Fasano, Kane Statement on Commission’s Failure to Define the State Spending Cap

Hartford – Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Senator Rob Kane (R-Watertown), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statements regarding the Spending Cap Commission’s failure to vote out final recommendations to define an enforceable constitutional state spending cap.

“The fact that this committee led by Democrats failed to define a true cap is not surprising, but it’s still disappointing,” said Sen. Fasano. “The amount of time Connecticut has gone without an enforceable spending cap is absolutely inexcusable. The proposal Democrats settled on today was nowhere near a true cap and would have resulted in an additional $635.9 million being exempted from the spending cap just next year. The committee refused to close the loopholes that have allowed lawmakers to spend more and more each year and move expenses off budget. Put simply, this proposal would have allowed spending to continue to grow unchecked and out of control,” said Fasano.

Sen. Kane added: “Connecticut needs to respect the people who voted for a true spending cap over two decades ago. Throughout this entire process Republican senators were willing to collaborate and work together to formulate a cap that was secure, transparent and enforceable. We compromised and we offered pragmatic ideas to bring all parties together. But what Democrats recommended to be voted on by this committee fell far short of a true spending cap – and was rightly rejected by committee members. In order to pass a real cap, lawmakers need to want to get spending under control, not hide spending from the public’s view,” said Kane.