Piscopo: The Majority Rubber-Stamped a Slush Fund for the Governor
Key Takeaways
- Piscopo accuses majority of creating a discretionary slush fund favoring the governor
- Lawmakers approved budget language Piscopo calls opaque and open to abuse
- Calls grow for greater budget transparency and legislative oversight
- Republicans demand audits and stricter controls on executive discretionary spending
HARTFORD - According to State Rep. John Piscopo (R-Thomaston), Thursday's House session was disappointing. Prior to the start of this year’s session, the majority set aside $500 million to grant the governor discretionary spending authority. Over recent weeks, those funds have been allocated without oversight or legislative input. Consequently, Rep. Piscopo issued the following statement:
"Today, we had an opportunity to reclaim more than $300 million of that money and return it to the state budget. We offered an amendment that would have eliminated taxes on tips and overtime pay, allowing working families to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Affordability is the real crisis facing Connecticut, and this proposal would have delivered immediate relief. Instead, the amendment was voted down and the slush fund was rubber-stamped.
I hope we can move past political games and focus on policies that truly address inflation and lower costs for the people of our state."
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