With two of the 15 state employee unions rejecting the $1.6 billion savings and concession package, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made it clear Friday that he wants the legislature to give him the authority to cut $1.6 billion from the two-year, $40.11 billion state budget.
Malloy called a special session of the legislature Thursday to give him the rescission authority he initially requested in February, and said he will take it upon himself to make the $1.6 billion in cuts necessary to balance the budget before July 1.
Those cuts may include municipal aid, but Malloy said he will do what he can to avoid that.
“I will do everything in my ability to avoid and/or minimize adjustments in the first year of the biennium,” Malloy told the mayors of five big cities Friday.
Currently, the governor has the authority to cut 5 percent of any appropriation and 3 percent of any fund in a financial crisis without legislative approval. Malloy asked the legislature to increase the threshold to 10 percent of any appropriation and five percent of any fund. Further, Malloy asked the legislature to allow him to cut municipal aid without legislative approval.
Democratic leaders denied him the increased rescission authority during the legislative session.
“I’m hopeful,“ said Malloy. “I think the best way to reassure the marketplace about Connecticut’s earnest drive to balance its budget would be to give me that authority.”
Sen. President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, continued to refuse to comment on Malloy’s request for more recessionary authority.
“We support the governor’s call to action and will work with him to ensure that Connecticut has a balanced budget,” Williams said Friday in a statement.
In 2009, when former Gov. M. Jodi Rell has asked for expanded rescission authority as part of a budget mitigation package, Williams said “We should not be giving away our power as a co-equal branch of government.”
House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, said Friday that he has a “broad caucus” and he still needs to talk to people before opining on the governor’s request for expanded rescission authority. He said his caucus is certainly worried about funding for cities and towns.
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said the mayors asked for the meeting with the governor Friday to ask him to preserve municipal aid. Malloy has promised to do that to the best of his ability, at least in the first year of the budget.
“At this moment the governor has been pretty supportive of cities and towns,” DeStefano said. “Even his comments today about protecting people that live in cities, in the first year, I find good.”
Since the tax bills in New Haven and other cities and towns have already been mailed, DeStefano said municipal aid cuts would leaves cities and towns with a number of bad choices for other public employee unions in the state.
What DeStefano and others can’t believe is that a “majority of workers can vote for something and it gets defeated.”
“We also don’t understand the system where a majority of workers vote for an outcome … and a majority is held up by minority rule. I think that’s something union leadership needs to think about,” DeStefano said.
The two spokesmen for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition said Friday that 60 percent of its overall membership approved the deal as of Friday afternoon, even though that wasn’t enough to pass it under the coalition’s rules. They were unable to comment on whether union leaders will be looking at their bylaws when they meet Monday to take the final vote on the agreement.
Connecticut has not acted as New Jersey and New York have in balancing their budgets on our backs, DeStefano said.
But without the union agreement in hand, everything is on the table, Malloy said.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
Layoffs will be swift and could be as high as 7,500 right away, but no layoff notices had been sent out Friday. He said he did everything in his power to avoid layoffs and understands it will be bad for the economy, but his hands are tied by a union deal that was extended through 2017 by former Gov. John G. Rowland. He did not refer to Rowland by name.
Asked if he was surprised the unions would reject this deal with four years of job security, Malloy said “remember that I asked for the initial rescissionary authority back in February.”
More State Budget news

Stefanowski Talks Abortion, Employee Raises & Budget In First Press Conference
For a half-hour Wednesday, Bob Stefanowski stood outside the state Capitol and fielded questions on abortion rights and state employee raises in a sign the Republican candidate plans to run a more conventional campaign in this year’s rematch with Gov. Ned Lamont.
Keep reading
Lamont Signs The Budget
Alongside Democratic legislative leaders, Gov. Ned Lamont signed the $24 billion budget adjustment Monday that includes $600 million in tax relief. That’s more than they anticipated they would be able to offer Connecticut residents this Election year because revenue came in higher than expected, but it still creates about an $800 million deficit in 2024. …
Keep reading
ANALYSIS | It’s A Wrap: The Winners and Losers of the 2022 Session
It was a short legislative session, but the House and the Senate were able to move a lot of business this year, including the passage of a $24-billion budget with around $600 million in tax cuts.
Keep reading
Connecticut Acts To Help Its Lead-Poisoned Children
After decades of inertia, Connecticut is finally moving to help its thousands of lead-poisoned children and prevent thousands of other young children from being damaged by the widespread neurotoxin.
