The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
General Assembly to tweak state budget
Legislators move to correct vetoed distribution collection of hospital tax
HARTFORD — Legislative leaders met for about an hour this week and decided to return to make adjustments to the bipartisan budget Gov. Dannel P. Malloy mostly signed on Halloween.
Malloy vetoed part of the distribution of the money collected from the hospital tax because he felt the language included in the budget would caused the federal government to reject the state’s request for additional federal reimbursement. There’s no guarantee that even with the new language, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will approve the additional funds, but the administration believes it has a better shot.
Jennifer Jackson, CEO of the Connecticut Hospital Association, said the hospitals are fine with the new language.
“We want to thank the
members of the General Assembly for their ongoing support,” Jackson said. “We also want to thank the administration for working with us to come to an agreement; we look forward to passage of the legislation and working with the state to implement it.”
The agreement does not settle the lawsuit the Connecticut Hospital Association and 20 hospitals filed against the state in 2016.
Legislative leaders said they would also modify language regarding the renter’s rebate program.
The language essentially stranded $13 million for the program with the state, at the same time as it made it the municipalities’ responsibility to dole out. The money is to help subsidize the rent of elderly and disabled renters.
Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said the money is in the budget and was always meant to be used for the program.
The Senate is expected to return Nov. 21 and the House is expected to returnNov. 22 to make the changes.
Legislative leaders also promised their session would be televised by the Connecticut Television Network.
Last week, the nonprofit that has operated for 18 years terminated its contract with the Office of Legislative Management when it was unable to come up with an agreement regarding the scope of services and the $1.2 million budget. The budget
fell far short of the $2.4 million the Connecticut Public Affairs Network thought it bid on this past summer.
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said the intent of every member of the leadership team was not to see CT-N shut down.
“But there needed to be alternatives looked at for funding and putting them back on the air,” Klarides said. “We never planned on having them be off the air.”
Sen. Len Fasano, RNorth Haven, said they plan to hire a group of former CPAN employees, “maybe 12,” who would be moved over to operations for CT-N.
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said “we will ensure that the public receives gavel-togavel coverage.”
The legislature’s Public Health Committee meeting also will be carried live Monday, according to legislative leaders.
Fasano said he believes it’s healthy that the contract will go back out to bid in the spring and he believes there will be more interest.
CPAN was the sole bidder on the five-year contract.