State Representative Anne Dauphinais: 2026 Budget Adjustment Notes

2026 Budget Adjustment

I wanted to provide you with a few notes that ultimately pointed me in the direction of a NO vote on this bill. With all that is laid out below- there was no way I could support this adjustment to the State Budget.

S.B. 1 An Act Concerning Affordability

Lamont declares an “Emergency” to bypass “Spending Cap” & support blowing through the Volatility Cap (which is the threshold for deciding what level of revenue is deemed “volatile”).

Reasons used:

Medicaid deficiency due to the negligent lack of full funding for the last 3 years by the majority (Not New).

Threat to access of care due to lack of Federal Funds (Not New). Governor already given $500M to address this— through emergency certification in late 2025 which $160 million has already been spent. This gives Lamont $50 million more obtained from Volatility Revenue (aka gains from stock market), a bad practice using Unpredictable Funds.

The municipality needs support (Not New). Not an emergency! The municipalities always need support and should have priority over earmarks. Relief should be permanent, not one time election year handouts.

Despite Lamont claiming great fiscal responsibility, this emergency is proof of anything but good fiscal health.

This budget:

Tens of millions of dollars to various earmarks.

$10 million tax credit to prop up the operator for the PeoplesBank Arena (XL Center).

Provides one time money to our towns/schools while making no major change to ECS formula, choosing one time funding from the volatility funds.

Provides no sustainable tax relief while we face future deficits and an affordability crisis.

Provides family caregiver tax credit but limits funding to our most vulnerable. (nonprofits)

Removes hospital tax outside of the budget without strong provisions to ensure transparency.

Blows through both the spending and volatility caps to support irresponsible spending resulting in greatly diminished payback to our pensions, hurting our future fiscal health.

Provides “free” breakfast & healthcare to “illegals” while our senior centers are struggling to buy food, medication and pay their electric bills.

This budget delays transparency on rising electric costs and continues a pattern of overspending without structural reform. Paying for 4.5% annual pay increases for state employees. Increasing total spending by about 8%, $2 billion! All while Connecticut residents struggle to make ends meet.

Republicans tried passing real relief! Amendments offered were both to eliminate income tax on Social Security for all seniors and ease financial burden to our property taxes by sending permanent funding back to municipalities. They were voted down by every single Democrat!