Gov. Ned Lamont informed Democratic legislative leaders in a conference call Monday afternoon he intends to use his line-item authority to strike references to earmarks and other spending from the emergency-certified bill passed last week.
The governor’s office confirmed the conversation, saying that a veto message was being drafted and most likely would be delivered Tuesday. While legislators believed the governor communicated an intention to veto all appropriations in the bill, some still were being reviewed, the governor’s office said.
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the governor indicated he would prefer to table any action on earmarks or grants until the passage of an earmarks reform bill he proposed last month.
“I respect his opinion,” Ritter said.
Senate Democrats did not. In a joint written statement, Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney of New Haven and Senate Majority Bob Duff of Norwalk said the veto would damage the governor’s credibility with their caucus.
“We are deeply disappointed by the Governor’s abrupt decision to line-item veto critical funding that was carefully negotiated over many months and agreed to by the Senate, the House, and the Governor,” they said. “That agreement did not emerge overnight, and this change of heart is a troubling sign for the trust that must underpin our ability to pass legislation this session.”
Senate Bill 298, which was passed Wednesday by the Senate and Thursday by the House, would provide $750,000 to CREC, the Capitol Region Education Council, for a teacher training program.
Republicans complained that CREC is the employer of Sen. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, whose influence in providing earmarks is being investigated by the FBI. And House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, welcomed news of a line-item veto.
“The Governor’s decision to heed our call and apply his line-item veto power to this rushed, emergency-certified bill signals he finally understands the magnitude of the fiscal accountability crisis on his hands,” Candelora said in a statement. “With an FBI investigation casting a shadow over our government, and residents frustrated by state spending and affordability, the stakes couldn’t be clearer. He’d be wise to keep listening to Republicans.”
As an emergency-certified bill, the measure bypassed public hearings and vetting by committees. It has several million dollars in appropriations, though most involved redirecting state funds or clarifying their use. Among other things, it would have transferred $1.7 million to the Department of Labor for personal services.
In one case, the bill reduces a $3.25 million recreation grant for Hartford to $2.5 million. But it also dictates new spending of $330,000 for a nonprofit in Hartford, Our Piece of the Pie, and $174,000 for a VFW in New London.
Lamont told reporters he was considering a line-item veto as the House debated the bill Thursday, suggesting it was a matter of maintaining public confidence.
“I have some earmark reform legislation in front of the legislature. I’d like them to look at that,” Lamont said then. “I think we got to do a better job of giving people confidence that taxpayers’ money is going for the purposes for which it’s intended.”
The Senate Democrats said the appropriations were not insignificant.
“The items vetoed are not abstractions. They represent real services for people across the state,” they said.
Republicans had said they did not object to the all the funding changes, but they should have gone through the normal appropriation process.
“We will continue to work with the House and the Governor to restore this funding as we work on adjustments to the biennial budget,” the Senate Democrats said. “Unfortunately, in a short legislative session, there is little time to pass a bill once, never mind twice.”