The state Senate is poised to approve two bills in special session Thursday that would give extraordinary budget-cutting powers to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and reform labor laws, sources said Thursday.
"We have strong support for both the rescission bill and the labor reform bill,'' a source told Capitol Watch on Thursday afternoon. "It would allow the governor to cut municipal aid, but it doesn't require it. All it is is giving him the authority to do that. It is not unchecked authority.''
The source was correct as the underlying amendment was approved by 32 to 4 at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The debate then continued on the overall bill.
While Malloy was seeking extraordinary budget-cutting powers for two full years as late as Wednesday at the state Capitol, the bill now says that Malloy's increased authority would expire on September 30.
"If the SEBAC agreement is ratified before August 31, all of the governor's increased authority will expire and the budget will assume the savings of the agreement as originally anticipated,'' according to a document circulating at the Capitol.
Under the legislative timeframe, Malloy would receive increased budget-cutting powers between the start of the fiscal year on July 1 and ending on September 30.
By July 15, Malloy would be required to provide details on his full budget-cutting plan to the legislature. In the hot days of July 15 to August 15, the budget-writing appropriations committee would hold hearings on Malloy's plan, and then the legislature could return to the Capitol before August 30 to change or reject Malloy's proposal, according to the document circulated among Democrats.