
The state Senate unanimously blocked the planned closure of a satellite community college campus Wednesday and in the process sent a message to the Board of Regents that future campus closures will require legislative approval.
In an unusual move, the Senate blocked the closure of the Meriden campus of Middlesex Community College, which college officials said was necessary based on cuts in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s two-year, $40 billion budget.
Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, D-Meriden, who co-chairs the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, introduced the amendment Wednesday. She said she’s spoken to students who have told her the closure of the Meriden campus would be “killing their dreams.”
But Bartolomeo said she doesn’t blame local administrators at Middlesex Community College for the closure. Instead, she blames Gregory Gray, president of the Board of Regents, the entity that oversees the four state universities and the 12 community colleges.
Board of Regents spokesman Michael Kozlowski said the decision to save nearly $500,000 by closing the Meriden campus was made by administrators at Middlesex Community College. The college was asked to find $800,000 in cuts.
“We believe those decisions are best made on a local level, closest to the students and the campus, by the administrators,” Kozlowski said.
Early in the debate, Senators warned about making budget decisions without the details of the rest of the budget. They wondered what made this satellite campus so special that it could be addressed outside of the larger budget process.
“This building has been bombarded with folks coming here asking this body to restore cuts in the budget,” Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, said. “Unless we have massive tax increases, we’re not going to restore all the money. We shouldn’t be making any promises.’‘
But the lawmakers’ desire to wait for the budget process to play itself out was trumped Wednesday by what appears to be their distrust of the Board of Regents — an entity created by Malloy.
“We cannot give up control,” Senate Republican leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said. “That’s up to us as policymakers.”
He suggested that the planned closure “was a complete overreach,” but that the legislature needed to accept some blame “because we have given up total control to the Board of Regents in this case.”
By approving the amendment Wednesday, the Senate agreed with a voice vote to take back some of their oversight.
Sen. Steve Cassano, D-Manchester, who was the former co-chairman of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, said he hates taking things out of context.
“I don’t know what happened to the rest of the community college and four-year school system because we don’t have that information,” Cassano said during the debate.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
He said he doesn’t want to “get into the X’s and O’s of a budget,” but when those big decisions are being made, such as closing a campus, then the legislature needs to be consulted. The Meriden campus is home to the advanced manufacturing program, which was created and funded by the legislature. Closing such a program “is a slap in the face to this body,” Cassano said.
He said he was going to support the amendment even though he didn’t know what it does to the rest of the community colleges and the rest of the budget.
A total of 3,014 students are enrolled at Middlesex Community College and 647 students attend classes at the Meriden campus.
The bill now goes to the House.
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 reading