Keep reading
Bill Bolstering Contracting Oversight Board In Jeopardy After Lamont Administration Raises Concerns
It passed unanimously in the Senate, but a bill that would give the State Contracting Standards Board greater oversight over state contracting appeared stalled in the House Wednesday on the last day of session. “The governor and I have not talked about the bill,” House Speaker Matt Ritter said. “The commissioners have sent us a…
Keep reading
Senate Approves Tax Cuts, Sends $24B Budget to the Governor
The state Senate gave final approval late Tuesday to a $24 billion election year budget plan that includes around $600 million in tax relief while enabling the state to make an $3.5 billion payment on its unfunded pension debt. Senators voted 24-12 at around 10:30 p.m. to send the midterm budget adjustment to the desk…
Keep reading
House Green-Lights $24B Budget
On a party-line vote early Tuesday, the House passed a $24 billion budget adjustment package containing more than $600 million in tax cuts which Democrats heralded as “historic” and Republicans derided as temporary. Lawmakers voted 95 – 52 at around 12:20 a.m. to send the 673-page budget document to the Senate for consideration before the…
Keep reading
Budget Materials
The General Assembly is preparing to debate adjustments to the $24 billion state budget. Below are a few of the documents we’ve been provided as back-up materials. The budget, HB 5506. Town runs. Car tax impact on municipalities. Finance Committee Power Point.
Keep reading
Lawmakers May Vote for First Pay Increase in 20 Years
With legislative retirements mounting, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were considering Monday raising the salaries of General Assembly members for the first time in more than two decades and indexing their pay in the future. During a morning press briefing, House Speaker Matt Ritter told reporters that funding for pay raises had been…
Keep reading
Amid Surging Revenue, House Prepares to Vote on Budget Adjustments
Connecticut’s House of Representatives was expected to vote Monday on a $24 billion budget adjustment package, buoyed by revised revenue predictions that exceeded expectations by more than $350 million. The revised consensus figures released Monday confirm the surge in revenues that enabled Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative Democrats to reach an agreement last week on…
Keep reading
Dems Detail Budget Deal With $500 Mil in Tax Cuts, Extension of Gas Tax Holiday
Legislative Democrats and Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration announced Wednesday the details of a $24.2 billion budget adjustment package, which they say provides around $500 million in tax relief including extending a gas tax holiday until December. Lamont and legislative leaders outlined the agreement during an afternoon press conference in the state Capitol building. Both chambers…
Keep reading
Health Care Workers Call for New Hires
After a record number of health care workers are expected to retire this year, health care staff called on Gov. Ned Lamont to commit to filling 1,000 vacant positions by August 1 of this year. A record 1,137 state workers who notified the state that they will retire this year comes at a moment of…
Keep reading
Senate Joins House And Votes To Give Raises, Bonuses To State Employees
The Senate gave final approval by a 22-13 vote on a plan to give unionized state workers a set of raises and bonuses. The plan, negotiated by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration and a coalition of public sector labor unions, provides three years of 2.5% raises and step increases as well as a total of $3,500…
Keep reading
House Advances Labor Deal In Historic Vote
Lawmakers in Connecticut’s House of Representatives signed off on a plan to give state workers a set of raises and bonuses Thursday in a mostly partisan vote on a negotiated labor agreement. The House voted 96 to 52 in support of the deal with 1 Republican, Rep. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, joining all Democrats…
Keep reading
Republicans Propose Last-Minute Tax Package
Legislative Republicans pitched a $1.2 billion tax relief plan Thursday which reduces state income, sales and gas taxes and proposes to join other states in suing the federal government to challenge restrictions on spending pandemic relief funds. House and Senate Republicans announced the plan during a state Capitol press conference Thursday morning. It cuts the…
Keep reading
The Budget Battle Begins To Take Shape
Tax collections have improved and pushed Connecticut’s budget surplus to $4 billion, but the state budget still relies heavily on federal funding and without it the state would end up running a “sizeable operating deficit.” The Office of Policy and Management told state Comptroller Natalie Braswell Wednesday that if not for the use of the…
Keep readingMore Labor News

Lamont Inks New Employment Law Backed By Unions
In a victory for state labor unions, Gov. Ned Lamont ignored a lobbying effort by business organizations and signed a bill Tuesday prohibiting employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to potentially discourage workers from unionizing.
Keep reading
States With The Largest Unionized Workforces
Where does Connecticut stand in the list of states with the most unionized employees?
Keep reading
Business Leaders Make Push To Veto Captive Audience Bill
Connecticut business leaders are leaning on Gov. Ned Lamont to veto a bill that would restrict what employers can say in the workplace. The bill, which has been a priority of labor unions for years, is being described by business owners as an unconstitutional attempt to restrict workplace communications and an infringement on employer free…
Keep reading
‘Captive Audience’ Bill Headed To Governor’s Desk
Legislation prohibiting Connecticut employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to discourage workers from organizing received final approval in the House late Friday despite Republican arguments it was preempted by federal law. The bill passed in a 88 to 56 vote, generally along party lines. Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican in voting against it.…
Keep reading
Senate Advances Captive Audience Bill After All-Day Debate
The state Senate debated and passed a bill Thursday that outlines what employers can and can’t tell their employees in the workplace. Dubbed the “captive audience” bill, the legislation which passed the Senate 23-11, has been a topic of discussion for years at the state Capitol. It received bipartisan support this year despite opposition from…
Keep reading
Nursing Home Workers Ready To Strike in Windsor
A strike at a Windsor nursing home accused of unfair labor practices will proceed unless a tentative agreement for raises and other benefits is crafted by 6 a.m. Friday, according to officials with the New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199. The union and four other homes, Avery Heights, Bloomfield Health Care Center, the…
Keep reading