September 18, 2009 STANDING UP FOR CONNECTICUT
Tough times call for honest leadership.
The global financial crisis presented Connecticut with one of its most daunting economic challenges ever. The crisis was not of our own making, but the solution became our responsibility.
READ MORE
August 25, 2009 PRESCHOOLERS FEELING EFFECT OF BUDGET IMPASSE – AND IT COULD GET WORSE
Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) joined Joan Karlsen – CT Head Start Association Executive Director; Juleen Flanagan – Co-chair CT Early Childhood Alliance; and parents, teachers, and children from Head Start programs across the state at a news conference at the Capitol to detail how the on-going budget impasse has – and will continue to – affected thousands of preschoolers.
READ MORE
August 21, 2009 SPEAKER DONOVAN SAYS GOVERNOR RELL
HAS “FAILED TO LEAD” ON HEALTHCARE
Saying Democrats are carrying the fight on health care and citing five vetoes and more than a dozen budget cuts that deny health care opportunities to Connecticut families, House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) said today that Governor M. Jodi Rell has “failed to lead on one of the critical issues of our time.”
READ MORE
August 11, 2009 DEMOCRATIC LEADERS CALL FOR CONTINUED FUNDING
FOR STATE’S CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONS
House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden), Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and House Majority Leader Denise Merrill (D-Storrs/Mansfield) today called for preserving Connecticut’s heritage through continued funding for culture and tourism programs.
READ MORE
July 30, 2009 DEMOCRATIC BUDGET DRAWS CONTRAST WITH GOVERNOR ON CUTS TO STATE’S MOST VULNERABLE, TAXES ON CONNECTICUT’S WEALTHIEST
Democrats in the General Assembly and Governor M. Jodi Rell today made public contrasting budget proposals designed to erase the state’s $8.55 billion deficit for the next two years.
READ MORE
July 1, 2009 DEMOCRATIC LEADERS CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR CONNECTICUT FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES
Democratic leaders today said they will continue to "fight for a fair budget that protects families and businesses already hit hard by the recession, and positions Connecticut for economic growth."
READ MORE
June 19, 2009 LEGISLATORS, STAFF DEFEND RESOURCE CENTERS
Legislators and staff at the city's two family resource centers urged Gov. M. Jodi Rell not to cut funding for them and other centers in the state during an end-of-the-year ceremony at Jefferson School's resource center today.
READ MORE
June 16, 2009 Donovan's Tour Escalates The Debate
House Speaker Christopher Donovan spent most of Thursday in his hometown of Meriden. He made stops at the local library, a day care center, senior center, the train station, courthouse, and the Housing Authority. At each stop, Donovan talked about the impact Governor Rell's proposed budget cuts would have on local residents.
READ MORE
June 15, 2009 Rell plays the credit card, rejects tax increases to close deficit
Gov. M. Jodi Rell says she won’t raise a penny in new taxes, but she is willing to borrow tens of billions of pennies to keep state government working.
READ MORE
June 15, 2009 Don't scrap Family Resource Centers
In her latest budget recommendation, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has proposed suspending funding to Connecticut's 62 Family Resource Centers.
READ MORE
June 15, 2009 Stamford DMV, set to close, busier than others set to stay open The Department of Motor Vehicle's part-time satellite office at City Hall, which the state wants to close to save money, handled more transactions than two others the state plans to keep open.
READ MORE
June 14, 2009
Step up efforts to stop closing local courthouse We applaud -- and agree with -- the efforts by area city and law enforcement officials to make the case for keeping the Norwalk courthouse on Belden Avenue open. The closing has been proposed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell among the savings needed to come up with a workable budget for the biennium.
READ MORE
June 14, 2009 Balancing The Budget On The Backs Of The Poor? As Democratic legislators seek the upper hand in a budget standoff with Gov. M. Jodi Rell, leaders are increasingly pressing their case that the Republican governor's proposal to close an $8.7 billion deficit without raising income taxes on the rich will require potentially onerous fee hikes and service cuts to Connecticut's middle class and working poor.
