HARTFORD -- Thursday morning, House Republican leadership took aim at Democrats for failing to pass a budget before the legislative session expired at midnight Wednesday.
"I don't take any blame for it because we have always been and will continue to be ready willing and able to make the tough decisions that are responsible for the state of Connecticut of the things they elected us for," said Themis Klarides, Republican House minority leader. "They need to get their stuff together. If we were in charge we would have done a budget weeks ago."
Connecticut lawmakers have officially adjourned their regular legislative session, but they'll be back next week--on May 12--at the state Capitol to vote on a revised budget for the new fiscal year.
"We didn't feel as though that would respect the Democratic process," said State Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, Democratic House majority leader. "We wanted to get people to read through the bill and have as much time as they needed to debate it."
The House of Representatives and Senate both wrapped up the session at midnight on Wednesday in the traditional flurry of activity.
Minutes later, lawmakers in both chambers passed resolutions spelling out rules for a special legislative session that Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff says will be held on May 12.
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Democratic legislative leaders hoped to vote Wednesday, the final day of the legislative session, on an 11th-hour budget deal they reached Tuesday night with Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy. However, they scrapped those plans after it become clear lawmakers wouldn't have the time to review the document and also pass the bill.
Malloy says he's fine with Connecticut lawmakers waiting until a special legislative session to vote on a budget plan that addresses next fiscal year's projected $960 million deficit. However, Malloy says he hopes the delay will not encourage lawmakers to try and change the Democratic budget plan, saying he "will not move from the principles we've agreed to."
The Democrat sealed the approximately $20 billion budget deal with his Democratic colleagues in the General Assembly late Tuesday.
