Governor Dannel Malloy renewed his vow Monday to veto the Republican-backed budget that passed the General Assembly, but also promised it a “full vetting.”
Malloy has criticized this budget plan, saying it’s unbalanced and depends on unrealistic savings. But despite his criticism, it went on to pass the state House of Representatives.
The budget cuts agency positions across state government, requires teachers to contribute more to their retirement, and places caps on borrowing and spending.
It also includes major cuts to higher education.
UConn’s president said the university would receive $300 million in cuts over the next two years, leading to closing regional campuses and several academic departments, including UConn Health.
Sen. Len Fasano, (R–Durham), the top Republican in the Connecticut Senate, told NBC Connecticut that UConn was making empty threats and that the school can absorb the cuts.
The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities also said the major cuts would lead to higher tuition, cuts to programs and less financial aid.
The governor said while he was reviewing the budget, there were some key principles he was not willing to compromise on, including issues with pension funding, the amount of aid sent to Hartford, concerns over the state of ECS grant, and the cuts to higher education.
“That means that an eventual budget can and likely should include Republican ideas, even ones that I don’t like. And, if we want a bipartisan solution, Republicans will need to adopt some of the ideas from myself and other Democrats,” the governor said at a press conference Monday.
The budget proposes no new taxes and rejects the governor’s proposal to shift teacher pension costs to municipalities.
The budget will also reduce taxes for middle-income retirees by phasing in a tax exemption for social security and pension income.
It will also restore the entire $200 property tax credit for qualifying families
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) released a statement on the budget that read in part:
“Three Democratic senators and six democratic representatives have voted for a shortsighted Republican budget that decimates funding for UCONN and the Connecticut state universities and community colleges, wipes out scholarship assistance for low and moderate-income students, abandons our capitol city to bankruptcy, contains unachievable lapses, severely reduces the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor, and posits actuarial savings in state pension contributions by undermining collective bargaining while ignoring the likelihood that these projected savings will be struck down in litigation as an impairment of existing contacts.
“So much for the Republicans’ supposedly ‘responsible and realistic’ budgeting practices.”
Looney then went on to push for bipartisan negotiations in the hope of adopting a budget by Oct. 1.
Six Democrats representatives and three senators supported the bill.
Sunday, people held a rally at the capitol urging the Governor to sign the budget.
“It's responsible. Yes it's painful, but you know what? It's been painful to live in CT for the last decade or so. People are hurting,” said John Underwood.
“Many of the taxpayers in this state- they've had enough. They're leaving, businesses are leaving, we're not replenishing our youth, we're not getting the best and brightest to come here, we've had enough,” said Marianne Clark.
Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut