State lawmakers reach budget agreement; await Malloy’s reaction

Legislative leaders in Hartford announced early Tuesday morning that they had reached a deal on a two-year, $40 billion budget plan ”“ although most of its details, and Gov. Dannel Malloy”™s reaction, remained unknown.

The announcement came about 1:30 a.m., after which the lawmakers said they would speak with their caucus members before announcing details.

Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney (D-New Haven) told reporters that he expected “a substantial number”™”™ of Senate Republicans to join Democrats on a bipartisan vote later this week, with the House possibly voting as early as Thursday.

The budget reportedly includes such items as imposing a 25-cent fee per ride for Uber and similar companies; providing emergency funding for the city of Hartford; repurposing funding for Green Bank and energy-efficiency funds; and increasing taxes on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

The fate of the always-contentious property tax on automobiles was unknown.

Malloy, who vetoed a GOP-sponsored budget last month, said he would not comment on the latest effort until he had had a chance to read it.

Connecticut has been operating without a budget since July 1, the longest fiscal stalemate in its history.