Lawmakers Analyze Conflicting Budget Deficit Numbers
With budget numbers conflicting, top Republicans tried to clarify the state's current financial status during an informational hearing Wednesday.
Over the past two months, the numbers have gone up and down – alternating between a tiny surplus and then a projected deficit.
Lawmakers hashed out the issue for one hour Wednesday with state officials, but two key officials – state budget director Ben Barnes and Comptroller Kevin Lembo – said they had scheduling conflicts and did not attend.
The situation started on August 20 when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget office, headed by Barnes, projected a budget surplus of $200,000 for the current fiscal year. But then on September 6, the same office delivered a memo to agency heads about future budget cuts that said the state was expecting $133 million less in revenue due to projected weakness in the state income tax and the sales tax – the two biggest revenue drivers of the state budget.
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