Connecticut lawmakers are sending a two-year, $43 billion Democratic state budget to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's desk.
Tuesday's 20-16 vote in the Senate comes a day before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its regular legislative session at midnight Wednesday. The bill already cleared the House of Representatives.
In both chambers the vote was mostly along party lines, a departure from two previous years of bipartisan budgets when Republicans held more seats.
While Democratic senators say this new plan includes many ideas from those bipartisan agreements, Republicans criticized it for increasing taxes, spending and borrowing. Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano says the Democrats' plan goes "in an opposite direction" of the bipartisan budgets.
He criticizes the majority Democrats for not involving the Republicans in the budget negotiations.
