by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — The budget revisions that passed the Appropriations Committee Tuesday increased Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed spending plan by $147.6 million, but remained under the state budget spending cap. Achieving that, though, required a bit of fiscal maneuvering.
Democrats on the committee proposed the $25.6 billion package Tuesday morning. The increases focused on additional funding for human services, education, transportation and other public services. Getting under the spending cap required a one-time $150 million payment to the Teacher’s Retirement Board, which necessitated re-basing the 2027 spending formula. That resulted in the revised budget being $16.1 million under the cap. The budget revisions, which passed mostly along party lines, now forms the foundation for negotiations between Lamont and the legislature before the legislature adjourns May 6.
Senate Chair Catherine Osten, D-Sprague, said she and House Chair Toni Walker, D-New Haven, were proud of the proposal.
“We have dealt with a lot of issues that we think people in the state of Connecticut have asked us to take care of,” she said.
Walker agreed. She said the budget was based on the foundation of Lamont’s February proposal.
“There were some good ideas in there,” she said. “There are many different things that still have to be worked out in the budget, there are things that we have to also align with finance (committee) and things like that. But right now this is the beginning.”
Though Osten in a short media briefing before the committee went into caucus had described the process as bipartisan, legislative Republicans criticized the proposal as press release fodder.
“Democrats, through their Appropriations and Finance proposals, have again offered an initial budget that we know won’t balance, which means none of it actually counts,” said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford. “And when they do get around to addressing Connecticut’s real crises such as the property tax burden, education funding for municipalities, and our critical healthcare infrastructure, the answer will largely rest on raiding volatile, one-time revenues to slap a band-aid on problems that require surgery.”
State Rep. Tammy Nuccio of Tolland, the ranking House Republican on the committee, said the Democratic proposal was unsustainable.
“My concern is that the majority is spending itself into a corner by building a budget based on a volatile stock market, and when that market turns, lawmakers will be back here debating about what to cut,” she said. “That is not responsible planning.”
Among the areas that Democrats spent more than Lamont proposed are $36.3 million for human services, including increasing funding for Medicaid rates, which they said would have the net effect of reducing health insurance rates for all. Democrats also increased elementary and secondary education funding by $31.4 million, primarily to support magnet schools, adult education and health/welfare for private school students. Transportation also saw a $22.2 million increase from Lamont’s proposal, including increased funding for Shoreline East to continue its return to pre-COVID service levels.
The state’s hospital association, in a statement released after the vote, said it appreciated the committee’s efforts, and those of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. The group said it looked forward to working together to protect and strengthen access to care. The association urged the legislature to use the net proceeds of the proposed hospital tax increase to support patient care, to reserve the benefits of the tax to only the hospitals that pay it, and to seek a long-term deal with the federal government to maximize support for patient care.