While Gov. M. Jodi Rell did not propose any cuts in municipal or education aid to cities and towns, she will propose a $38.4 billion two-year budget that would abolish or consolidate 23 agencies and eliminate 400 jobs while avoiding tax hikes.

The proposal is the largest consolidation of government services in two decades and is likely to lead to a potentially nasty showdown with the state’s employee unions by assuming about $300 million in concessions.

Also, taking a play from former Gov. John Rowland’s playbook, Rell will propose raising a total of $18 million over the next two years by charging low-income adults monthly premiums and co-pays for the Husky insurance plan.

Those premiums will be applied to a sliding scale that could equal 10 percent to 20 percent of the cost of services provided. Connecticut now charges families earning less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level no monthly premium to participate in Husky. Those above 185 percent of the federal poverty level must pay a premium. Premiums for those on the Husky B plan also will increase, and only emergency dental services will be offered to adults on Medicaid and Saga.

Click below for a listing of proposed agency mergers and closures.

State agencies Rell would eliminate:

1. Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission.
2. African-American Affairs Commission
3. Commission on Children
4. Commission on Aging
5. Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
6. Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission
7. Office of Consumer Counsel
8. Office of Health Care Advocate
9. Property Rights Ombudsman
10. Department of Corrections Ombudsman


State agencies Rell would merge
1. Board of Accountancy into Department of Consumer Protection
2. Commission on Culture and Tourism into Department of Economic and Community Development
3. Criminal Justice Commission into Criminal Justice Division
4. Board of Firearms Permit Examiners into Department of Public Safety
5. Office of the child advocate into the attorney general’s office
6. Children’s Trust Fund Council into Department of Children and Families
7. Council on Environmental Quality into Department of Environmental Protection
8. Gaming Policy Board into Division of Special Revenue
9. Department of Higher Education into Department of Education
10. Office of claims commissioner, State Properties Review Board, State Marshal Commission, and State Insurance and Risk Management Board, all into Department of Administrative Services