15 September, 2017
She also said that there is no budget to vote on, and that democrats do not have the votes to pass a spending plan.
Republican leader saying that their party had budgets that were essentially ready to be voted on and that Democrats rejected them. In the latest version of budget details from Thursday afternoon, a cell phone surcharge of 49 cents per line on every cellular line in the state, a slight increase in hospital taxes, a 25 cent fee on ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft, and a tax levied on vacation homes in the state.
The Senate will convene Friday at noon, and is expected to vote. And, absent a new budget, Malloy has said he must order huge cuts to municipal aid on September 30 and again on October 1. Cigarettes would go up 45 cents a pack, but gone is a controversial tax on e-cigarettes. Also included was a plan to pour funding back into local municipalities.
Higher sales taxes, higher restaurant taxes, and the conveyance tax have been dropped from the budget proposal as of Thursday evening.
Under the budget deal, cities and towns across CT would be on the hook for $281.6 million in teacher pension costs over the next two years.
Communities would pay only the "normal cost", an actuarial term referring to the full amount that must be set aside annually to cover the future pensions of present-day teachers. Lawmakers are grappling with an estimated budget deficit of $3.5 million.
House Democratic officials say the vote is postponed.
House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, responded that it's hard to understand how CCM and COST's endorsement of the Republican budget helps cities and towns.
Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, said he would sign the bill if it passed.
Since July 1, state operations have been funded by an executive order signed by Mr. Malloy that has slashed funding for cities and towns across CT. Democrats hold a slim 79-72 edge in the House.
