Lawmakers: Malloy Is 'Not Any Type Of Lame Duck'
Despite this week's unexpected declaration that he will not run for reelection, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy pledged to continue tackling his ambitious agenda, including reformulating the way education aid is dispersed, overhauling the criminal justice system and closing a $1.7 billion state budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year.
But given the Democratic governor's often rocky relationship with the legislature, including leaders of his own party, his lame-duck status could embolden lawmakers to ignore some of his less popular initiatives, such as cutting money for cities and towns, or allowing cities and towns to assess a new tax on hospitals.
"He has an opportunity to throw caution to the wind and the freedom to make bold decisions," said Rep. Themis Klarides, the Republican leader in the state House of Representatives. "But I don't think that that erases the fact that the governor's philosophy is not in lockstep with the very small majority in the legislature. If the Democrats don't feel that same sense of freedom and boldness, it's not going to make a difference."
Malloy will remain the state's top official until January of 2019 and few expect the hard-charging politician to spend the next 20 months coasting. "Dan Malloy is not going to be any type of lame duck," said Bob Duff, D-Norwalk and majority leader in the state Senate. "He's going to work hard ... he's probably going to work harder than anybody else and continue to make decisions that aren't always politically expedient but that are good long-term decisions for the state of Connecticut."
Read more: http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-malloy-lame-duck-budget-20170414-story.html