Lawmakers Give Malloy New Authority

House & Senate stay late to pass emergency bill

The state General Assembly has given Gov. Dannel P. Malloy more budget-cutting authority to balance the state's new, two-year $40.1 billion budget, which has a $1.6 billion deficit since state employees rejected a labor savings and concessions agreement.

The legislation passed early Friday morning in the House, 78-56 vote. Senators stayed until 2:30 a.m. to pass their version and it now heads to Malloy for his signature.

Malloy's plan to cut state aid to cities and towns by $54 million as he balances the budget ran into resistance from his own party. 

So did his move to limit longevity payments for state employees and end overtime-based pensions.

Democrats might dominate the Legislature, but that did not mean they agreed on what to do.

"It's all a show," said Sen. John McKinney, the Republican Senate leader. "It's just about showing that they're tough, when in fact they really aren't. It's a lot of talk."

The Senate approved a bill containing the collective bargaining limits, but the House did not. Nor would the House allow Malloy to cut municipal aid at his pleasure, knowing what it would mean to cities and towns that have already sent out property tax bills.

"They'd have to revise their budgets or dip into a different type of funding or cut benefits now or cut programs now," said Rep. Frank Nicastro, mayor of Bristol for 10 years. "Or have more layoffs besides the layoffs being contemplated here."

Facing that tough opposition, Malloy dropped his plan to cut aid to cities and towns and that means he might consider laying off an additional 1,000 state employees, on top of the 6,400 jobs he's already cutting, according to the Hartford Courant.

However, a contract concessions from the state employee unions could head off any layoffs.  The Legislature will vote on whether to give the union leaders until the end of August to win approval from their members.

"I'm pretty confident that it's enough time to put something together and go out and talk to our members," said Sal Luciano, director of AFSCME Council 4, by far the largest state employee union, which voted no to the contract concessions.  "Our yes voters are already accepting, and our no voters don't want Connecticut to be Wisconsin."

Some union members approached their old friends as they headed for the Democratic caucus chambers.

"It's hard to differentiate who's my friend and who's not my friend, and right now I don't have any," Steve Curran, secretary of AFSCME Local 1565, correction officers, said.,

Sen. Edith Prague is still seething over the unions' votes.

"You're talking to somebody who is probably the biggest supporter of unions in the legislature.  And I'm furious with them," Prague said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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