Senate Leadership
September 22, 2007
Statement of Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. Regarding Governor Rell’s Delivery of Special Session Notices
"Governor Rell wasted taxpayer money this weekend by paying state troopers to be mailmen--she sent troopers all over the state delivering her request for a special session on Wednesday. I spoke with the governor yesterday and made it clear that it made no sense to call a special session. She has a comprehensive bonding bill, passed by the legislature, that's on its way to her desk. She hasn't received it yet, and has not vetoed it. She should sign the bill.
"Governor Rell is trying to avoid responsibility for a possible veto of the bond bill--a veto that will hurt towns and cities, clean water projects, transportation improvements, and school projects for K through 12, as well as our public colleges and universities. This is the governor's responsibility. Her call for yet another special session after three months of work and last week's passage of the bonding bill is a sham and a diversion.
"Now the governor says she wants a bonding bill that addresses only school construction projects. That means she and her advisors are ignoring the need to fix our bridges and roads, to ensure clean water in our communities, to help preserve open space and farmland, to enhance the sub base in Groton and preserve the $1 billion it contributes to the state, and to strengthen our public colleges and universities.
"Her claim that the bonding bill will result in a worse credit rating for Connecticut is false. The bill passed by the legislature is more than 2.7 billion dollars under the bond cap. It's time for the governor to stop making excuses and admit that she wants not only the power to release bonding funds--she already has that ultimate power--but she also wants to usurp the legislature's authority to identify worthy investments and projects. This is wrong.
"This governor and her advisors are more interested in playing games for the media and editorial boards than they are in governing. The call by the governor for a special session to address bonding and school construction is ridiculous and a nullity--the governor should know that we have been and are still in a special session to address bonding, including school construction. There was no need to waste the taxpayer dollars by using state troopers as mailmen to accomplish what has already been done. The governor's advisors might want to say what Gilda Radner used to say on the TV show Saturday Night Live: 'Never mind!'"
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Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
