Bipartisan Coalition Continues To Pitch 'Passport to the Parks'

HARTFORD, CT — A few days before the unofficial kick-off of the summer season — Memorial Day weekend — a group of legislators from both political parties made a renewed pitch for the state to spend millions to maintain Connecticut’s parks and forests.

The legislators held a press conference at the state capitol to push for a proposal called “Passport to the Parks,” which they said would raise between $10 million and $14.5 million per year through a $10 vehicle registration fee to be paid every two years when vehicle registrations are renewed.

The $5 per year fee would be, at least as designed, dedicated strictly to maintain the state’s beleaguered park and forest system, which has been particularly hard hit by a series of budget cuts during Connecticut’s budget crisis the past few years.

One of the politicians backing the proposal was Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, who said she was at Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme a few days ago and it was “chilling” to see knee-high grass.

Read more: http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/bipartisan_coalition_continues_to_pitch_passport_to_the_parks/