State Rep. Michael DiMassa, a Democrat who represents West Haven and New Haven in the 116th Assembly District, says he will not accept his General Assembly salary while the state remains without a budget.
DiMassa, who was elected in November, has sent a letter to the Office of Legislative Management requested that his General Assembly be withheld and said it’s to support the less fortunate in his district and across Connecticut who he said are being adversely affected by the lack of a viable state budget and the threat of severe cuts.
He said the base salary for a state representative is $28,000 a year and they get reimbursed for mileage, as well as payments twice a year to have events in the district.
"I think the best way to do this is I'll have them cut the check. We'll go out, we'll do gift cards, we'll do Stop & Shop, we'll do gas, we'll do the food pantry. We'll put the money back out into the West Haven-New Haven community. I think that's the best way to do it," DiMassa said. "I'm gonna do that every single month until we have a budget."
The state’s fiscal year ended on June 30 and the state still does not have a budget.
The Connecticut House of Representatives and the state Senate both passed Republican versions of the budget, but Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, has vowed to veto the spending plan, which he said would be devastating to the state’s effort to increase jobs.
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“We still do not have a budget, and as far as I’m concerned that’s a failure of the legislature and the executive branch,” DiMassa said in a statement. “It’s our job to serve the state of Connecticut and we have failed to do so. Come October 1st, schools could close, teachers could get laid off, programs will be decimated and some people will lose the only lifeline they have. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, it’s our job to put forth a budget and move this state forward.”
DiMassa said he will continue working toward a bipartisan budget agreement and hopes other legislators follow his lead in foregoing their compensation until that goal is reached.
Republicans in the General Assembly are defending their budget.
