GOP Lawmakers, Who Still Need Big Gains At The Polls To Be Relevant, Ask Dems to Give Munies A Break

It’s Thursday afternoon and the top Republicans in the General Assembly – House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield – just held a news conference to proclaim that next week, Democrats should give towns and cities a break when they vote on legislation implementing the budget that is retroactive to July 1. They want so-called unfunded mandates to be withdrawn to save municipalities money on issues such as in-school suspensions tjhat require educators to spend added resources to supervise public schools’ most-disruptive pupils.

Cafero noted that plans to raise the age that juveniles are treated as adults in the criminal-justice system scheduled for next January 1, would save $95 million if delayed until 2012. In all there are five mandates that they want removed from the backs of towns and cities. Today’s news conference was their seveenth attempt of the year to push these issues. “Each and every time, in November, in January, in Apruil, in June and August and September, we have been told by Democrats not now, not yet, we want a public hearing, we have a bill that’s pending, etc.” Cafero said. 

McKinney said this is the last opportunity “to provide real relief for the people of the state of Connecticut” in the wake of a budget that has taken away $50 million from the Pequot Fund in local aid for towns and cities after mayors and first selectmen had set their local budgets months ago.  McKinney also blasted Democrats for cutting $7.8 million in debt service for school-construction projects. “WE need to provide relief to the citizens,” McKinney said. “I hope the Democrats will see the light and join us in providing the relief that many of them have talked about, but few, if any of them, have actually voted to implement.”

Majority Democrats immediately discounted the GOP suggestions, pointing out that since they did not vote for the budget, they’re impact now, in drawing up the language used to trigger spending plans within individual agencies, has been forfeited. Speaker of the House Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, said the budget passed last month contains protections for towns and cities.

 “We’ll continue to do the hard work required to help Connecticut through these difficult economic times,” he said. “School construction projects will be funded, and funding for municipalities will be maintained. We’re happy to listen to suggestions, but only Democrats put their names on the budget with their votes – a budget that provides the funding that municipalities are relying upon. We don’t intend to abandon them now.”

 Meanwhile, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities supported the Republicans. “CCM hopes this mandates relief plan is acted upon with bi-partisan support when the General Assembly convenes in special session next week”, said Jim Finley, CCM’s executive director and CEO, “Unfunded mandates are particularly onerous now, as towns are desperately trying avoid property tax increases and service cuts caused by the economy and declining levels of state aid.”

 The harsh numbers: Republicans are a 24-12 minority in the Senate and are outnumbered 114-37 in the House.