READ MORE
June 13, 2009 Reps, residents show support for DMV On Saturday morning, more than 140 people packed the Department of Motor Vehicles office on North Mountain Road, clutching numbers and waiting impatiently for their turn at the counter to register cars, renew driver’s licenses and a host of other bureaucratic hassles.
READ MORE
June 13, 2009 Dems plan budget to counter Rell cuts State lawmakers said Saturday they hope to reach an agreement on a new state budget soon.
READ MORE
June 13, 2009 Rell budget plan threatens popular children's programs Every time Adwoa Bandele-Asante's younger children go by Harbor School, they say, “That's where play group is! That's where my sisters go!”
READ MORE
June 12, 2009 Rell’s cuts to family centers under fire As the lone Republican at a Democratic news conference condemning the governor’s budget, Richard McQuaid at first seemed out of place Friday.
READ MORE
June 12, 2009 Democratic Lawmakers Map Rell’s Budget Cuts Late Friday afternoon Democratic lawmakers unveiled their latest publicity effort to garner public support to restore Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s proposed budget cuts. Earlier this week Rell sent this email to lawmakers asking them to go over her proposal and let their leadership know which spending cuts they find unacceptable.
READ MORE
June 12, 2009 Rell’s budget threatens Family Resource Centers A program that is run in three Norwalk schools may be suspended if a recent proposal by the governor comes to fruition.
READ MORE
June 11, 2009 Rell's Plan To Cut Family Resource Centers' Funds Could Leave Schools In Bind Gov. M. Jodi Rell is proposing to eliminate $6 million in funding for 62 family resource centers in the state — including five in Hartford, two each in New Britain, Bristol and Middletown, and the center located at Charter Oak Academy in West Hartford — and to cut $1 million in state money from the American School for the Deaf.
READ MORE
June 11, 2009 Blame the budget impasse on Rell The problem in Hartford is not that the legislators care more about trivia than about the budget, as The Day has said in several recent editorials. I think it is that the governor will not yield on basic ideological points enough to reach an agreement.
READ MORE
June 11, 2009 Donovan rallies city against cuts
House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan rallied residents against Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s budget proposal Thursday, visiting Meriden institutions whose services would be cut back under the governor’s plan.
READ MORE
June 11, 2009 Dems say demonstrations may be helping
Democrats say the Governor may be working toward a compromise. This comes on the heels of statewide demonstrations which exposed what some of her proposed cuts would do to the state.
READ MORE
June 11, 2009 Battle escalating over mass transit fare hikes As buses rumbled toward crowded stops on the New Haven Green, Democratic lawmakers, mass transit advocates and environmentalists decried as "outrageous" a provision in Gov. M. Jodi Rell's proposed budget that would increase bus fares by as much as 40 percent, and Metro-North fees by 10 percent.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Democrats Critical Of Rell's Proposal To Trim Life Star Funding Looking to highlight the deepest spending cuts proposed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, leading state Democrats found a jackpot inside the white-walled hangar at The William W. Backus Hospital Tuesday.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Life Star is vital medical link, Democrats say
Eastern Connecticut’s rural nature and the emerging summer, with its expected rise in vehicle accidents, are two reasons state government should continue to fund the Life Star medical helicopter program, General Assembly Democrats said Tuesday.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Caught in budget crunch, transit fares may rise
Lennie Fryer Sr., of Meriden, relies heavily on public transportation to visit family and receive medical treatment.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Not all aboard for higher fares
Pedro Martinez works in New Rochelle, N.Y., as a grocery store manager. To get to his job, he takes a Metro-North commuter train from Waterbury each afternoon, spending about $107 each week in train fares.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Protest over mass transit fare hike
Many Connecticut residents rely on taking the bus as a cost-effective means of transportation. But, now Governor Rell has proposed to raise the bus fair as much as 40 percent and that may take its toll on commuters’ wallets.
READ MORE
June 10, 2009 Raising Transit Fares A Serious Misstep
Gov. M. Jodi Rell's proposal to raise transit fares is unfair, unimaginative and unwise.
