Without an override vote, CT House extends budget impasse

Connecticut”™s House of Representatives adjourned today without holding a vote on overriding Gov. Dannel Malloy”™s budget veto.

The state will continue operating under Malloy”™s executive order, which includes major cuts for towns in educational cost-sharing funds. If the executive order continues for the full year, towns would receive about $1 billion less overall than they received during the 2017 fiscal year in all funding categories. Among the 85 communities that would receive no funding for education are Newtown and Trumbull.

While House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D-Berlin) has predicted that an override vote would fail because not enough Democrats would cross the aisle to support the $40.7 billion, two-year Republican plan, parliamentary moves by members of both parties allowed the session to end without a motion made to debate the override.

An override requires a two-thirds vote: 101 in the House and 24 in the Senate. The Republican plan passed with 78 House and 21 Senate votes in favor.

Malloy said the legislature needs to reach a compromise by Oct. 13, after which lawmakers will be missing because of a wedding, honeymoon and travel plans. Republican state Sen. Art Linares of Westbrook is scheduled to marry Democratic state Rep. Caroline Simmons of Stamford on Oct. 14.

If a deal is not reached before that event, Malloy said the budget stalemate could last into November.

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced on Monday that the state”™s deficit at the end of the current fiscal year would be about $94 million, if all of the cuts under Malloy”™s executive order continue.