Senate Leadership
June 6, 2007
Williams: Governor’s Objection to Pre-Budget Legislation is Selective
She objects to landmark health care bill passed by the House and Senate, but had no such problem with economic development last year or energy bill this year
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) today said Governor Rell's objection to the landmark HealthFirst Connecticut and Healthy Kids legislation is inconsistent with her position in the past on other measures passed without a budget agreement in place.
"Last year, we passed the 'Jobs for the 21st Century' economic development plan," Sen. Williams said. "It was important legislation to retain and grow jobs in Connecticut. It carried a nearly $30 million price tag and was passed before we had a budget adjustment in place. The governor not only didn't object to it, she hailed job growth as a top priority and signed the bill." (In the budget she proposed this year, she de-funded many of the initiatives "Jobs for the 21st Century" contained).
Said Sen. Williams, "Last Saturday, we passed the much-anticipated energy bill, Electricity and Energy Efficiency. It had a price tag of nearly $300 million. While the governor vetoed parts of the bill that would spend money this fiscal year, she signed into law $200 million of future spending before a budget is in place."
As the HealthFirst Connecticut bill was being passed overwhelmingly last night in both the Senate and House, the governor's spokesman called it "a colossal waste of time." "That is an insulting statement," said Sen. Williams. "Tell the 350,000 people in this state who have no health insurance and the hundreds of thousands more who are insured but can't get access and the Medicaid providers who lose money when they treat patients that this bill is a 'waste of time.' The governor should stop using the lack of a budget deal as an excuse not to support this effort to expand access to quality, affordable health care in Connecticut."
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Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
