• THE IMPLEMENTER:  It has been published at last, and includes new ideas.  The  IMPLEMENTER passed the Senate with a few changes to fix up typos.
• Autism Spectrum Advisory Council, terminating in 2018
• Autism services extended (or not - sometimes legislative language can be confusing).
• Air rights/redevelopment/parking garage - Sec.32
• Arts funding thru State managing $$ for you - Sec. 34
• Board of Mediation and Arbitration - No-quorum needed decisions (to be confirmed after) and as much as doubling pay, Sec. 41 - is this to save money (i.e.  if a quorum is 4 of 7 then 4 members or a quorum x $175 is greater than $325 for single members)?..
• State will not issue services agreement for less than $15 per hour -  Joint Committee on Legislative Management does not need quorum to do this.
  
• Fox guarding the chicken coop section lines 3032 - 3274 :  All watchdogs agencies under the Governor - Government Accountability Commission appointed.  Sec.68 - Sec. 74 strips watchdogs both staff and by-by to commissions.  Sec.78 cuts off the OFA's independence from OPM, orders only one JOINT report to be given annually (no doubt the day after the next election - and yes, I am close - it refers to Nov. 15, as it is now for both the Legislature and the Go vernor's offices t o do this).  This was a "strike all and replace with..." section of the Implementer.
  
• Hospitals - Sec.88 - again, we don't know whether this is a power grab or not.  HOWEVER, it was surprising that C.B.I.A. supports the budget...related?
• Judges' salaries:  Sec.90-93.
• Connecticut Retirement Security Authority:  Sec. 96 -111. 
  
• Transportation Sec.112 - establishment of "TIA' districts - FIVE in State. Sec.114 -120.  Line 5008 to 5162.
  
• M.B.R.  Sec.127 - lines 5441 - 5444 - we think this relates to this:  https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_172.htm#sec_10-262i
  
• AND whoa - by merging women, children and the elderly specific Commissions into one, Sec. 131 - 167.  Other mergers, too, for racial and ethnic entities...
• WHOA Internet gambling - Sec. 197.
• DOUBLE WHOA MAYBE - is this taking away property tax (not yet real property) from towns?  Sec.203.
• TRIPLE WHAMMY:  What does this mean?  (Sec.207.
  
• DIAPERS and TAMPONS TAX (removing the tax) 2018 - Sec.205.  My definition of getting blood from a stone.  WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS WAS A TYPO -  CORRECTED TO "2016"?
  
• Read more.   And this...half-measure.
• Electronic notice of Special Session passes for next time. 
• Budget made available mid-Tuesday but no sign of "Implementer" yet (that's where the secret stuff is hidden away including bills or parts of bills that never even were introduced in both house - and sometime parts included from bills that never got out of Committee.  In previous "Implementers" what hath the Legislature wrought?
  
• How do these differ from Regular Sessions? For what purposes are they "called?"  Who "calls" them?

        

     

   
Addiction to spending; 

MOVING VANS AND REMOVING MBR

L.C.O. 6396 "E" from Sen. who is on Spending Cap Commission - Spending Cap amendment

 
L.C.O. 6398 "G"

       

    
COMMENTS

        

   

• Rep. Davis asks why:  Line by line - sales and use question.  Recalculations.  Cigarette tax.  Inheritance tax increases.  Probate Court fees.  Public service tax - what is it?  Increase in conveyance?  How we will get $5 million more in sales and use tax - credit card purchases will be gathered.  D.R.S. tax warrants.  Balanced budget by increase in gambling, smoking.
  
• More about all of this in the Implementer bill.
  
• Rep. Ziobron:  Seniors given short shrift.  Populate commissions.  Spending Cap Commission.  Att'y General finding money???  Increase to motor fuel tax is assumption.  DMV?
• Question about why income shown down, but gambling and sales making up for it by sales and use tax.  RICH PEOPLE DON'T GAMBLE, JMO.  Luxury tax on cars has helped.
  

Ziobron gives'm what they deserve:

April 2015 "Blue Print for Prosperity"
May - Public Hearing force
June - $1.8 billion new taxes. 
Sept. asked for Special Session
Structural Changes???  Deficit Mitigation
February GOP policy document
March deficit again
April, in deficit
"Pathway to Sustainability" long-term 5-year budget plan.
MANDATE RELIEF - reduce number of Committees so they can work together (i.e. FRB and Approps).

  

House L.C.O.  6487 amendment "A" fails.

• Rep. Lavielle leads off the comment on the underlying bill.  Tax base shrinking.  The problem:  Calls out the hypocrisy
• Mary Mushinsky calls out hypocrisy at P.R.I. staff cuts.  But she votes for underlying budget in the end after being told P.R.I. will be spared a bit by Speaker of the House - but wait - he doesn't run for re-election...
  
• Another rep. - transfer power increased to Governor with no oversight.- checks and balances, giving away power.
• Rep. McLaughlan - ECS cuts.  The system is broken.  Should look at expenses and revenues first.
  

FROM THE CT MIRROR
Some Democrats opposed the budget , see below (73-70, 72 required for passage).

...But there also were some Democrats who objected to the budget.

Rep. David Alexander, D-Enfield, said the decision last year to dedicate existing sales tax receipts to transportation and to municipal aid – despite deficit projections – amounted to a promise that government shouldn't have made, and can't keep. Instead it has led to mid-year deficits, worker layoffs and reductions in services to the poor.

"This budget continues the poor decisions from last year," Alexander said afterward. "We're obviously going to continue to run deficits."

Rep. Daniel Rovero, D-Killingly, also noted that the car tax capping program had been scaled back so much that only 20 communities are projected to benefit from it. The rest of Connecticut's 149 cities and towns' property tax rates are not considered high enough for their taxpayers to benefit.

"I believe this is unfair," Rovero said, noting that residents of all communities pay the sales tax that provides the resources for the car tax capping system. "Everyone deserves a break on their car taxes."

Other Democratic representatives who voted against the budget were: Brian Becker of West Hartford; John Hampton of Simsbury; Cristin McCarthy Vahey of Fairfield; Russell Morin of Wethersfield; Christine Randall of Killingly; and Jonathan Steinberg of Westport.

Who did not vote according to record? Baram, Fritz (ill), Magna, Lesser, Buck-Taylor, France, Liner and Urban