READ MORE
June 9, 2009 Area legislators rally behind tech school but Rell not yielding
Desire to keep the Bristol Technical Education Center open is bringing the city’s representatives together.
READ MORE
June 9, 2009 Life Star touted by Assembly Democrats
General Assembly Democrats, including Senate President Donald Williams, spoke in favor of state government continuing to fund the Life Star medical helicopter program during a press conference Tuesday.
READ MORE
June 9, 2009 Budget cuts may alter Life Star program
The money meant to help keep Life Star flying could be eliminated in Governor Jodi Rell’s proposed budget. Opponents of the Governor’s proposal to cut over $1 million of funding to the Life Star program say this is literally a matter of life and death.
READ MORE
June 9, 2009 Rell Urged To Rethink LIFE STAR Cuts
Lawmakers, health care professionals and residents urged Gov. Jodi Rell on Tuesday to rethink her proposal to eliminate the $1.39 million subsidy the state provides to Hartford Hospital to operate the LIFE STAR program.
READ MORE
June 9, 2009 Does Life Star Really Need Saving?
After saving hundreds of lives, operators of the two "Life Star" helicopters run by Hartford Hospital, say they are the ones who needing saving now.
READ MORE
June 4, 2009 Democrats keep working for budget agreement real cuts, smart investments needed to protect Connecticut
One day after the end of the 2009 regular legislative session, Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn), Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden), Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven), and House Majority Leader Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield) joined legislators and small business owners at a news conference in New Britain to discuss the status of budget negotiations and how small businesses could be affected.
May 12, 2009 House Speaker, Senate President To Take Action On Cost Cutting Measures
As part of cost saving measures for both the current fiscal year and the upcoming biennial budget, House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) and Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) are proposing the following measures:
READ MORE
April 3, 2009 Press Conference: Democrats’ Budget FOR Connecticut Video- House Speaker Chris Donovan and Majority Leader Denise Merrill and Senate President Don Williams on the Democrats Budget Proposal.
April 3, 2009 Press Release - Reality Check: Democratic Leaders Say Budget
Provides Leadership For Connecticut
Legislative Democratic leaders today argued that the comprehensive budget passed by Finance and Appropriations Committees yesterday provides real leadership by truthfully addressing Connecticut’s budget problems. It is, they argued, a fair, honest and responsible response to the worst budget crisis Connecticut has seen in decades.
READ MORE
April 2, 2009 Press Conference: Appropriations
& Finance Committee on the Budget
VIDEO – Rep. Geragosian introduces the legislature's '09-'11 budget alongside Appropriations Co-Chair, Sen. Toni Harp, and Finance Co-Chairs, Rep. Cam Staples and Sen. Eileen Daily.
March 30, 2009 Lesser, Donovan Hold Forum On State Budget READ MORE
March 6, 2009 Budget Choices
Editorial by Christopher Donovan READ MORE
Announcements
September 1, 2009 Statement of Speaker Donovan on State Budget
“Thanks to the leadership of Democrats in the House and Senate, the people of Connecticut today have a fair and balanced budget that will move the state forward."
READ MORE
May 30 Speaker Donovan StatementOn Special Session
In April, the Appropriations Committee put forward a draft Democratic budget for the biennium to jumpstart negotiations with the Governor. After some delay, those negotiations have ensued and are continuing. Just this week, Governor Rell put a supplemental budget on the table that gives all of us a much clearer picture of the work we have to do to produce a balanced budget that is fair to all families in Connecticut.
READ MORE
HB6802 - AN ACT CONCERNING EXPENDITURES AND REVENUE FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 2011.
Consensus Revenue Forecasting Plans
The major changes between the budget bill (SB 1801) and today’s plans are:
There are just over $260 million in additional cuts.
The tax package was reduced from $2.5 billion over the biennium to $1.83 billion.
The tax bracket on income over $750,000 was lowered to 7% from 7.5%.
Instead of a corporate tax surcharge, the corporate tax rate is increased slightly over 1% for three years. This results in a $88.8 million reduction over the biennium in corporate taxes.
