Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget office is releasing $183,000 in state funds it withheld from the state's three watchdog agencies.
"I’m glad that Gov. Malloy finally realizes how absurd and inappropriate his cuts to these three watchdog agencies were," Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano of North Haven said in a statement. "To see that a complete turnaround from the Governor’s office did not come until after I sought a formal opinion from the Attorney General on the matter is very telling."
Leaders of the Office of State Ethics, State Elections Enforcement and Freedom of Information commissions have argued the Democratic governor was prevented by law from reducing their budgets, pointing to legislation passed in 2004 to protect the agencies' independence.
Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes has disagreed.
But on Friday, following a meeting with the agency heads, Barnes says he has "voluntarily agreed that it is in the best interest of the watchdog agencies and the state to release the holdback of their appropriations."
Colleen Murphy, executive director of the FOI commission, says this agreement means her agency no longer faces having to lay off another worker.
