To the Editor:

At Monday's House Special Session, I supported an amendment to allow the minority party to petition and introduce a budget for the entire chamber's consideration. If passed, this would have served as a mechanism for the chamber to deliberate and vote on a fully vetted, proposed Republican budget or leverage it into a compromise budget, satisfying the legislature's primary responsibility: producing a balanced budget with which to operate our state.

The House Democrats voted the amendment down on a party-line vote of 77-71. To me, the vote to block a budget debate solidifies the fact that majority leadership is not fit to lead. Consideration didn't guarantee support of this budget, it simply allowed a good-faith proposal to be introduced, debated, and acted upon by the House of Representatives.

Instead, the majority party put the cart before the horse and debated a labor agreement to commit state dollars for the next ten years. This agreement will also limit the ability of future legislatures and governors to allocate resources as needed to stop the fiscal hemorrhaging our state has been "bargained to" by the majority party.

My colleagues and I have had budget proposals ready to deliberate since April. Why isn't the entire legislature moving at light speed to break a budget impasse that's causing suffering and uncertainty, nearly two months past the statutory due date? How can anyone allow the governor to cut programs and services for our most vulnerable citizens, by Executive Order? Hundreds of children, seniors, and folks with disabilities are losing critical, existing state services due to legislative leadership's inaction.

We value education in Newtown, but with no state budget, our schools are left to wonder if or how much the governor will cut our state educational cost sharing allocation. Our town passed its budget back on April 25, yet is unknowing about the status of municipal revenue sharing dollars.

With viable options on the table, it's time to act on a budget, not deflect focus to an inadequate, status quo labor agreement for a select few thousand state employees that will adversely affect the rest of us by restricting the ability and flexibility of state government to allocate funds to the people, places, and programs that need them. No budget? That's just wrong.

I voted "Nay" on the labor agreement because it fails to yield the savings required to balance a state budget without raising taxes. In an impassioned floor speech, I urged colleagues to join together to reject the agreement and further negotiate. Unfortunately, only one Legislative Democrat had the courage to vote with the taxpayers, against the deal and it passed, 78-72. It's now up the Senate to do what's right for Connecticut and reject it on July 31.

What we did as a legislature during Monday's session was a disservice to the citizens of Connecticut. It's time to debate the real issues and pass a responsible budget that pays down the state's mounting debt and does not raise your taxes. We must do this. Now.

Sincerely,

Mitch Bolinsky

State Representative, 106th District

Newtown        July 26, 2017