Gov. M. Jodi Rell said one her top goals for the new legislative session is not to increase taxes.
Speaking to a small group of reporters at the governor’s residence where her staff is hashing out a new budget proposal, Rell said her tax and spending plan also won’t include any big increases in state spending.
Rell said she wants to protect Connecticut from any downturn in the economy.
“We’re in stable shape here in Connecticut and I want to protect that stability,” she said.
Some economists fear the nation is headed toward recession.
Last year, the Republican governor proposed raising taxes to help pay for a massive increase in local education funding. She later dropped the tax increase plan. This time around, Rell said she wants to focus any new spending on quality of life issues, such as improved state parks and responsible economic development.
She said there will also be additional spending on various criminal justice reforms in wake of the deadly July 23, 2007 home invasion in Cheshire. For example, she said more money will be dedicated to community programs for inmates released from prison.
She says another one of her goals is not to exceed a constitutional cap on spending. That could prove a challenge given some cost overruns in some state agencies this fiscal year, such as a need for $10 million to address a significant Medicaid caseload at the University of Connecticut Health Center and possibly $24 million more needed for emergency fuel assistance.
The new legislative session opens on Feb. 6.
