Gov. Ned Lamont used his line-item veto power Tuesday to cut grants and earmarks worth $4 million from six sections of Senate Bill 298, a 98-section emergency-certified bill that sped with little review to passage last week by the General Assembly.
“Let me be clear at the outset: my objection is not to the missions of the organizations named in these sections, nor to the goals the legislature seeks to advance. Many of these programs do meaningful work in communities across our state,” Lamont wrote in his veto message. “My objection is to the process.”
As an emergency-certified bill, SB 298 sailed to passage on a fast track that bypassed committee review and public hearings. Lamont left intact appropriations not deemed to be earmarks, including the transfer of $1.7 million to the Department of Labor for personnel costs.
“Over the past year, Connecticut residents have rightly asked for greater transparency and accountability in how legislatively directed funds — commonly referred to as earmarks — are proposed, reviewed, and distributed,” he wrote. “When taxpayer dollars are set aside for specific entities outside of a competitive or formula-based process, the public deserves to know exactly how and why those decisions are made, what standards apply, and what oversight mechanisms are in place.”
One of the vetoed items would have provided $750,000 this year and next to CREC, the Capitol Region Education Council, for a teacher training program. Republicans had noted CREC employs Sen. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, whose influence in providing earmarks is being investigated by the FBI.
“These provisions direct specific sums to particular entities outside of a competitive or formula-driven framework,” Lamont wrote. “Approving them without structural reform would perpetuate a system that lacks consistent transparency and enforceable standards.
The other vetoed items:
- $174,000 through the Department of Economic and Community Development to the VFW in New London.
- $70,000 through the Judicial Department to the Village Initiative.
- $2,500,000 from the Office of Policy and Management for outside recreation in Hartford.
- $330,000 from the Department of Economic and Community Development for a Hartford non-profit, Our Piece of the Pie.
- $200,000 from the Department of Education for a grant to Free Agent Now, or FAN, an East Hartford company geared to helping young athletes.
The owner of FAN, Roger Wierbicki, had told the Department of Education last year: “At our core, FAN is an educational resource that assists in resume construction.”
Lamont’s veto comes a day after the Connecticut Mirror reported his intention to make line-item vetoes, prompting strong criticism from the two top leaders of Senate Democratic majority: Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney of New Haven and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk.
They had complained that the terms of the emergency-certified bill had been negotiated and could have been revised prior to passage.
Lamont closed his message by praising the other portions of the bill.
“I hope this action does not overshadow the many important provisions contained in this bill, including strengthening health and safety standards for warehouse workers, safeguarding our elections from federal interference, and enhancing training for our police officers,” Lamont wrote. “I am proud of the work we have done together on these priorities, and I remain committed to continuing that partnership as we move Connecticut forward.”
As expected, the governor signed Senate Bill 299, the other emergency-certified bill passed last week. It addresses bottle-bill redemption fraud that has become prevalent since Connecticut doubled its deposits to 10 cents, while other states have stayed at a nickel.
