Senate GOP Calls For Meeting With Malloy, Top Leaders

With the state Senate tied at 18-18 after a contentious election, Senate Republican leader Len Fasano called Tuesday for a meeting with the governor and top lawmakers to start solving the state’s problems.

Fiscal analysts are projecting that the state will be facing a combined $3 billion in deficits over the next two years – an estimated $1.4 billion in the fiscal year starting in July 2017 and $1.6 billion in the following year. Those numbers can shift with changes in the economy and the stock market – with major impacts on the personal income tax and the state sales tax.

“Over the past four months, Connecticut has seen a decrease in revenue coupled with a sluggish economy,” Fasano wrote to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “These problems are both the result and the cause of people losing confidence in our state – and lack of confidence is a serious issue that we must address together. We need to let the people of Connecticut know that we acknowledge these problems and they are our main concern.”

Fasano added, “We have to show to the public that all parties can work together to face these challenges with a united front and give people a reason to give Connecticut a chance. Together, we must send a message to people and businesses who are considering leaving our state that they should stay, because leaders are committed to working together in new ways to improve our economy.”

As such, Fasano is seeking a meeting of the top six legislative leaders – Republican and Democrat, House and Senate – after lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving break.

“We have to send a strong message that things can and will change for the better,” Fasano wrote. “But first we all have to come together to create an agenda that outlines those changes.”

The Malloy administration agreed with Fasano’s comments, noting that Malloy had said after the election two weeks ago that he would be reaching out.

“To that end, I plan to invite legislative leaders from both parties to begin informal discussions in the weeks ahead about how we move forward together,” Malloy said at the time. “We should sit together around a table and have a frank discussion of our goals, but more importantly of how we achieve those goals. How we can change the ways we work together, share ideas, and make progress.”

The 2016 election caused sharp changes in the landscape for the legislature. With the Senate tied for the first time in nearly 125 years, Republicans will have a much stronger hand than they had in the past. At the same time, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman is expected to break the 18-18 tie in favor of the Democrats on close votes.

In the House, Democrats have a margin of only 79 to 72 – the closest in more than 50 years. If four conservative Democrats break with their caucus on an important issue, the majority Democrats would lose with only 75 votes in the 151-member chamber.