As expected, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced his veto of the budget that passed through the General Assembly nearly two weeks ago.
The budget that passed was drafted by Republicans in the House and Senate, and passed with a handful of Democrats also voting in favor of it.
In his veto message, Malloy criticized the measure for multiple reasons.
"Unfortunately, this budget does not balance, risks potential litigation, and undermines our fiscal stability, educational system, and economic development efforts," Malloy wrote.
He argued the proposal is unbalanced, in some cases illegal, and said it underfunds the state's growing pension obligations.
"The state is already paying hundreds of millions in penalties for a similarly foolhardy approach taken by a previous governor," Malloy said.
Malloy focused on the changes in current retirement benefit payments, saying changes to state employee benefits in the future are not binding, and moving teacher contributions into the state's general fund, rather than teacher benefits directly.
Local
The governor also took aim at the way the GOP budget funds municipal aid and local education, saying on the education side that it could reverse progress in districts that have seen strides in recent years.
Near the end of his veto message he wrote, "In sum, this budget is unbalanced, unsustainable, and unwise."
He called upon lawmakers to come together to craft a new budget plan.
"I cannot overstate the urgency and need for all parties to come together to negotiate a realistic, responsible budget that addresses our state's fiscal issues, distributes education aid equitably, and balances without the use of illusory gimmicks," Malloy wrote.
He added that the failure to reach a deal soon could risk federal approval of $343.9 million in increased provider tax revenue and $366.5 million in federal Medicaid reimbursement.
Republicans said they were pursuing a veto override of their budget.
Rep. Themis Klarides, the top-ranking Republican in the House, said, “I think there another opportunity and a responsibility by the legislators in this building to override this veto and move forward.”
HS eid said the veto was not surprising because the governor had said for the better part of ten days since the budget’s passage that he intended on vetoing it.
An override is a tall task for a bill that passed with such narrow margins. The Bill passed the House with 77 “Yes,” votes, and the Senate with 21, “Yes,” votes.
For a veto to be overridden by the General Assembly, 101 affirmative votes are needed in the House, and 24 are needed in the Senate.
Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, the Speaker of the House, said he would work to ensure the veto remains.
“I think the budget that was passed in both chambers is a terrible budget for the state of Connecticut,” Aresimowicz said. “It’ll have a toxic effect on our economy and our institutes of higher learning and it is incumbent upon us not only for the governor to veto, for us not to overturn the veto.”
