Lawmakers Hope To Speed Up Budget Process By Susan Haigh

Associated Press

HARTFORD — Connecticut lawmakers, on the eve of the new legislative session, said Tuesday they want to tackle the state’s massive budget deficit early and avoid the problems of past legislative sessions that have dragged through the summer.

“It’s a new world in every way as we begin this session in Hartford,” Senate President Donald E. Williams, D-Brooklyn.

The regularly scheduled session runs from January 7 through June 3. Democrats, who control the General Assembly, said they hope to have the budget finished two weeks before adjournment. Republicans said they hope it will be done by April.

Meanwhile, the legislature’s two budget-writing committees are being asked to begin holding hearings, gathering testimony from state agencies and others, before Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell releases her two-year tax and spending plan on February 4.

Lawmakers and the governor have a daunting task before them. The deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, is estimated by the state comptroller to be approximately $343 million. The next two fiscal years beginning on July 1 are predicted to have revenue shortfalls of about $6 billion.

Given the state’s financial crisis, House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, Jr, R-Norwalk, said it can’t be business as usual for the General Assembly, such as not voting on state employee labor contracts and instead allowing them to automatically take effect.

On Tuesday, a state arbitrator awarded state correction officers a three-year contract with general wage increases of 3 percent in the first year, 2.5 percent in the second, and 2.5 percent in the third. The pay increases match the state’s last best offer to the union.

J. Larry Foy, the arbitrator, said he took into account the serious economic pressures facing the state when he made his recommendation. The legislature can reject an arbitrated award by a two-thirds vote in either chamber if there are insufficient funds to cover the cost. That last occurred in 1994 and 1997.

“Ignoring open and notorious current relevant facts would only increase the chances of the award’s rejection and would render the arbitration process futile,” Foy wrote in his decision.

Lawmakers have not said whether they will reject the award. Numerous state employee contracts are up for negotiations this year.

Both Democrats and Republicans appeared unenthusiastic Tuesday about raising taxes as a way to close the deficit. Asked about the prospect of higher taxes, Representative Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, the incoming speaker of the House, said, “It remains to be seen.”

“It’s way too early to take anything off the table,” he said.

Cafero agreed that everything, including higher taxes, is under consideration. But he stressed that taxes should be a last resort.

“It has to be the last place we go,” he said.

Senate Republicans also proposed some rules changes for the new session. They want to combine the legislature’s finance and appropriations committee into a single budget committee, and eliminate some of the smaller committees. They also want to require a two-thirds vote rather than a simple majority to approve any mandates on cities and towns or proposals to increase taxes beyond those included in the two-year budget.