proud record of giving back to our communities through supporting our nonprofit organizations including the United Way, Girl Scouts of America, Dress for Success, Operation Hope, the Kennedy Center and more. My involvement spans direct hands on-involvement such as serving as a coach in the job re-entry program for Dress for Success, co-chairing food collection outreach for the Fairfield 375 Food Drive benefitting Operations Hope, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and other organizations, volunteering to support food drives to benefit Operation Hope through the COVID-19 pandemic, and advocating for legislative changes that help our non-profits including the Kennedy Center operate with greater efficiency. In addition, I have been actively involved in multiple efforts to support our community, such as organizing a 10-week long food drive to support the Trumbull Food Pantry.