The cavernous state Capitol was becoming quiet.<\/p>\n
It was 2 a.m. Saturday, and much of Connecticut was sleeping.<\/p>\n
But the debate in the state Senate was droning on as Republican John Kissel of Enfield was asking detailed questions of Democrat Toni Harp of New Haven on a budget amendment.<\/p>\n
“Only eight people are watching this,” a lobbyist said outside the Senate chamber, talking about the wee hours of the morning and the building frustration of legislators, staff members, and lobbyists.<\/p>\n
When legislators arrived at the Capitol on Friday morning to tackle the state’s financial problems, Connecticut had a projected budget deficit of about $350 million for the current fiscal year.<\/p>\n
And when they woke up today, the state still has a projected budget deficit of $350 million.<\/p>\n
Despite a marathon day of fits and starts, rhetoric and rancor, nothing was passed into law when the smoke cleared. By 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the Senate had voted, 21 to 15, on a deficit-cutting plan that increased taxes and cut spending.<\/p>\n
But Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell promised to veto the bill, saying the tax increases were too high and many of the spending cuts were either phantom or unachievable.<\/p>\n
Prompted by Rell’s veto threat and the Senate’s failure to pass the bill by a veto-proof margin, the state House of Representatives abruptly pulled the plug and canceled a scheduled Saturday session. The House had been expected to convene in its rare weekend session because lawmakers were scrambling to pass a deficit-cutting plan before the Passover and Easter holidays. The cancelation marked the culmination of a bizarre 24-hour period in which there originally was no House session expected – only to be scheduled on short notice and then changed once again when it was canceled.<\/p>\n
Friday’s squabbles focused on the easiest of the ongoing problems – the current fiscal year. Lawmakers have still not resolved the problems for next year, in which the deficit is projected at more than $700 million, and the 2012 fiscal year, in which the deficit could balloon to more than $3 billion. The reason for the rising deficit in 2012 is that the state will have nothing left over because it will have already spent the entire $1.4 billion “rainy day” fund and $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money to close the deficits over the previous two years.<\/p>\n
“I hope the governor will join us in making these difficult decisions because they pale compared with the challenges that lie ahead,” said House Speaker Christopher Donovan.<\/p>\n
The budget battle is fraught with election-year politics, posturing and rhetoric as each side seeks to gain advantage over the other in a political, financial and policy battle under the Gold Dome.<\/p>\n
Friday marked one of the longest days in recent memory at the Capitol as the Senate Democrats struggled to pass the plan. While long days are commonplace during bitter political clashes, no one expected the battle to last almost until 5:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Even before the Senate voted, the few lobbyists and lawmakers remaining in the hallways were debating over whether the House would convene for its scheduled 12 noon session Saturday. Some said definitely yes. Others said no.<\/p>\n
The reason that the House bailed out, insiders said, came directly from Rell’s veto threat. That threat came at about 11 p.m. Friday night, and it changed the dynamics in the building. Only minutes later, at 11:12 p.m., the Senate clerk’s booming voice came over the loud speaker, saying, “There will be an immediate Senate Democratic caucus! Will all Senators please return to the caucus room.”<\/p>\n
Strategically, insiders said, the liberal Democrats in the House did not want to be forced into taking any votes on Saturday to cut spending if the Senate Democrats did not have 24 votes to override Rell’s veto. In addition, moderate Democrats wanted to avoid taking votes on tax increases, such as postponing tax breaks under the estate tax. Why, they asked, should Democrats be forced to take difficult votes on both taxes and spending if the bill would not become law?<\/p>\n
Some Senators themselves asked that question, wondering why they were sticking their necks out in an election year on a tough vote.<\/p>\n
A large part of the day – for the senators, Rell’s budget office, lobbyists, and the press – was spent waiting for the bill and supporting documents to be finalized. Complicated bills are technical, detailed documents, and putting the finishing touches on them takes hours. The actual debate on the Senate floor took about 4 1\/2 hours, stretching to about 5:20 a.m.<\/p>\n
In the end, three Senate Democrats broke with their caucus, making the final vote 21 to 15. The Democratic Senators – Jonathan Harris of West Hartford, Joan Hartley of Waterbury, and Gayle Slossberg of Milford – broke with their colleagues and joined the Republicans to oppose the plan that would have laid off 21 deputy commissioners, mandated two more unpaid furlough days for non-union state employees, imposed a tax on hospitals, and postponed about $75 million in tax cuts for wealthy families under the estate tax.<\/p>\n
When it was all over, the Democrats blamed the Republican governor. Rell, in turn, blamed the Democrats for refusing to make real spending cuts and reduce the size of government.<\/p>\n
The Democratic leaders “are disappointed that Governor Rell’s veto threat has intimidated the House into canceling their agreed-upon Saturday vote,” said Derek Slap, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats. “Senate Democrats hope the opportunity to regroup will enable the House to approve this bill and place it on the governor’s desk in the next few days.”<\/p>\n
But Adam Liegeot, a spokesman for Rell, said, “The taxpayers of Connecticut should be grateful that the House of Representatives canceled their Saturday vote. The cancelation saved taxpayers money, time, and unnecessary political theater.”<\/p>\n
He added, “The people of Connecticut want a resolution to our budget problems. They do not want political fighting and sniping. Now is the time for all sides to work together, make tough decisions and tackle this deficit head on.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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