Watertown Legislators Call for Special Session

Area Republicans Call for Special Session to Fix Failing State Budget

Following calls by hospitals, advocates for the disabled, and many others for legislative action to address Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s recent devastating budget cuts, Watertown Republican legislators have signed a petition seeking a special session of the General Assembly to rebuild the state budget.

On Tuesday (Oct. 13), a petition signed by Sen. Rob Kane and Rep. Eric Berthel and every Republican state lawmaker was submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the State.

If a majority of state lawmakers in the House and Senate chambers signs the petition, it will trigger a special session. To gain a majority, at least four Democrats in the Senate and 12 Democrats in the House will need to join Republicans in signing the petition. Thus far, the governor and Democrat leaders have denied Republicans’ requests to hold a special session.

“The state budget is an absolute mess, and it is only three months old,” Sen. Kane said. “Now, Gov. Malloy is targeting vital services for the sick, the disabled, the mentally ill, and the poor. That’s wrong. We should be protecting the most vulnerable residents while instead targeting the wasteful spending that is taking place throughout state government. Let’s get back up to Hartford and get Connecticut back on a sustainable path. We hope legislative Democrats, who are in the majority and have the power to call a special session tomorrow, will join us in standing up to Gov. Malloy.”

“Throughout Connecticut, vital healthcare providers such as Waterbury and Saint Mary’s hospitals were unceremoniously squeezed for present and perpetual state budget problems,” said state Rep. Eric Berthel, who represents the 68th House District covering Watertown, Oakville and part of Woodbury. “These hospitals, and others like them, are critical to the health of people and the local and regional economies that support them. I hope majority party legislators who have expressed disappointment in the governor’s recent cuts to hospitals and other core government services will join our effort to work toward putting our state on a better path.”

The petition calls for a special session, “To make adjustments to the state budget for the biennium beginning July 1, 2015, including adjustments to restore Medicaid funding and other state support for hospitals, health care and other services.”

The General Assembly can be called in to a special session by the governor or by majority party legislative leaders. However, if rank and file legislators demonstrate that a majority in both chambers deem it necessary to meet in special session, they can initiate a session themselves.

The governor’s $103 million in cuts include millions in cuts to mental health and substance abuse services and programs that help those with disabilities – all areas that were already slashed in the Democrats’ budget. It also includes $64 million in Medicaid cuts that directly affect hospitals and translate to a loss of $128 million in federal dollars.