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Bolinsky: Time to Vote on Budget Proposal

Posted on June 28, 2017

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HARTFORD – State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) expressed great disappointment on Tuesday after learning that there will be no vote on a budget before the June 30, 2017 end of the state’s fiscal year.

“I see this and the 2017 legislative session, as a failure”, said Rep. Bolinsky. “It’s a failure of leadership that reflects badly on all who work in state government. I find it hard to believe that majority leaders could even consider turning their backs on the legislature’s primary responsibility, presenting, negotiating, compromising and voting on a biennial (two-year) balanced budget. Instead, they wasted days, weeks and months calling dozens of bills that they knew would not actually be voted on, for lack of votes needed for passage. Was it productive to ignore the budget in favor of ‘photo ops’ for their members to speak in support of tolls, new taxes, increased user fees and special interest-backed issues? I don’t think so. This leaves the people, businesses and municipalities of Connecticut hanging without a state budget and no bi-partisan appropriations plan, as we enter the new fiscal year. Their cancelling of the Special Session, puts the state’s spending in the hands of a lame duck Governor who has shown in his unapproved budgets that towns like ours are not his priority. On July 1, 2017 he will be able to budget by Executive Order. That’s not good news for towns like ours.”

Bolinsky continued, “My colleagues in the House and Senate put forth six separate, fully vetted budgets, all found to be viable by the state’s Office of Fiscal Analysis. All addressed the state’s budget deficit projections, protected vital human services, education and other core government services – without tax increases. Our work to put the state on track to restoring fiscal responsibility was stonewalled and denied the opportunity for a floor vote.”

Late Tuesday, House Republican Leader Themis Klarides called on legislative Democrats to put the current Republican proposal up for a vote. Unfortunately, the majority party indicated that no session will be held before the conclusion of the current fiscal year. Consequently, the Governor will enact his own plan to handle the state’s finances until the legislature produces its own document. House Republican budget documents and details can be reviewed online at cthousegop.com/budget/.

“Legislative Republicans worked hard to create viable options for the legislature’s full review, even if only as a starting point to spirited discussions. It’s time for the majority to stop ignoring these proposals and get to work on their most important charge: producing the 2018-2019 biennium budget. As of today, legislative Democrats have presented no budget proposals. That’s shameful. Maybe we should describe this leadership failure by creating a new term: ‘Legislative Malpractice’. It might sound like a broken record, but the budget proposal I support takes into consideration long-term pension obligations, minimizes overall spending, enacts structural change and does not further burden our state’s taxpayers. That proposal is on the table, it’s time to vote on it,” concluded Bolinsky.

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