By Associated Press - Wednesday, January 4, 2017

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The Latest on opening day of the Connecticut General Assembly session (all times local):

5:40p.m.

One state employee union is urging Connecticut lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to increase the minimum wage to $15, arguing it will help bridge the state’s budget deficit.

Jen Schneider, spokeswoman for SEIU 1199, noted Wednesday how a third of the state’s deficit, estimated at approximately $1.3 billion, stems from spending on low-wage workers accessing public assistance.

In his address to lawmakers on the opening day of the session, Malloy said state employee labor concessions are needed to cover the deficit and his administration has been in discussions with union leaders.

Connecticut AFL-CIO President Lori Pelletier, who is not a part of the talks, says she’s only aware of conversations about restructuring pension payments. Pelletier is dismayed Malloy is already proposing givebacks without discussing “what else is out there.”

__

2:50 p.m.

The leader of Connecticut’s largest labor organization says she’s disappointed Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is already talking about state employee labor concessions as a way to balance the state budget.

Lori Pelletier, the Connecticut AFL-CIO president, says “there is not an appetite” among state workers for additional givebacks. They last agreed to a concession package in 2011, which included changes to health and retirement benefits.

Pelletier says workers are frustrated Malloy’s administration didn’t follow through with many cost-saving measures they suggested.

During Wednesday’s address to the legislature, Malloy said a “responsible and balanced solution” to Connecticut’s budget deficit problem must include state employee concessions.

Malloy says his administration has been in discussions with state employee union leaders. However, Pelletier says those talks have focused on restructuring pension payments, not concessions.

__

12:50 p.m.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says Connecticut needs to continue reducing the size of state government while also overhauling how it distributes billions of dollars in state aid to cities and towns.

Addressing state lawmakers Wednesday on the opening day of the General Assembly, the Democrat says he will unveil a two-year budget plan next month that includes a “more equitable system for providing town aid.” He says it will be based on the local property tax burden, student need and current student enrollment.

Malloy’s proposal comes nearly three months after a state judge declared the state’s education funding system unconstitutional, calling for major reforms. State officials have appealed that ruling.

Lawmakers are returning for another session that will be dominated by how to address a projected state budget deficit.

__

11:50 a.m.

The Connecticut House of Representatives has chosen its new Speaker. On Wednesday, the opening day of the General Assembly, members elected Democratic Berlin Rep. Joe Aresimowicz (ehr-eh-SIM’-oh-wits) as the newest leader of the chamber.

He replaces retiring Speaker Brendan Sharkey of Hamden, who held the position for four years. Aresimowicz, a union official, was previously the House Majority Leader. That job is now being filled by Democratic Hartford Rep. Matthew Ritter.

Aresimowicz will preside over a chamber that will have the most Republican members in recent years. The Democrats now hold a seven-vote advantage in the chamber.

The new speaker says the only way lawmakers can solve the state’s problems is to “put our political parties aside and do what’s best for the state of Connecticut.”

__

11:20 a.m.

New Haven Sen. Martin Looney is back on the job, two weeks after receiving a kidney transplant from a longtime friend and local judge.

The Democrat’s organ donor, New Haven Superior Court Judge Brian Fischer, administered the oath of office to Looney on Wednesday, the opening day of the 2017 session of the Connecticut General Assembly.

Looney has served in the legislature since 1981. He joked how he now has a “freshman kidney” for the new session.

Looney was elected President Pro Tempore by his colleagues in the Senate, which has an even number of Democrats and Republicans for the first time since 1893. North Haven Sen. Len Fasano will be the Republican Senate President Pro Tempore.

Looney and Fasano worked out a power-sharing agreement shortly after Looney’s surgery.

__

11 a.m.

The 2017 session of the Connecticut General Assembly has officially started.

Both the House of Representatives and Senate convened shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday and members later accepted the oath of office. Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is expected to address a joint session of the General Assembly around noon.

This year’s session runs until June. It is expected to be marked once again by a difficult budget year. The state’s main spending account is projected to be approximately $1.3 billion in deficit, beginning July 1. The general fund is roughly $18 billion.

Several incumbent state lawmakers are not taking the oath of office Wednesday because they’ve accepted other jobs in state government. Ultimately, special elections will have to be held to fill those seats.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.