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In criticizing legislative Democrats’ proposal to address the budget deficit by hiring an outside firm to audit the state’s largest agency – the state Department of Social Services — Rich Harris with the Governor’s office yesterday said the majority party should review its own expenses.

“Perhaps the consultants will offer a discount if they are also hired to examine the legislative branch for frivolous spending,” Harris wrote in an e-mail. “They may wish to examine … the money spent to install a new kitchen in the House Speaker’s (James Amann, D-Milford) suite in the capitol.”

This morning I was greeted with an e-mail from Amann spokesman Larry Perosino entitled “What suite? What kitchen?”

“There is no ‘Speaker’s suite’ or any kitchen at the capitol,” Perosino wrote. “Rich must be talking about the caucus room that is used by over 100 Democratic lawmakers and often by the entire legislature. There is not even a sink or stove – hardly a kitchen.”

The subject of the overhaul of the House Democrats’ aging caucus room and its furniture was broached by some Republican loyalists earlier this year when tensions over the budget were on the rise.

I recall speaking to House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, at the time, and he was unwilling to make it an issue.

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House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, the only Democrat to so far pursue his party’s nomination for governor rather than wait for perennial favorite Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to make a move, has been racking up a modest and eclectic list of endorsements.

Amann’s supporters range from iron and steel workers unions to the New Haven County Marshals Association and the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association.

Today Amann’s campaign announced another booster – the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 91.

“Jim Amann is someone who consistently fights for working families and always has an open door to listen to our concerns,” Steven Bruno, the union’s business manager, said in a statement.

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The state’s current budget deficit grew this week and so did the intensity of lawmakers’ public relations campaigns over how to best address the $300 million hole.

Earlier today Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell held a conference call with newspaper editorial boards throughout the state, including The Advocate’s, to emphasize her concerns over the current deficit and the anticipated $600 million hole in 2010.

Rell made her case for pursuing additional budget cuts this fall and for proposing a new, lean two-year budget that only funds existing programs when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.

Rell’s office requested that reporters not participate in the conference call.

In the meantime the Senate and House Democrats scheduled a press conference at the capitol for 2 p.m. with state Comptroller Nancy DiNardo, also a Democrat, to discuss the state budget.

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Democratic leaders of the General Assembly have been cool to the Republican minority’s scheduling a hearing on the status of the state’s finances – in particular the $300 million deficit – for Thursday.

But Rep. Christopher Perone, D-Norwalk, a vice chairman of the legislature’s finance, revenue and bonding committee, said earlier today he was considering driving to the capitol in Hartford to participate.

“I’d like to get up there,” he said.

Perone said he agrees with many fellow Democrats that a lot of financial details, including the impact of the Wall Street crisis on the state’s coffers, will not be available to lawmakers for several weeks.

And the finance and appropriations committees are scheduled to receive a full budget briefing Nov. 18 in time for the start of the 2009 legislative session in January.

But Perone said it could be useful to attend Thursday’s hearing if the organizers – Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk – allow questions of budget staff.

Cafero said that is the intent.

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Today state Senate Democrats announced the creation of a “one stop shop for Spanish speaking families” to access information about heating and energy assistance.

The humanitarian in me thinks that this is a good thing.

But the cynic in me can’t help but note this is the third time within the past month an individual Senate caucus has touted the launch of their own website to assist residents seeking heating aid.

First up were the Senate Republicans in late August, followed one week later by the Senate Democrats.

Some political partisans will disagree, but I think it’s safe to say that Democrat, Republican, unaffiliated, etc., no one really wants any residents to suffer without heat this winter. Can’t all sides get together and launch one united outreach effort?

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Check it out to see how your state legislators voted on environmental issues important to the league during the 2008 legislative session that ended in early May.

Lori Brown, the league’s executive director, told me one of the biggest changes to this year’s report card is the decision to partially count when lawmakers were absent for a key vote or votes.

In the past absences have not been scored, which could sometimes skew the results in a particular lawmaker’s favor. Now they are worth a half point, Brown said.

“We started scoring absences as a compromise,” Brown said. “Last year some lawmakers got 100 percent (positive voting records) and ducked out on a bunch of votes … There are really legitimate reasons people miss votes, but we don’t want to give them a free pass, so we dock them a little bit for absences.”

As The Advocate reported last August, Sen. Judith Freedman’s, R-Westport, then top ranking is a good example of how the old process could benefit legislators.

Freedman earned a 100 percent “pro-environment” record in 2007′s league report in part for being one of the few members of the General Assembly to oppose a water quality bill which, at the last minute, was amended to allow gravel mining on land owned by the New Britain Water Co.

But Freedman’s 2007 ranking was also aided by her being absent for seven votes on environmental issues.

Brown said some lawmakers are not pleased with the league’s change.

“I think people are getting a little upset,” she said. “Some of our stalwart champions are getting ‘dinged’ on that.”

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Last week The Advocate published a story about state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and state House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, scheduling a hearing for this Thursday on the mounting budget deficit and how it is expected to worsen as a result of the debacle on Wall Street.

The GOP’s announcement was also aimed at portraying the minority party as being more proactive on fiscal matters than the Democrats, who want to wait until mid-November for the statutorily required briefing by the state budget office.

Then earlier today I recieved a press release from Rep. Denise Merrill, D-Mansfield, co-chairman of the legislature’s appropriations committee, announcing the scheduling of a “fiscal meeting.”

My assumption was the Democrats had decided to one-up the Republicans and move ahead with a pre-November deficit hearing of their own.

Then I read the release. Merrill was simply announcing the November hearing had been formally scheduled for the 18th of that month.

There was no mention of the GOP’s event this week or whether any Democrats intend to show.

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Hartford Courant reporter Jon Lender had a nice write-up about problems at the top of the state’s Commission on Latino and Peurto Rican Affairs.

This is one of a handful of such commissions lawmakers have established over the years to address the needs of specific constituencies within Connecticut. Others focus on the needs of African Americans, women and the elderly.

Freshman state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, this past legislative session successfully worked to pass a bill setting up a new commission for Pacific American residents. But the group currently exists mainly on paper because there was no money set aside for staff.