A conservative group and several Republican lawmakers is filing a legal challenge to the newly adopted state budget, alleging that its assumption of $2 billion of yet-to-be-determined savings violates the Connecticut constitution.
"In 1992 the people of Connecticut overwhelmingly voted for [a] balanced budget amendment as a protection against the kind of shenanigans and abuse we saw this week at the state capitol,'' said Tom Scott, a former lawmaker who founded the Roger Sherman Liberty Center, the conservative think tank behind the lawsuit.
The budget, approved by the state House and Senate earlier this week and signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday is "a dirty deal...a raw deal,'' Scott said.
Colleen Flanagan, spokeswoman for the Malloy administration, expressed confidence that the spending package would withstand the legal challenge.
"We researched the matter when the Republicans made this claim,'' she said in an email. "We've reviewed the matter and are confident that it is fully compliant with the Connecticut constitution and that the courts and won't interfere with the duly adopted budget of the State of Connecticut.''