Statements from Senate President Pro Tempore Looney and Majority Leader Duff Regarding Gov. Malloy’s Veto of the Republican Budget
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) today issued the following statements on Governor Malloy’s veto of the proposed Republican state budget:
“The governor points out in his veto message all of the ways in which the Republican budget is inadequate and why it is not a solution to our problems, just as Democrats have been saying in the nearly two weeks since the Republican budget was passed,” Sen. Looney said. “The Republican cuts to higher education alone undermine Connecticut’s future in exactly the area where we should be investing. Connecticut’s businesses and economy need a highly educated workforce, and the Republican budget undermines that need, especially with respect to the Republican elimination of the Roberta B. Willis state scholarship program, which will jeopardize access to higher education for 15,000 Connecticut students.”
“The Republican budget hurts middleclass families in Connecticut, it hurts seniors, and it hurts students. It should have been vetoed,” Sen. Duff said. “I support the veto because the Republican budget increases taxes and fees by a billion dollars, it increases spending, it defers pension payments at a time when we are trying to catch up with decades of deferred pension payments, and—most importantly—the Republican budget is not balanced. The Republican budget also fails to create the real structural change that they have long-touted, as evidenced by their $6 billion in budget deficits in the three years immediately following this biennial budget.”
Republican Budget Facts:
- The Republican budget raises over one billion dollars in new taxes and fees, including $688 million in new hospital provider taxes, despite Republican claims that their budget does not raise taxes. Hospital taxes Sect. 87, 944-960
- The Republican budget cuts UConn by $309 million, the state university and community college system by $93 million, and eliminates scholarships for nearly 15,000 students. Scholarships Sect. 150, Lines 5490-5523; letters from Presidents Herbst and Ojakian
- The Republicans debated their budget on the Senate floor for nearly an hour before their budget was even filed or made public. Senate Clerk’s Office, CTN
- The Republican budget contains a secret tax on 44,000 teachers statewide for an average of $1,500 a year. Sect. 152-153
- Has built-in budget deficits of $1.24 billion in 2020, $2.13 billion in 2021, and $2.8 billion in 2022, totaling $6.2 billion over three years. OFA Summary page 27
- Takes $660 million from cities and towns via the Municipal Revenue Sharing Account. Sect. 84
- Changes or cancels $485 million in state bonding authorizations; local taxpayers will have to pay for these local projects. Sects. 330-500
- Reduces required state employee pension contributions by $322 million in 2018-19 in anticipation of securing higher pension co-pays from SEBAC in 2027. OFA Summary page 3
- Raises income taxes by $153 million on about 200,000 state residents (living in every city and town) who receive the EITC income tax credit. Sects. 51, Lines 1999-2012; Sect. 74, Lines 2889-2910; OFA Summary page 9
- Eliminates the automobile mill rate cap, increasing local property taxes by $39 million on residents and $25 million on businesses in 20 Connecticut towns. Sects. 35, 84-85, 973
- Kills green jobs and stifles an emerging market by taking $46 million from the Connecticut Green Bank and other clean energy and environmental initiatives. Sect. 75, Lines 2911-2915
- Institutes $20 million in new “government agency fees”. Sect. 86
- Increases business costs $5 million by making them pay more for criminal background checks. Sect. 57, Lines 2118-2131
- Raises ticket prices by $4 million at The XL Center, Dunkin Donuts Stadium, Harbor Yard in Bridgeport and the New Britain Bees baseball stadium by taking away the current admissions tax exemption at those facilities. Sect. 55, Lines 2067-2112
- Charges $3.4 million in new land record filing fees. Sect. 58
