Press Releases
WASHINGTON—Today, after the House approved H.R. 3370, the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2)—a cosponsor of the bill—released the following statement:
“Over the last six months, I have spoken to eastern Connecticut realtors and homebuilders about the critical need for this law. The skyrocketing rate increases that have occurred in the last year will effectively lock up our state’s real estate market in flood zones, hampering our economic recovery.
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award $32,847,955 in disaster declaration funds to the New England Multispecies Groundfish Fishery. The funding, part of $75 million in congressionally-allocated assistance for nationwide fisheries disaster declarations, was authorized under the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) released the following statement after Governor Malloy and UTC CEO Louis Chênevert announced an agreement in which UTC will invest up to $500 million over 5 years in Connecticut to upgrade and expand its aerospace research, development and manufacturing facilities. In addition, UTC has committed to retaining its Pratt & Whitney division headquarters in Connecticut for 15 years and its Sikorsky headquarters in Connecticut for at least 5 years.
WASHINGTON—Citing state export data released today from the U.S. Department of Commerce showing a more than 3 percent increase in exports from 2012 to 2013, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) released the following statement:
WASHINGTON—Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) released the following statement after President Obama delivered the 2014 State of the Union Address tonight:
Washington—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) announced that his guest for President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 28th will be Katherine Hackett of Moodus, Connecticut. Ms. Hackett, the mother of two U.S. servicemen, was cut off from emergency unemployment insurance benefits on December 28th. Along with more than 20,000 other Connecticut residents, she lost this modest but vital lifeline because House Republican leaders refused to hold a vote to extend federal emergency unemployment benefits before adjourning at the end of 2013.
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) applauded the bipartisan passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, an omnibus spending measure that appropriates government funding for Fiscal Year 2014, by a vote of 359 to 67. The bipartisan coalition included 193 Democrats and 166 Republicans supporting the legislation, with 3 Democrats and 64 Republicans opposing it.
Hartford—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen highlighted the need to extend tax relief for forgiven mortgage debt. The tax provision, which allowed taxpayers to exclude “income” from mortgage modifications, short sales, and foreclosures from being subject to federal income taxes, expired at the end of last year. The provision was originally enacted in 2007, and was one of 55 tax provisions that the Republican-led House of Representatives allowed to expire last month.
WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Joe Courtney today announced that, since the beginning of 2013, his office has helped return $1,587,211 to eastern Connecticut citizens who were owed Social Security checks, veterans' benefits, tax refunds and other payments from the federal government. Since Courtney's arrival in Congress in 2007, his casework staff has helped thousands of constituents cut through bureaucratic red tape.
WASHINGTON—Following passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act in December, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) lent his support to two pieces of legislation that will repeal changes to the military retirement system made in that original bill. While passage of a comprehensive, bipartisan budget agreement was an important victory for the economy, it included a provision that would reduce future military retirement benefit cost-of-living adjustments for working age retirees – a provision that Congressman Courtney opposes.