The Legislative Session will open on Wednesday February 7th and will start with the Governor's State of the State address. This is considered the "short" session which is scheduled to conclude on May 9th.
In advance of the State of the State address, Governor Malloy has unveiled his proposed revisions to the biennial budget. The revised budget reflects a $240 million deficit for FY18, and a $117 million surplus in FY19. The next step in the process is for the Legislature to give consideration to his proposals. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides has stated “We have to deal with the current deficit and address another multi-billion hole in the next two-year budget cycle. We will put forth our ideas and see where there is common ground. We have a lot of work to do,’’ House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz has noted that the governor’s proposal is just the beginning of the budget adjustment process.
Although there is a significant deficit projected for the next biennial budget (FY20 and FY21), next fiscal year (FY19) appears to be in balance. The Governor's budget analysis appropriately points out the large savings accomplished through the collective bargaining process. The State has benefited from the substantial savings attributed to State Employees. At the same time, these sacrifices positioned us to attain contracts with job security along with reasonable wage increases through FY21. The Governor's analysis also noted that Connecticut State employee staffing levels are at the lowest since the 1950's. There shouldn't be anyone blaming state employees for future deficits, we have done our part and we are doing the State's work with fewer people.
A preview of the Governor's Budget Revisions are below:
View the Governor's Proposed Budget Here
View Budget Slideshow from Governor's Office
Read CT Mirror News Article on the Budget
2/6/18