Sen. Boucher: State Capitol Budget Update
April 28, 2016
Sen. Toni Boucher today issued the following statement regarding the state budget:
“The release of the legislative Democrats proposed budget plan has shown that they plan to balance the budget deficits they have created by cutting funding to our children’s education. It is my fear that if allowed to pass those cuts could fall on our schools in Fairfield County.”
“Monday this week, Republican legislators proposed our own budget alternative which restores education funding. This is the best course for towns like Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.”
“Majority Democrats walked out of budget talks with the governor and Republicans last week, and the governor has said he won’t support a budget crafted without the administration’s input. This lack of leadership is inexcusable and does not bode well for the passage of a final budget that the governor would sign into law.”
“Connecticut deserves better. With less than a week remaining in the legislative session, and with our towns having already passed their budgets and set their mill rates, state government should be projecting certainty and providing stability. Instead, we have chaos and uncertainty at this late date.”
“Additionally, the Democratic budget plan does not contain the necessary structural changes that are required in order to put our state back on a sustainable, predictable path. Instead of laying out a framework that will lead Connecticut back to prosperity, the legislative Democrats’ budget relies on short term fixes, many of which are unlikely to materialize into reductions in spending. That is not leadership, and that’s exactly the wrong way to go about ending our fiscal crisis.”
“The gimmicks like those being proposed in the legislative Democrats’ budget are what got our state so deep into constant deficits. These tactics are what led to the two largest tax hikes in our state’s history in just the last 5 years.”
Governor Malloy’s spokesman, while referring to the legislative Democrats’ budget, stated, “It is critical that we do things differently this year and find a better, more sustainable way of budgeting. This proposal is still too close to the status quo. It contains too much ‘business as usual.’”
“This does not bode well for the towns that are facing huge cuts to education funding. The gruesome bottom line is towns need to plan for budget cuts to happen.”