Democrats Kill Gov. Lamont Public Private Partnership Bill
April 2, 2019Fasano: When will Gov. Lamont Take a Stand?
Yesterday, Democrats on the Government Administration and Elections Committee effectively killed Governor Ned Lamont’s bill (Senate Bill 878) to establish public-private partnerships in Connecticut to support economic development. Senator Len Fasano released the following statement regarding the Democrats’ actions.
“Yesterday, Democrat lawmakers, urged by state employee union representatives, tanked Gov. Lamont’s public private partnership legislative proposal. His bill would have given life to public private partnerships and was the cornerstone of his economic development strategy built with the help of his new DECD commissioner David Lehman. But the governor’s bill was torpedoed by Democrats who substituted worthless language that neutered any possibility of these partnerships. What happened yesterday is clear evidence that Gov. Lamont’s hands-off and silent approach has allowed state employee unions to continue leading the charge and directing policy in our state. It’s the same thing we saw happen just last week when Democrats in the General Assembly approved a third labor contract this year that contains wage increases that directly conflict with the goals set out in Gov. Lamont’s budget. The governor remaining silent on these issues and refusing to take a strong stand has allowed others to take control of the Capitol. If the governor truly believes that fixed costs are suffocating our state and crowding out funding for core services, he needs to speak up and urge action now. I hope when it comes to labor contracts and policies that add to Connecticut’s fixed costs the governor will find his voice.”