Fasano, Kane: Republicans Won’t Allow Budget to Exceed Spending Cap

April 2, 2015

Lawmakers Demand Governor Pledge to Honor Cap, Veto Gimmicks

HartfordSenate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Senator Rob Kane (R-Watertown), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement in response to Gov. Malloy’s urging of legislators not to exceed the spending cap in their budget planning.

“The governor does not have to worry about the legislature exceeding the spending cap, because we can assure you Republicans won’t allow it. Republicans have already pledged to respect our constitutional spending cap and adhere to the wishes of Connecticut’s citizens. We stand by that,” said Sen. Fasano and Sen. Kane. “Republicans control this issue. Without Republican support, there simply isn’t a strong enough majority to exceed the cap.”

In Connecticut, the governor and legislature can only exceed the constitutional spending cap if they receive a 60 percent approval vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Democrats hold less than a 60 percent majority in each chamber, so Republican votes would be needed to support any budget that exceeds the cap.

“Governor Malloy also needs to demand and get assurances that legislators will not engage in any gimmickry to circumvent the spending cap,” they added. “We are going to ask Governor Malloy to affirmatively state that he will veto any budget that utilizes questionable tactics or money maneuvers to direct funds off budget. Honest budgeting is the only way to be truly respectful of the cap. We’ll be sending a letter to the governor shortly seeking a formal pledge.”