Crisco lauds bipartisan vote to solve state budget deficit

Plan preserves funding for hospitals

HARTFORD - On an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote by Democrats and Republicans, state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, Tuesday joined his colleagues in the state Senate and the House of Representatives to approve a deficit mitigation plan to close the Fiscal Year 2016 mid-year budget shortfall of $220 million, which has been caused by lower-than-expected tax revenue collections.

State Sen. Joseph Crisco, Jr.

The compromise legislation – negotiated between Democrats, Republicans and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office – restores proposed cuts to hospital funding, preserves millions of dollars in state aid to towns, and protects funding for core social services.

The final vote was 33-3 in the Senate and 127-16 in the House.

“The vote today in both chambers on both sides of the aisle is indicative of the fact that we do remember why we were elected to serve: to make life easier for people,” Crisco said. 
“I’m exceptionally pleased that we were able to preserve funding for hospitals like Griffin Hospital. That funding goes a long way toward ensuring that people will continue have adequate access to health care.”

Highlights of today’s bipartisan deficit mitigation package include:

• Closes the state’s $220 million current year (ending June 30, 2016) budget deficit as estimated by the governor’s office and the state comptroller.

• Restores all hospital cuts as proposed by the governor, of which the state’s portion is $31.6 million, and which was being withheld. This funding is partial reimbursement for hospitals’ Medicaid expenses and the care they provide to those most in need.

• Preserves core government services and protects funding for vital social services.

• Eliminates proposed cuts to town aid.

• Replaces the governor’s unilateral rescissions that he proposed on March 16.

• Is made up of approximately 60 percent in budget cuts that can be rolled out into future years for long-term budget savings.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.