State legislators voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for a combined $3 billion in new state borrowing over two years to fix public schools, improve transportation, help ensure clean drinking water, upgrade the XL Center in Hartford and respond to the spreading coronavirus outbreak.
The state House of Representatives passed the bill 126-20 as only two Democrats — Rep. Patricia Dillon of New Haven and Patrick Boyd of Pomfret — joined with 18 Republicans against the measure. The state Senate later approved the package by a 31-5 vote with five Republicans opposed.
Despite criticism from Republicans that Gov. Ned Lamont was reneging on his “debt diet” to limit state borrowing by favoring the Democratic package for at least $1.5 billion in new bonding in each of the next two years, most Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the bonding bill because it includes more than $200 million each year in aid to cities and towns that have been sought by the 169-member Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the 115-member Council of Small Towns.
The package also includes $27.5 million in the first year and $37.5 million in the second year for improvements to the XL Center in downtown Hartford, which is $10 million more than had been previously expected. House Republicans offered an amendment to delete the funding for the XL Center, but Democrats rejected the amendment in a mostly party-line vote.
“The taxpayers of this state should not pay a single penny more for that building,” said Rep. Doug Dubitsky, a Republican attorney who represents nine towns in eastern Connecticut. “We shouldn’t be supporting that thing, over and over, every year with tens of millions of dollars.”
Republicans said the package should not have included $5 million in borrowing to combat coronavirus and instead that money should be taken from the $2.5 billion rainy day fund. Democrats countered that the coronavirus spread is uncertain, and it is important to set money aside for public health emergencies if needed.
Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven said it makes no sense to borrow money for the virus when it would represent only a tiny fraction of the rainy day fund that has been building for years.
“That’s like taking a spoonful of water out of Long Island Sound,” Fasano said on the Senate floor. “Who would borrow money for medical supplies when you have money in your savings account? It’s just illogical. … The governor has basically king power to do whatever he wants to do … under a state of emergency.”
But Sen. John Fonfara, a Hartford Democrat, said it was “wise and prudent” to make resources available if the money is needed on an emergency basis.
Rep. Tom O’Dea, a Republican attorney, asked how the money will be allocated because his hometown of New Canaan is relatively close to the widespread outbreak over the border in New Rochelle, N.Y.
“It’s up to the governor — through his discretion,” said Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, a Stamford Democrat.
The long-delayed package includes an additional $200 million each year for transportation projects — a key part of the long negotiations about improvements to the state’s aging infrastructure. Typically, lawmakers vote on a bond package when the state budget is adopted. Lawmakers approved a budget bill in June, but the bond package was delayed by a lengthy debate over electronic highway tolls.
After nine months of delays, Fasano said he did not see a final draft of the 100-page bond package until Wednesday morning — only hours before the vote.
The package allows churches, mosques, and synagogues to compete for $5 million in grants for security upgrades at their houses of worship in an effort to deter hate crimes.
“No one should ever be afraid to worship at their church, synagogue or mosque,” said Sen. Derek Slap, a West Hartford Democrat. “We are coming together today — lawmakers from both parties and of many faiths — to protect this basic part of a free and democratic society. We first proposed this a year ago, and I’m gratified that we were able to get this done today.”
Overall, the multifaceted package provides funding for everything from paving roads to fixing public schools.
“It proves that bond is not an ugly, four-letter word,” said Rep. Livvy Floren of Greenwich, who was one of only two Republicans to vote against her party’s amendment that would have stripped out money for the XL Center and other projects.
The two-year package includes the current fiscal year that ends on June 30 and also the upcoming fiscal year.
Despite Republican charges of profligate spending, Democrats cited the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis calculation that the package is $1.7 billion below the cap for general obligation bonds in the second year.
The package also includes $100 million each year for creating affordable housing, $75 million each year to aid cities and towns in providing clean water, $70 million each year to upgrade the state’s computers and $30 million in the second year for the popular Small Town Economic Assistance Program, known as STEAP. Lawmakers also authorized $3 million for building and maintaining public trails, along with $25 million in each year to aid nonprofit organizations to build capital projects that would otherwise be unaffordable.
As part of his debt diet, Lamont had previously pledged to keep new bonding to under $1 billion a year. He said that he needed to stop the state’s borrowing binge in order to restore the state’s fiscal health.
Senate Republicans said the legislative package approved Wednesday was far too large for Lamont to support.
“He has broken a promise,” Fasano said. “The governor has failed in this case. … The bonding is too high. … It’s business as usual in this Capitol, and that is sad.”
Lamont’s chief spokesman, Max Reiss, said the administration had negotiated extensively with lawmakers in crafting the package. The measure was immediately sent to Lamont for his signature.
“The simple truth is that net new general obligation authorizations are down 11% and special tax obligation authorizations are down 19% than those authorized on average in the prior administration,” Reiss said. “Further, the State Bond Commission controls allocations and over the course of his first 14 months in office, Governor Lamont and the SBC have allocated about half of what the prior administration averaged while simultaneously making the necessary and needed investments we were able to under existing authorizations.
“This is not a time for baseless allegations and finger-pointing, but it is time for effective governance of this great state and its finances, which will always be measured and balanced with making appropriate investments in Connecticut’s future.”
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.
