The General Assembly reconvened yesterday to approve $3.1 billion in bonds to fund projects ranging from school construction and money for the Connecticut State University system to a new scoreboard and upgrades at New Britain Stadium (here’s a partial list). Of course, none of the projects approved are final–the 10 member bond commission, controlled by Gov. Rell, must first approve the measure. If you want to know why the issue of control of the bond commission has been so sticky, this is why.
Rell has threatened to veto the bill due to its size. The Courant has the story:
Democratic legislators hailed the package, although none of the projects can be built until final approval is granted by the 10-member State Bond Commission, led by chairwoman Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. While saying she was “troubled” by the size of the overall package, Rell postponed any announcement on whether she will veto the bill until today. Some insiders predicted that Rell will veto the measure because the Republicans in both the House and Senate voted unanimously against the borrowing package. (Keating)
Rell and the Republicans have been getting closer on fiscal matters, so the threat of a veto isn’t an idle one.
Clean Contracting Passed (Again)
The legislature also took a fifth stab at passing a clean contracting bill, for those of you who are keeping track. Interestingly, Lou DeLuca was one of the two senators to vote against the latest version of that bill.
Rell has vetoed three previous versions because of concerns about privatization.
Source
Keating, Christopher. “Billions For State Projects.” Hartford Courant 21 September, 2007.
11 responses so far ↓
$3.1 billion on top of an already one of the highest per capita indebtedness in the country of $14 billion demonstates that the Legislature is oblivious to financial realities. Keep in mind that does not include the unfunded liabilities for pensions and state employee retirement health care which are north of $36 billion nor does it include the contingent debt that the State has guaranteed.
And neither of our two Constitutional financial officers, Wyman and Nappier, pop their heads out of their holes to say a peep, leaving Rell to play the role of the grinch. Who’s going to turn out the lights when the last taxpayer leaves?
Blumenthal also noted that while that theft occurred in June, the company didn’t notify Wyman until Sept. 4.
The comptroller, who had hired Accenture to implement the CORE-CT system, said Wednesday that upon learning of the larceny she had told officials of the firm “that I expected them to make our taxpayers whole.”
“Accenture is fully responsible for this situation, and with this action today they will be held fully accountable,” she added.
Meanwhile, a systems developer for the state Department of Information Technology noted Wednesday that Accenture had transferred “some of the key consultants they had on CORE-CT” to Ohio.
“These consultants came in and they controlled the project,” Lynn Coda-Klein, who also serves as co-chair of the legislative action committee of Connecticut State Employees Association/Service Employees International Union Local 2001, said. “And what we could see them doing was building a system where they would be able to take it elsewhere and then just modify it to meet some other state’s needs.
“We were required to do extensive documentation, and required to do it in a format that Accenture dictated even though it was not a format that worked well for us,” she added. “We also ran into difficulties getting things done the way that met our needs, because we know the business of the state of Connecticut and they didn’t.”
The bottom line, Coda-Klein added, is that she and other union members believe “this data was taken to be used as a test on other projects.”
And tell me again why Wymann allowed Accenture to run rooughshod over state employees…
http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18837323&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6
On the contracting bill, did anyone catch on CTN Caruso trying to rationalize why the State Constitution prohibited the Legislature from including itself, the AG, the Comptroller, the Sec of State, and the Treasurer from the provisions of this bill due to the separation of powers, but it was constitutional to impose them on the Governor and Lt Governor? It was comical and worthy of Prof Irwin Corey (for those of you who remember his act).
And when somebody asked for a copy of the State Constitution, nobody could find one!
They should take their act on the road because nobody could make this crap up.
Governor Rell Vetoes Bond Bill, Calls
Special Session for School Bonding for Wednesday
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she will veto the $3.2 billion bond bill passed by the General Assembly on Wednesday, and said she is calling a special session of the Legislature for next week for the purpose of passing a bonding package limited to schools.
“The bonding bill passed by the Legislature is well-intentioned, but taken together it is simply unaffordable for the people of Connecticut,” Governor Rell said. “Connecticut is already deeply in debt. We have the third-highest bonded debt, per person, of any American state. We have the third-highest debt – yet we live in the nation’s third-smallest state. We are on the wrong end of this seesaw, and we have to get off.
“It is too easy, sometimes, to use terms like bonds and bonding,” the Governor said. “The simple fact is the bond commission really is Connecticut’s credit card, and we are over the limit.”
In her veto message, Governor Rell noted that the debt burden is steadily claiming a larger percentage of the operating budget, affecting programs and services. Moreover, because the state exceeds expected bonding levels, credit rating agencies may lower Connecticut’s rating, resulting in markedly higher interest rate charges.
“This bill sends the wrong messages,” the Governor said. “It sends the wrong message to the credit rating agencies. It sends the wrong message to the backers of projects listed in the bill, since not all those projects will be funded. And worst of all, it sends the wrong message to the people of Connecticut: That state government cannot control state spending.”
Governor Rell noted that the bill passed by the Legislature is not only $610 million higher than her February budget proposal, it is also $250 million more expensive than the plan approved by the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.
She also noted that 10 years ago the state allocated $660 million in general obligation bonds; last year allocations totaled $1.4 billion. Under the bill, allocations in Fiscal Year 2008 would be $1.77 billion.
“These not positive trends – these are not good patterns,” the Governor said.
However, the Governor said she is acutely aware of the pressing needs of school districts, which are awaiting state aid to help pay for construction and renovation performed over the summer. She said she was therefore calling a special session for Wednesday, September 26, to deal only with school bonding.
“I believe we can reach agreement on the remainder of the bond package with further work – and let me make it clear that my Administration is ready to continue that work immediately,” Governor Rell said. “However, the school money cannot wait.
“I will veto this bill – as Governor, it is the right thing to do,” she said. “But I am eager to work with all sides to put together a package we can all support as soon as possible.”
The Courant’s website just posted that Rell has said she will Veto the Bonding Package the legislature passed yesterday. No big surprise here and good for her – she also called them back to pass the bonds for schools this Wednesday.
[quote comment="19601"]
And when somebody asked for a copy of the State Constitution, nobody could find one!
They should take their act on the road because nobody could make this crap up.[/quote]
I watched. I was deeply embarrassed for and by our state legislature last night.
The legislature didn’t spend a dime yesterday. I would compare the Bond Bill to the christmas list you send your grandma. You knew you wouldn’t get everything, but you knew you certainly wouldn’t get it if you didn’t ask. The responsibility for the State’s debt rests solely on the Governor. There was no reason not to sign this Bill, sure it was $3.1 billion, but the governor wouldn’t have to issue $1 worth of bonding if she didn’t want to.
The legislature can still book the professor if they want. It might be worth the “investment” as they say up there in hartford with their government speak!
http://professor.irwincorey.com/
Great link Toucan.
In fact I think I saw him last night on CTN.
Perhaps Rep McCluskey can explain why if the legislature can define the jurisdiction and duties of the AG by statute (if anybody ever does find a copy of the State Constitution up there, they may discover that it is completely silent on the scope of the AG’s office, and that the duties of that office are completely a creature of statute as passed by the legislature), it can’t subject that same office to the provisions of the contracting reform bill?
adamcs95 says the bond bill is just a wish list he sends to Grandma.
Really? I want to come to the press conferences where you compare your Grandma to Lucy in “Peanuts” … and I especially want to be there when you call your Grandma a “dishonorable person”!!!
If Dems are going to have temper tantrums because they didn’t get all the goodies on the wish list that they themselves admit is overblown, then they need to pare down the wish list.
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