HARTFORD, CT — Legislative leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy all want to get to a budget agreement, but none of them have presented a clear path forward.
The House Democrats want to run their budget on July 18. House Republicans are holding a budget forum to discuss their budget at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 11. Senate Republicans have had a budget proposal ready to go since before the end of the regular session and Senate Democrats have an outline of a budget they find acceptable.
Malloy told reporters that Senate Democrats don’t agree with Democrats in the House and Senate Republicans don’t agree with Republicans in the House.
“That’s an unusual situation,” Malloy said. “Nobody is agreeing with anybody at the moment.”
Malloy said he doesn’t believe the situation is going to get resolved quickly.
“I think every day that goes by we get closer,” Malloy said. But “I think it’s going to be awhile,” he added. Malloy declined to characterize what he meant by “awhile.”
He said his goal is to get a budget, but he is opposed to approving one that leads with revenue, like the proposal by the House Democratic caucus that would increase the sales tax from 6.35 percent to 6.99 percent.
“Why people insist on leading with tax increases, I don’t understand,” Malloy said.
Senate Republican President Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said he wants to get to a bipartisan budget agreement.
In a letter to legislative leaders and Malloy, Fasano suggested that they vote on more than one budget proposal July 18.
“I understand the Speaker’s desire to call a vote on his caucus’s ideas should an agreement not be reached,” Fasano said. “ I also believe that if that is the case, all budgets should be called and voted upon on the same day to allow lawmakers an opportunity to debate and cast their vote in favor of the budget that they believe will best serve the people of our state.”
Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, did not say last week whether he would sign off on the emergency certification necessary for House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz to call his budget on July 18.
Aresimowicz, according to a spokesman for Looney, has not asked Looney to sign an emergency certification.
There’s still hope the a budget agreement can be reached, Adam Joseph, a spokesman for Looney said Friday.
