Sredzinski 'Cannot Stand' Lack of Budget Discussion

From the Office of Rep. JP Sredzinski

HARTFORD – Rep. JP Sredzinski (R-112) spent Monday’s special session exhausting every avenue to try and force his Democratic colleagues in the State House of Representatives to vote on the no tax-increase, balanced budget that the House Republican caucus has proposed since April.

The House convened for a special session on Monday in order to address the governor’s vetoes and, later in the afternoon, to consider a labor contract deal negotiated between Governor Malloy and the SEBAC state employees’ union. ForRep. Sredzinski, the opportunity to vote on a two-year budget for state government after four weeks without one in place for the new fiscal year needed to be taken advantage of.

Procedurally, only the majority Democrats may call a budget to the floor of the House for a vote, though as of yet they have refused to call the Republican proposal and have not detailed a complete budget of their own. In response to this roadblock, Rep. Sredzinski supported Republican attempts to call their budget as an amendment to a rules resolution, but all efforts were rebuffed by House Democrats. The first attempt took place in the form of a rules change, the second in the form of an amendment to the SEBAC agreement.

“I cannot stand the fact that we have still not even discussed the budget on the floor of the House, let alone vote on one, which is what I wanted to make happen when I came up to Hartford today for special session,” said Rep. Sredzinski. “The people of Monroe and Newtown elected me to be a part of the solution to our state’s historic fiscal crisis, but Democrats continue to stifle any effort to pass a budget in the House because of their inability to come up with one. As a member of the minority party, I have limited options, but I am intent on using every procedure I’m aware of to make the legislature vote on a budget. If the Democrats won’t show leadership, Republicans are more than ready to do what’s necessary to make sure towns receive their municipal aid and education funding. It is an unprecedented dereliction of duty to go this long without voting on a budget.”

The special session concluded with Democrats successfully blocking all attempts to vote on a budget.

Rep. JP Sredzinski represents the 112th General Assembly district communities of Monroe and Newtown and serves as Ranking Member on the General Assembly’s Public Safety Committee.