OPINION: Bi-Partisan Budget Deserves Support

As a first-year Republican legislator it was exciting to see something so important for our state pass both chambers with support from both sides. For decades Connecticut has been controlled by one party; budgets, contracts and almost every law currently on the books needed only Democrat support to pass. Republican ideas were dismissed as gimmicks, or worse. Now, however, residents of Connecticut and their elected State Representatives and Senators are looking for true leadership. The failed policies of the past are being rejected and common sense is taking over. I applaud my colleagues for working so diligently to craft and pass a budget that doesn’t eviscerate school funding, holds municipalities harmless and rejects attempts to shift teacher pension obligations directly onto towns and cities. I thank the truly brave Democrats who crossed party lines to support the only viable plan to move our state forward without forcing brutal and punitive tax increases on our citizens.

Governor Malloy has stated on multiple occasions that the governor’s role is to work with the legislature to approve a balanced budget, that you don’t hire a governor to make all the decisions. Yet that’s exactly what he’s planning to do with veto threats and executive orders. Make no mistake, Governor Malloy did his job when he proposed a budget in February, and he’s been working with legislative leaders on various levels to try and reach consensus as they crafted their budgets. Unfortunately, his veto threats signal his unwillingness to actually allow the legislature to do their job.

In direct contradiction to the Democrat’s proposal that would raise taxes by another $1.53 billion on everything from cell phones to cigarettes and restaurant meals to non-prescription drugs, 18 Senators and 77 Representatives came together and approved a no-tax-increase plan that preserves services and provides sustainable and predictable assistance to local municipalities.

However, Governor Malloy’s veto will bring yet another round of negotiations. Instead of starting from scratch, or worse, starting with the Democrat plan that failed to garner enough support from within their own caucus to even be called for debate, negotiations should begin with the bi-partisan budget that passed both chambers already. Clearly, there are many areas of agreement and starting over makes no sense.