Connecticut lawmakers passed the two-year, $51 billion budget agreement on Tuesday, a day before their regular legislative session ends.
Governor Ned Lamont commended lawmakers for approving the deal by overwhelming bipartisan votes of 139 to 12 in the House and 35 to 1 in the Senate.
Lamont said the biennial budget spends more than he had requested, but the agreement does stick to the fiscal guardrails and spending caps that he had insisted on.
“They got it done on time," Lamont said. "It’s an honestly balanced budget. No gimmicks. It honors the fiscal guardrails established by the Legislature. It’s a budget that I think is really focused on growth and opportunity.”
That's because it increases funding for K-12 public education as well as higher education and has the largest income tax reduction in state history.
That will keep Connecticut income tax rates more competitive with its neighbors and make the state more attractive for business, the governor said.
The budget also increases the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers and funding for K-12 education, child care programs, affordable housing and nonprofit providers.
