The state’s fiscal crisis is forcing the administration and the members of the General Assembly to make tough decisions in order to close the budget gap in the current fiscal year and craft a new biennial budget. That said, we strongly contend that sweeping dedicated funds, such as the Community Investment Act (CIA), into the state general fund will only do more harm than good by cutting off a consistent source of funding and reinvestment for our communities, while defeating the very purpose of having established a dedicated fund.

The Bottle Bill is our most effective recycling program in the state, and after being around for 37 years, we’re pretty familiar with how it works. But the bottle industry is lobbying for us to dismantle it and replace it with curbside recycling programs and taxes, which would waste much of the value to be found in recycling.