Rell Cuts Executive Branch Spending; Plans Budget Briefing For Legislators

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday announced she’s ordered more than $34 million in budget cuts under her power to reduce expenditures at executive branch agencies, boards and commissions.

In a news release, Rell said her action is intended to reduce a projected state budget deficit of nearly $400 million.

The release quotes Rell saying the legislature’s adopted budget “has been built on unrealistic savings assumptions (and) I am determined to end this fiscal year in balance, and that requires that action be taken as soon as possible.”

The release says her cuts — called recissions — represent the first of a series of reductions Rell will be making over the next several weeks. It says she will be preparing a deficit mitigation plan that she’ll be presenting to the legislature before Dec. 1.

Rell, it says, has asked her Council of Economic Advisors to brief lawmakers and legislative leaders on Connecticut’s near- and long-term economic outlook at a briefing to be held Nov. 12 at 2:30 p.m. in room 2E in the Legislative Office Building.

The list of Rell’s rescissions can be found at: http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/lib/governorrell/fy10_nov_5th_rescissions_report_final_nc.pdf .