Lamont threatens to veto paid family leave plan

HARTFORD — Gov. Ned Lamont called a news conference Wednesday afternoon to tell reporters he would veto the Paid Family and Medical Leave bill the Senate planned to run Wednesday night. Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said they’re running the bill regardless of the veto threat.

“I want to do big, bold progressive things, but sometimes I do them in a conservative way,” Lamont said. “In a way, that gives the taxpayers a high degree of confidence that we know what we’re doing.”

The 15-member board that would be in charge of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority created under the legislation to oversee the program is too big, according to Lamont.

Lamont’s staff has been negotiating with Democratic legislative leadership for a long time over the legislation, but “I don’t think we’re there,” Lamont said.

He said he was surprised to learn the Senate would be running the bill Wednesday.

“To me we are starting up a $400 million company, a big new insurance program. The idea that it’s going to be lead by this top heavy bureaucracy … just looks like it’s not a recipe for success to me.”

Asked if there was some miscommunication during negotiations, “I don’t know,” Lamont said.

“I was the one person early on who said I want to make sure a public or a private has the right to bid on this,” Lamont said.