Witkos warns Connecticut is spending beyond its means [Courant]

Hartford Courant
HARTFORD — A bonding bill that provides the first five years of funding for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s ambitious transportation infrastructure initiative passed through both the House and Senate during Monday’s special legislative session.

In addition to the $2.8 billion that will be paid out over five years under Malloy’s transportation plan, starting with $275 million in fiscal year 2016, the bill includes more than $5 billion over two years for capital projects throughout the state.

The bill’s transportation funding represents just the beginning of Malloy’s proposed 30-year, $100 billion goal. The initial funding will finance the expansion of bus routes, rail line improvements, and highway repairs.

Although the legislation passed largely along party lines in the Senate, with three Republicans siding with 21 Democrats, it soared through the House with bipartisan support with a margin of more than 100 votes.

Supporters said the transportation funding will improve Connecticut’s infrastructure and employ residents.

“There is no part of the budget that we will pass that will do more to create jobs than the transportation bonding package,” said Senator Steve Casano, a Democrat.

Devon Puglia, a spokesperson for Malloy, also praised the passage of the bill.

“Today’s vote is the first step toward the future of a best-in-class transportation system…,” Puglia said. “We would like to thank the legislature for sharing the governor’s vision to transform our infrastructure.”

Kevin Witkos, the deputy minority leader in the Senate, warned that the bonding bill may mean Connecticut is spending beyond its means.

“I just think we’ve accelerated our bonding level to such a high degree, so quickly, that at some point it’s going to be unattainable to do so, so I would urge rejection on the bonding bill,” Witkos said from the Senate floor.

The bill also includes $270 million, paid out over two years, in new funding for public housing projects and $100 million over two years for low-performance “alliance” school systems.

The bill also increases funding for Connecticut towns and cities in a variety of different ways, notably through the Urban Action grant of $120 million over two years, and $40 million, paid out over two years for the Small Town Economic Assistance Program.

More than $1 billion will be spent on school construction over the next two years, and $15 million will be bonded to provide body cameras to police officers, which will be mandatory for all state troopers.

Funding for the University of Connecticut was also changed in the bonding bill: Money from the UConn 2000 infrastructure fund will now be available to fund a new medical records system at the university’s health center.

The bill also includes nearly $300 million in cuts to items that legislators said either no longer require funding or were never approved for funding in the first place. Connecticut can only borrow a certain amount of money, and legislators said they had to hunt for different items to cut to fall under the self-imposed borrowing cap.

“The bond committee, with my colleagues and ranking members, went through and scoured the present bond package,” Senator Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, said on the Senate floor. “We removed and canceled, along with the governor’s recommendations, many line items that either were not moving, were no longer necessary, or no longer are required at this point in time.”

The General Assembly’s approval of the bonds is not the final word on the legislation; the State Bond Commission must approve the sale of bonds.