HARTFORD, Conn. — State lawmakers introduced their $51 billion budget proposal for the next two years, spending $400 million more than what Gov. Ned Lamont proposed in February.
Lawmakers on the legislature’s Appropriations Committee discussed their budget proposal for hours during a committee meeting Tuesday, going section by section and asking questions about various details and allotments.
“Every decision we make affects 3.6 million people in the state of Connecticut,” said ranking member state Rep. Tammy Nuccio, (R-Tolland).
This is the beginning of the legislature’s response to Lamont's budget proposal two months ago.
“Everybody participated in this budget,” co-chair state Rep. Toni Walker, (D-New Haven) said. “There are nobody’s fingerprints that aren’t here.”
This budget proposes around $25 billion for the 2024 fiscal year – which starts in July – and $25.8 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. That’s an extra $37 million in 2024 and $374 million in 2025, which is about $400 million in additional spending over what the governor proposed.
“Where we begin to define the process of spending the people’s money,” ranking member state Sen. Eric Berthel, (R-Watertown) said Tuesday. “It's not my money or your money, it’s all of our collective tax dollars at work.”
This budget focuses on funding Medicaid, health care, and education. It provides more money for education finance reform and new charter schools as well as $3 million to expand HUSKY Medicaid coverage for children up to 15 years old, regardless of immigration status.
“Does it have more needs? Yes,” added Walker. “There’s no question about it, if anybody said no I would be amazed.”
However, some advocates and lawmakers are upset about what is left out.
Notably, this budget doesn’t allocate any funding for free school lunches. In a statement, Lucy Nolan, policy director for End Hunger CT! and spokesperson for School Meals 4 All CT coalition, said,
“We’re shocked that the Appropriations Committee has not proposed any funding for school meals for all, given the crisis we saw last fall when federal funding for school meals ended. Meal debt soared. Kids went hungry, and couldn’t concentrate or learn. We know from experience that no cost meals have reduced stigma and bullying in schools, while allowing students to focus on learning.
Providing no cost meals for all students is the most direct way to help kids, their families and the community by improving student outcomes, and supporting families struggling with inflation and the high cost of food. Is Connecticut really going to prioritize giving minimal tax cuts and growing the state’s already-enormous savings account over feeding hungry children and helping working families struggling with inflation and high food costs? The state is awash in surplus dollars.
This budget proposal makes no sense. Our coalition will continue to work to throughout this session to prove to legislators that this is an important and necessary investment in our schools, students and their families.”
There’s also an outcry from non-profits. Non-profit social services are receiving only a 1% increase in funding, which Gian Carl Casa, president and CEO of CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, calls “beyond disappointing.”
Casa continued,
“With a current-year surplus of more than $3 billion, the budget being considered by the Appropriations Committee does not include a meaningful and much-needed funding increase for services provided by Connecticut’s community nonprofits. With inflation at 6.5 percent, a 1 percent increase is essentially a 5.5 percent cut for nonprofit programs, including behavioral and developmental health, housing, community justice and other services on which thousands of human beings across Connecticut depend.
First the Governor’s budget, and now the Appropriations Committee have effectively called for a cut in services for people with addiction needs, for those with intellectual disabilities, for people who need shelter, for children and adults with behavioral health needs, for people coming home to make new lives after incarceration, and for many more vulnerable Connecticut residents. Who will tell the men, women and kids who need these services that despite the state having billions of dollars in surplus, there isn’t enough for them? Who will tell the dedicated and under-paid nonprofit staff? Who gets to tell them other choices have been made?
We understand the policy constraints under which the Committee has been working and appreciate their hard work. But make no mistake: those policy constraints were choices. Different ones need to be made. Different priorities need to be set. The state’s fiscal health is extraordinarily good. It’s budget should be, too. We hope the committee will adopt different priorities today and provide the necessary increases to community nonprofits. Together we can make the budget a statement of Connecticut’s true priorities. If not now, when?”
“We are more than happy to revisit this,” said co-chair state Sen. Catherine Osten, (D-Sprague). “We think that our nonprofits essentially do God’s work and we lived within the confines of the spending cap that we have.”
Gov. Lamont also put out a response to this budget today, saying,
“I appreciate the Appropriation Committee’s hard work to deliver a document that appears to respect the fiscal guardrails that have been a key component of our state’s success over the past few years. We’re reviewing the details of the legislature’s spending plan, look forward to meeting with them to discuss their proposals, and will work with them to pass an honestly balanced budget that provides growth, opportunity, and affordability for Connecticut’s residents, families, and businesses.”
The Appropriations Committee approved the budget proposal Tuesday evening 40-12. The legislature’s Finance Committee is now expected to release a tax cut plan Wednesday, after which lawmakers will meet with Lamont to negotiate a final budget. The budget deadline is June 7.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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