Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is criticizing state legislative leaders for failing to reach a bipartisan budget agreement that could be presented to him on Friday.
The Democratic Governor’s criticism comes after the state’s Republican and Democratic legislative leaders emerged from closed-door budget negotiations on Thursday to say that they hadn’t yet gotten to a deal but were close. They said they hoped to have a deal ready for a vote by the week of October 23. Malloy says that’s not good enough. He says the leaders had agreed to an October 13 deadline.
“I want the leaders to be successful. I want them to get a budget A. that can pass and B. that I could sign. That’s my goal. I suppose I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t sound the alarm that this has gone on entirely too long.”
Malloy says that’s because lawmakers were required to have had a budget in June. Legislative leaders defend the lengthy negotiations. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, a Derby Republican, says it’s an incremental process.
“You have to try and merge everybody’s concerns, everybody’s priorities. And maybe take a little bit from here and add a little bit there, but that’s why we haven’t come to deal yet. But we are moving in that direction.”
In the meantime, three months into its fiscal year, Connecticut remains the only state in the nation without a budget.
