It is such an honor to be here at the Capitol serving the residents of Ledyard, Preston and Montville in the 42nd District.

The first month of the session has been nothing but excitement. Legislators have been proposing bills, meeting with committees, and participating in public hearings. I have been privileged to represent the District by providing testimony at several public hearings on bills I proposed that help resolve long-standing municipal issues as well as several constituent issues that will help promote growth in our small businesses.

While I agree that transportation and budget issues are a priority this session, I also hope to stress the importance of education and stabilizing the economy in order to not only freeze the number of residents moving out of Connecticut, but to encourage new residents to move in.

The oversight and inventory of educational budgets is a prominent principle in several bills I have proposed this year. I hope that, if passed, this legislation would provide the opportunity for greater collaboration between boards of finance and boards of education, improving the maintenance of buildings and grounds in a more cost-effective way, and also ensure greater oversight of education budget execution through requiring annual audits to include state statute, local ordinance and Board of Education policy as standards.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from July 2013 to July 2014 about 26,000 more people moved out than into the state. In terms of births, deaths and international migration, the state also experienced an overall population drop of 2,664 people. This is the first time that the population has decreased since 2008, but this year it was the third-largest population dip of any other state, behind West Virginia and Illinois.

This loss of population is believed to be due largely to residents retiring to places with warmer climates, less of a burden on sales and income taxes, and with more affordable housing. Connecticut is also lagging in keeping younger residents in the state and adding to our population: youth today are moving to more urban areas and waiting longer to have children.

A solution to this problem would be to support job creation, skilled labor force growth, lower taxes, and business development. We need to enrich the quality of life for Connecticut residents; I hope to further this effort through bills I have proposed this session.

As your voice in the Connecticut legislature, I encourage you to attend public hearings, as well as my office hour events and to share your ideas and concerns. I look forward to meeting with you and answering your questions. For information, call the office at (800) 842-1423 or e-mail Mike.France@housegop.ct.gov. To sign up for a newsletter go to www.RepFrance.com.