(Updated 2:58 p.m.) At a ceremonial bill signing Wednesday, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she’s not going to comment about budget negotiations taking place behind closed-doors at the governor’s residence.
However, Rell said she already is working on another executive order to authorize state spending in August.
“We have to realize in this state that our income has dropped by about $2 billion in the last year,” Rell said referring to all the state revenue estimates. “Absent a budget, when I do an executive order it will have to be reflective of that decrease in revenue.”
She said state agencies won’t be funded at their current levels in the August executive order.
“In some cases we will try to make funding available, but without revenue,” Rell said. “And again considering we have lost $2 billion in revenue over the last year the executive order will have to reflect a large amount less in funding than some agencies may have anticipated.”
Rell refused to give any insight into what tax increases or spending cuts may or may not be on the table during the closed-door talks with legislative leaders. Lawmakers taking part of those negotiations have also agreed not to talk to the media about budget negotiations.
Wednesday afternoon Rell’s budget office sent out a memo to lawmakers outlining the administration’s fiscal concerns about 14 of the 19 bills she vetoed.
In a press release Rell noted that the quantifiable costs of the 14 bills total roughly $1.5 billion a year – and the bills include hundreds of millions of dollars in additional, unknowable costs.
Click here to read the memo to lawmakers from Rell’s Budget Secretary Robert Genuario.
