Danbury Representative Michael Ferguson says government worked Thursday the way it should have for the people of Connecticut. He says the budget compromise protects the state’s most in-need citizens as well as the taxpayers of Danbury. While acknowledging that the budget doesn’t solve all of Connecticut’s problems, Ferguson believes that the bipartisan agreement is a first step to restore the state’s economy.
New Fairfield Representative Richard Smith says there was a real threat of towns having to significantly raise property taxes just to keep schools open if lawmakers didn't reach a bipartisan compromise. Smith says the budget contains certain things he is not in favor of, but the positives outweighed the negatives and was accomplished without any of the income or sales tax increases proposed in earlier versions of a tax and spending plan.
Brookfield Representative Stephen Harding says he is relieved that the long standing budget impasses has concluded. He says residents deserved a budget months ago and that lawmakers were failing their constituents each day something was not adopted. Harding touted the measure for requiring legislative approval of all collectively bargained agreements. He says those provisions will set the state on a sustainable, fiscally responsible path moving forward.
Bethel Representative Will Duff touted the budget for preventing a proposal to shift part of the teachers’ pension cost on to the cities and towns. He also pointed to the phasing out of Social Security and pension tax to provide relief to seniors, especially those living on fixed incomes.
State Representative JP Sredzinski says it was a difficult decision for him to vote for the budget, but did so because the good outweighed the bad. He notes that the budget approved by the General Assembly is almost a full restoration of funding for Newtown and Monroe, 95-percent this year and 75-percent next year. Sredzinski says when faced with two choices of the Governor's executive order or the bipartisan budget, the choice was clear to him. He calls the fixes needed in Connecticut a marathon, noting that yesterday was not the finish line, just a hurdle.
Danbury state Representative David Arconti says the budget approved by the House yesterday helps to ensure Danbury remains among the nation’s most livable cities and helps the residents by avoiding the draconian cuts included in Governor Malloy's executive order. Funding is preserved for higher education – which he says bodes well for Western Connecticut State University. Firefighters receive funding for cancer healthcare while also placing Connecticut on a new frugal spending path.
But the Governor's office says it's identified a flaw in hospital tax language of budget, calling it an egregious error. House Minority Leader Themis Klaredis says if there is a problem, they will fix it. She says the one group that has protected the hospitals year after year is the legislature. The House Speaker says they are still technically in Special Session, so they can emergency certify another piece of legislation.
It remains unclear whether Governor Malloy will sign the bill into law. He was still reviewing the budget documents late yesterday.
