Analysis: Preview of the budget battle ahead Democrats are gearing up for an intra-party squabble about how to close the $3.7 billion two-year budget deficit. This year’s budget battle won’t be Democrats vs. Republicans, but rather progressive Democrats vs. moderate Democrats. Unfortunately, the disagreement isn’t over whether to raise taxes ...
The incoming governor and legislature are already feuding about whether to raid the Rainy Day Fund to balance the books in 2019. Governor-elect Lamont is right about this: the Rainy Day Fund must be saved for the next economic downturn. The fiscal life of the state depends on it.
Connecticut government unions and union-backed organizations immediately signaled they would attempt to unseat the Democratic lawmakers that backed a new budget passed in both the Senate and the House last week.
Noticeably absent from the latest budget by House Democrats are 11 of the 12 reforms Democratic senators requested as a condition of their approval of the union concessions deal passed on July 31st. In exchange for their votes, the Senators composed a list of 12 cost-saving reforms, which included requiring a vote on every union contract, reforming arbitration laws and ending overtime in pension payment calculations after the expiration of the SEBAC agreement in 2027.
Despite being rejected by the state appropriations committee and denounced by municipal leaders across the state, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s plan to transfer one-third of teacher pension costs onto towns and cities is still being considered during budget negotiations. However, during a June 22 press conference, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, and House Majority Leader Matthew Ritter, D-Hartford, floated the idea of raising the state sales tax to 6.99 percent and using the increased funds to help municipalities pay for teacher pensions.
Guy Benson of Fox News and Mary Katherine Ham of CNN joined the Yankee Institute and 100 guests at the Thomas Hooker tasting room in Hartford on Tuesday to discuss their book, End of Discussion, and the state of free speech in America. Meanwhile, lawmakers considered House Bill 5589, which would force some nonprofit groups to reveal the names of some of their supporters.