Posted on October 26, 2017
HARTFORD – In a special session of the House today, State Representatives Jason Perillo (R-113) and Ben McGorty (R-122) voted in support of a bipartisan budget compromise arrived at after a months-long budget impasse that lasted well beyond the close of the regular legislative session at the beginning June, and 118 days after the start of the current fiscal year. The action today ends the longest budget impasse in Connecticut history.
The Shelton legislators noted that this budget, arrived at after marathon negotiations between Republican and Democrat leaders, passed the House by a vote of 126-23. The budget had passed the Senate the previous evening by a vote of 33-3. The margin of favorable votes in both chambers would be enough to override a veto from Governor Malloy if necessary.
“This budget is far from perfect, but it represents important concessions from both sides of the aisle,” said Rep. Perillo, “We had important victories, and those include restoring the education aid to Shelton that the governor threatened to eliminate. We also finally instituted a spending cap and a bond cap to reign in state spending, and phasied in exemptions on taxes on Social Security and pensions. We also protected important programs like Care4Kids. The alternatives being offered by the governor were not acceptable, and I am pleased we were able to arrive at a consensus that helps lay the framework for better budgeting moving forward.”
Posted on October 3, 2017
House Speaker’s Attempt to Kill Bipartisan Budget Fails- For Now
HARTFORD – In a hastily called special session of the State House of Representatives convened with only one day’s notice, State Representatives Jason Perillo (R-113) and Ben McGorty (R-122) criticized House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D-Berlin) for his attempt to kill the bipartisan budget passed by the legislature in September, but vetoed by Governor Malloy. Firmly aware that there would not be the necessary 101 votes to override the veto, the session was called by the Speaker to quickly defeat the bipartisan budget – but that’s not how it played out.
House rules require the bill to be recalled by a member on the prevailing side of the bill, and none who voted in favor of the budget called the bill to assure its defeat. The Shelton legislators joined with supporters of the bipartisan budget, both Republicans and Democrats, in preventing action from being taken, thwarting the Speaker’s attempt to kill the budget bill. Having not taken action on it, the budget remains on the table, though both Shelton legislators recognize that getting an additional 24 Democrats to support the budget is a tall task.
Posted on September 29, 2017
Towns like Shelton set soon to suffer under executive orders
Rep. Jason Perillo
On Thursday afternoon Governor Dannel P. Malloy delivered a veto of the bipartisan budget that passed the legislature during special session two weeks ago. State Representatives Jason Perillo (R-113) and Ben McGorty (R-122) blasted the action as sharply partisan and short-sighted, consigning towns like Shelton to steep cuts in education aid as the state continues to operate under the governor’s executive orders. The budget Governor Malloy has vetoed would have restored these funding cuts municipalities.
“This budget, which began as our proposed Republican budget, was first offered back in April,” said Rep. Perillo. “Unfortunately, Democratic leaders refused to call it then because they knew it would pass, just as it eventually did – with some Democratic support. While their leaders produced no budget of their own until we were over seventy days into the new fiscal year, they would apparently prefer to have towns like Shelton get their funding slashed than sign on to a budget that doesn’t raise taxes, makes some hard choices, and forces the state to live within its means. The veto of this responsible bipartisan budget is shameful.”
