HARTFORD - Saying "the flawed way of how the people's business is conducted at the Connecticut State Capitol was exposed tonight," Newtown's state Senator Tony Hwang criticized the legislature's failure to complete work on Connecticut's biennial budget as the annual statehouse session closed at midnight May 4.The Connecticut Mirror reports that leaders of the House and Senate Democratic majorities gave up on adopting a new state budget before the legislature's constitutional adjournment deadline of midnight, instead scheduling a special session for next week to finish its business for 2016.No Midnight ExtensionBills Successfully PassedPortions of this story originally appeared at CTMirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror, an independent, nonprofit news organization covering government, politics, and public policy in the state. CTMirror staffer Keith M. Phaneuf, Mark Pazniokas, and Jacqueline Rabe Thomas contributed to this report.

House Democrats announced at 5:30 pm they had given up on beating the midnight deadline. About 90 minutes later, Senate Democrats announced their chamber also would vote on the budget in special session next week.

By the end of the night, both chambers voted to return in special session, the Senate on May 12 and the House on a date to be announced.

House Majority Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, dismissed speculation that his caucus lacked the votes to pass the budget.

"We could have absolutely ran the budget today," he said. "There were two reasons why we decided not to: Number one, to allow for a full democratic process to happen within this chamber and to allow both sides of the aisle more time to review the document in final form."

As of 8 pm the budget had not been delivered to any of the four caucuses. Governor Dannel P. Malloy offered praise and caution.

"It's a good agreement. If it happened too late in session to finish on time, and this delay is about giving members more time to understand what they're voting on, that's fine and even admirable," Gov Malloy said. "However, if this delay begins a discussion about reopening the agreement in order to find a way to avoid difficult decisions, that's unacceptable."

In a joint statement announcing the House decision, Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, and Rep Aresimowicz focused on time constraints, saying it would be unfair to force a vote in the session's waning hours.

The announcement means the legislature will meet in special session to adopt a main budget bill for the fiscal year that begins July 1, as well as omnibus measures to implement policy changes in the new budget, and a capital bonding program. Democratic leaders said tentative plans are to meet next Tuesday.

"I think that's the right move," Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said of the decision not to force a last-minute budget debate. "Rather than rushing the process, we will come back on a day that the budget is ready."

"I am happy they decided this is not the way to pass a budget," said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby.

The midnight deadline could have been easily circumvented by opening a special session early Wednesday evening that could last as long as the debate required, but Rep Aresimowicz said they were trying to avoid an overnight debate.

"We did that last year. That was uncomfortable for everybody debating a budget throughout the night. That's another thing people don't want to see," he said.

The Senate had been prepared to go forward. But around 7 pm, Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said a vote would be delayed "to allow members the opportunity to vet it properly and to have a full and thorough discussion as we normally do on budget matters.

Sen Hwang, did not concur.

"Majority Democrats in the House and Senate and Governor Malloy threw bipartisanship out the window," he said. "They crafted a budget on their own, without Republicans in the negotiating room. That bad process created a bad product, and that bad product has now brought about even more uncertainty for state residents and businesses.

Sen Hwang has maintained that the state budget process to date has been anything but transparent and thoughtful.

"State legislators - including many rank and file Democrats - were left in the dark as to the budget's details," he said. "This is no way to run state government, and people on Main Street are starting to take note that this is not the representation they want in Hartford."

Anticipating the special session, Sen Hwang remained committed to continue advocating for long-term structural budget changes to help return the state to a predictable, sustainable financial path. Seeking to muster some optimism for another round of budget deliberations, Sen Hwang said, "The failure to pass a state budget during the Connecticut General Assembly's regular session offers us an opportunity. Now that we're heading into overtime, let's get the process right. That's what taxpayers deserve."

The state GOP's alternative budget plan can be reviewed at senatorhwang.com.

Other members of Newtown's delegation released statements about key legislation that was successfully passed in the 2016 session. Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-Newtown) supported legislation to ensure earlier diagnosis of students with dyslexia.

Rep Bolinsky said in a release that the measure will also provide the kind of special instruction needed by individuals with dyslexia, a language-based learning disability that requires special learning strategies to ensure an individual's language skills, particularly reading, are receiving adequate instruction from qualified teachers.

Senate Bill 317 requires that applicants seeking teacher certification in areas such as remedial reading, remedial language arts, and reading consultation undertake further training in order receive qualification. These teachers will be required to complete a reading and language diagnosis and remediation program that includes supervised practicum hours and instruction in the detection, and proper teaching, of students with dyslexia.

"Having a well-trained teacher who can understand a student's unique challenges and formulate a special learning strategy is crucial in helping students who have dyslexia," said Rep Bolinsky. "By making sure that our reading teachers are prepared to provide effective detection and instruction, we can prevent children from falling behind, giving them the best chance to succeed in their education and in life.

"This will also help us put students whose learning challenges may have gone unnoticed for too long find appropriate strategies to catch up and be successful," he added. The bill, of which Rep Bolinsky is a longstanding cosponsor, passed out of both chambers of the General Assembly and now heads to the governor's desk for his signature.

Rep Bolinsky also stood in strong support of a bill that seeks to increase penalties for repeat animal abusers. The new legislation would make such crimes punishable by imprisonment of up to ten years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Under current law, this offense is a Class D felony, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to five years and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

State Representative J.P. Sredzinski (R-112), whose district encompasses several neighborhoods in southern Newtown, applauded the passage by the House of Representatives of the business-friendly HB 5500, which he cosponsored. The bill will allow executive agencies to waive civil penalties on businesses who are first-time offenders of statutory regulations, as long as the business makes remedial measures within 30 days to correct the violation.

While perplexed by the budget vote failure, Sen Hwang said was pleased to see the Senate passage of legislation that aims to make schools safer in Connecticut. This is the second session that the senator fought for stronger penalties for acts he has said amount to localized terrorism perpetrated against local schools.

The legislation increases the penalties for when a threat involves a preschool, K-12 school, or an institution of higher education. Right now, calling in a bomb threat, or any kind of threat, to a school is a mere misdemeanor. Effective October 1, the new legislation would change that, making such threats felonies that would result in a prison sentence.

"The recent threats of violence against schools highlight the need to get tougher," said Sen Hwang, "The devastating impact to the psyches of parents, educators, and children in a school environment is absolutely, positively unacceptable. If someone does commit such a despicable act, they should face severe penalties that bring the punishment more in line with the crime. The threats in Connecticut and around the country reinforce the need to strengthen our laws in this area."

Sandy Hook resident and parent Bernard Reidy has been a strong advocate for the legislation.

"In the more than three years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, more than 40 threats of violence have been made against schools in Connecticut," Mr Reidy said. "Many of those threats have been perpetrated by adults. These threats have become an epidemic, not only in Connecticut, but across the country. In recent months, threats of violence have forced lockdowns of schools in Stamford, Hartford, Fairfield, West Haven, and Bristol."

Mr Reidy pointed out that schools lockdowns and evacuations can have very real and lasting consequences on children and adults who endure them.

"Anxiety, fear, a drop in self-confidence, a lack of concentration, physical ailments," he said, "these are the immediate and long-term results that school threats cause." The bill now heads to the governor for his signature