That in and of itself isn’t all that surprising. The governor is worried about the effect on businesses and jobs, despite the fact that she signed a similar increase two years ago. Times change. No, the interesting part is that the legislature might be able to override her. Two Republicans, Sam Caligiuri (R-Waterbury) and Anthony Guglielmo (R-Stafford) voted for the bill–and Caligiuri at least isn’t backing down:
If there is a veto, Sen. Sam S.F. Caligiuiri, R-Waterbury, said he is inclined to stand by his vote for the increase unless he is convinced otherwise.
He said he wouldn’t change his vote to block an override of Rell out of party loyalty alone.
“When it came to my vote, my conclusion was it would bring more benefits to the lowest-paid wage-earners than it would harm the businesses that would have to pay the increase,” the Waterbury senator said. (Hughes)
Democrats have more than enough votes in the House to override if they need to, although two House Republicans also voted with the Democrats on the bill.
In general, business associations have not been pleased with the way the legislative session went. A veto, followed by an override, would be another blow to them.
Source
Hughes, Paul. “Rell threatens to veto minimum wage increase.” Waterbury Republican-American 17 May, 2008.
