The Arc of Connecticut was instrumental in the closing of Mansfield Training School in 1990.

LEGISLATIVE REPORT: July 18, 2011

I purposely waited until the dust settled to write a legislative report outlining Governor Malloy’s budget-balancing plan released last Friday. There are still many rumors going around the Capitol and they change daily. The unions' position on the plan, their ability to move toward a budget deal and what their next action steps will be remain unclear.

Here is the document outlining by state agency the targeted cuts requested by the governor: Agency List of Savings 

Late last Friday, Governor Malloy released his plan for balancing the budget. The plan is 111 pages and DDS starts on page 51. Some highlights of the cuts to DDS include:

• Closure of 9 State Operated Respite Centers

• Delay in High School Grads

• Reduction in State Operated Day Services

• Closure of 4 More State Operated Group Homes, One Unit at a Regional Center and Two Units at Southbury Training School

• Closure of State Operated Birth to Three Program

• Eliminate Family Support Teams

Approximately 5,500 pink slips went out last week to state employees, 500 within DDS. 

SEBAC (State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition) will meet today to discuss changes to their bylaws and the potential of taking another vote on the concession package.  

• Eleven of the 15 unions and 26 of 34 bargaining groups voted to ratify the agreement, but under the complicated bylaws of the coalition, 14 of the 15 unions needed to ratify the agreement and 80 percent of the voting members also need to approve it. It failed to meet either threshold, even though 57 percent of the voting members voted to ratify it. 

Any change to the bylaws will need the support of at least 10 of the 15 union leaders. The two-thirds vote to change the bylaws to make it easier for a second concession package vote to pass won’t be easy, since the rules were constructed in order to give certain members of the coalition more power than others.

Some groups are saying that it is possible that if there is a concession agreement, all of the layoffs and the funding cuts will disappear. I believe that even with a concession package passage, there will still be cuts and layoffs, just not at the magnitude we see today. No one is safe right now and especially those we serve and their families.  Advocacy efforts are important now more than ever. 

A group of Arc Connecticut Executive Directors will be meeting to discuss our action steps and I will continue to communicate the progress at the Capitol.