Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a controversial $19 billion budget Friday for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The governor touted new funding for pre-kindergarten programs, municipal aid and public colleges and universities in a budget that boosts spending just 2.5 percent without raising taxes.

“I think there is much in the budget we’re proud of,” Malloy said.

But that package relies on about $200 million in fund sweeps, risky savings and revenue assumptions – including the last-minute discovery of $75 million in “miscellaneous” tax receipts.

Nonpartisan fiscal analysts are projecting a $1.33 billion deficit in the first state budget after the election, a gap of more than 7 percent.

The new budget also delays planned tax cuts for teachers and consumers and cancels the launch of keno gaming.

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Keith M. PhaneufState Budget Reporter

kphaneuf@ctmirror.org

Keith has spent most of his 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

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