HARTFORD - State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) and JP Sredzinski (R-112) both fired off releases reacting to developments in the state budget process earlier this week.

Rep Bolinsky participated in an Appropriations Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 25, at the Legislative Office Building where the major item on the committee's agenda was to take action on the legislature's proposed state budget, produced by the Appropriations Committee.

The committee failed to do so and leadership pulled its proposal without a vote.

"This is a poor reflection on the divisiveness of the legislative process," Rep Bolinsky said. "Despite being handed my budget book only a few hours before the scheduled vote, I could see many good policy moves in the proposal. However, because it did not address critical structural changes and clearly put us on a track to spend beyond our means, it was unaffordable as presented. In fact, it was so unaffordable that the Democrat chairs could not even gather enough Democrat members' votes to pass their own proposal. So, they blew it up and tried to place blame on Republican members of the committee and abruptly adjourned the meeting."

The local lawmaker said the move was pretty shocking.

"Because we, and I, were prepared to deliberate, negotiate, and work toward common ground that protects the core functions of government without another round of massive tax increases," he said. "For me, the tax increases are a complete no-starter."

"What we saw today in Appropriations is another example that the Democrats still do not grasp how angry and frustrated taxpayers in Connecticut are," said Rep Sredzinski, who also sits on the Appropriations Committee. "It really boggled my mind to watch them unveil a budget that increased spending and called for more tax increases on top of what we already pay during perhaps the worst fiscal crisis in our state's history. The proposal was so blatantly tone-deaf that even several members of their own party decided they couldn't support that budget."

Rep Bolinsky attributes the current deficit, and projected outyear deficit, to the governor's and legislative Democrats' poor fiscal policies over the last five years, which have led to the two highest tax increases in state history.

At this point, he continued, Connecticut is already facing a $3.7-billion deficit in the governor's pending two-year budget, adding, "State revenue numbers also indicate we'll be $300 to $500-million short on income tax collections in 2017 alone.

"More tax increases and the crippling effect that they would have on Connecticut's businesses and taxpayers will accelerate the state's poor fiscal situation to a point of no return," said Rep Bolinsky. "I believe that additional taxes would serve as yet another tipping point for those who are considering leaving Connecticut and moving to a state with a lower tax burden. It's already documented that a mass exodus of this kind will lead to another round of tax revenue shortfalls."

Rep Bolinsky said the state cannot spend and tax its way out of this spiral.

"It's time for new thinking, leveraging technology and finding a sustainable mix of public and private service providers," he said. "People are sick and tired of the status quo and are ready to hold us accountable to balance our budgets and end the wasteful use of taxpayers' hard-earned money."

In the coming days the House and Senate Republicans are expected to release a proposed budget. However, Rep Bolinsky noted that no-tax increase budget options have been presented by Republicans in the past.

"I have never supported a budget that increases taxes and I pledge to fight any attempt to do otherwise," he added. "We have new ideas in Blueprint to Prosperity - a five-year blueprint for Connecticut to gain fiscal stability - along with other budget proposals that restore the stability and predictability of the state's finances. It is my hope that a similar proposal will soon be available to offer as a solution to the inaction of the Appropriations Committee."

Rep Sredzinski, whose district also encompasses a number of southern Newtown neighborhoods, said earlier this week that the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research announced an update to revenue projections indicating a shortfall of more than $260 million based on tax collections. Simultaneously, the Appropriations Committee had released a budget Tuesday that included a 5.2 percent spending increase in 2018 and 1.8 percent in 2019.

He noted that the Democratic spending plan had removed some of the governor's more controversial proposals to substantially redistribute local education aid and to shift teacher pension costs onto municipalities. And the plan would have spent $403 million more than what the governor proposed.

"From the beginning of this process, I made it clear to the Appropriations co-chairs that I would only support a balanced budget with no new taxes, no new spending, and long-term structural changes like public pension reform and institution of a constitutional spending cap," Rep Sredzinski said. "While I was encouraged by the aversion to the governor's plan to pass the burden of the fiscal crisis onto municipalities and devastate small towns, the Democrats' retracted plan pursued the same unsustainable fiscal policies that ruined our economy in the first place. Compounding my frustration over the poor treatment of taxpayers in this state was the fact that, simultaneously in the next room, the Finance Committee was discussing bills to raise taxes we cannot collect."

The deadline for the Appropriations Committee to approve a spending plan was April 27, while the deadline for the tax-writing Finance Committee to approve a budget is the following day. As it stands currently, the discrepancy in tax collections and spending increase would require the Finance Committee to drastically raise taxes.

"I hope the outcome of all of this will be an increased appetite in Hartford for the kind of budget that Republicans have been suggesting that prioritizes the taxpayers who fund the government rather than the individuals who work for it," added Rep Sredzinski. "We are likely to reveal a version of that once these two committees approve their budget proposals. Connecticut will not tax its way out of this problem and we need to proceed with that mentality."

On April 25, Governor Dannel Malloy also released a statement regarding the inability of the state legislature's fiscal committees to adopt a budget:

"I am profoundly disappointed that neither Democrats nor Republicans could produce a budget that makes responsible progress toward addressing our fiscal challenges. I stand ready to work with leaders of both parties as they come to terms with the real and growing challenges facing Connecticut."

Gov Malloy said for now, the only balanced budget proposal is the one he put on the table in February.

"I will continue to share and discuss that plan publicly, listen to new ideas, and work toward a substantial cost-saving agreement with our state employees. What I will not do is sign a budget focused on taxes rather than spending cuts. I will not push off this year's problems onto future generations. And I will not support a budget filled with gimmicks or unsupported revenue projections," the governor added. "In short, the status quo won't do. We cannot be all things to all people. We have to live within our means by making real, fundamental changes to how we budget. Deferring hard decisions only makes them harder. Let's get to work."