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That wasn't enough good news for 14 Senate Republicans and two Democrats who voted against it on Tuesday night, June 4.
By a 20-16 vote, the Senate passed a two-year budget that Republicans complained is full of new taxes and shifts billions of dollars in pension debt onto the next generation of taxpayers.
The budget erases a $3 billion deficit that Lamont inherited when he became governor in January. Lamont got the support of legislators in making new investments in health care and boosting aid for local schools. In a compromise, the budget also spares cities and towns from having to help cover municipal teacher pension costs.
“This budget is fair, balanced, promotes economic growth and support for working families, and was delivered on time, enabling our towns and cities to know what they can expect in their budgets over the coming biennium and plan accordingly,” Lamont said. “Most of all, it further stabilizes our state's finances, sending a signal to residents and businesses alike that we are serious about getting our economy growing again. Let’s be clear: There is still more work to do. But I am proud of this budget and the steps it takes to get Connecticut back on track.”
Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, criticized the budget bill ahead of Tuesday's vote as an example of why people distrust government. According to Fasano, legislators were not given enough time to read and debate 567 pages of policy changes that were drafted by Democrats.
Some state GOP lawmakers also shrugged their shoulders over the $9 million in so-called "pork-barrel" projects slipped into the budget before it passed the House, as reported here by DV Plus.
"This is more than just a budget crafted in darkness," Fasano said. "It’s a slew of brand new state policies being forced on residents in one fell swoop. Some of these policies had no public hearings and zero input from the families and job creators who will be most affected.
"It creates new quasi-publics, funds pet projects, and includes countless Democrat policies that never made it through the legislative process. For the majority party, this fits under the category of 'It’s good to be king,'" according to Fasano.
Meanwhile, a data analysis by the Connecticut Mirror -- as reported here by Daily Voice -- details what cities and towns will get more municipal aid from the General Fund starting July 1, and which ones will see reductions in state aid.
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