HARTFORD–Wednesday will be like the first day of school for lawmakers as Connecticut’s legislative session begins.
Bipartisan negotiations fell apart last year, and already there’s tension in the air.
Republicans and Democrats are at odds over General Electric leaving the state. They’re also concerned about fixing a ballooning deficit that is now projected to be $500 million for the next fiscal year, which starts in July, despite cuts made during a December special session to balance the budget.
“I’ll give the address tomorrow and everyone will have the budget tomorrow,” Gov. Malloy said Tuesday, “I’ve already said this is an austere budget.”
Malloy wouldn’t reveal details of his State of the State Address.
“We have to look at it in terms of efficiencies, reductions where necessary, and then incentives so we will be generating more revenue,” said state Sen. Martin Looney.
Looney is the highest ranking leader in the Senate. He says priority number one will be dealing with the deficit. As for General Electric leaving Connecticut for Massachusetts?
“There’s been a lot of, I think, mistaken information on GE on our tax alignment versus Massachusetts,” said Looney.
He says Massachusetts’ taxes and rates could end up being higher for GE, but he understands the draw of Boston — its size and the like-minded synergy created by colleges and universities.
“We are doing our best in Connecticut to compete on those terms,” said Looney, “that’s why I think the Jackson Labs move here was so important.”
“The Democrat majority leaders must to admit GE left because of the fiscal crisis this state is in,” said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano.
The Republican leader said Democrats did not meet with GE, he did.
“They told me they left because the fiscal crisis in Connecticut was out of hand, the future did not look good and there was no plan,” said Fasano, “that`s why they left Connecticut.”
Fasano says Democrats didn’t make needed changes during the special session and unless they do this time around they won’t get Republican support.
“It’s changing the structure of this budget, and the way we budget,” said Fasano.
Malloy will give his address Wednesday at noon in front of a joint session of the Connecticut General Assembly.
