New estimates show the projected deficit in Connecticut's main spending account has grown to about $266 million.
The forecast provided Thursday to legislators by the General Assembly's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis is a marked difference from the deficit figures released recently by Governor Dannel Malloy's budget office.
Last week, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes estimated the approximate $18.7 billion General Fund is $19.9 million in the red. The fiscal year ends June 30.
House Republican Leader ThemisKlarides called the numbers "shocking" and that "people should be scared."
OPM spokesman GianCarlCasa said "projections are going to vary from one set of numbers to another." He said everyone should agree "this is a new economic reality" that requires a bipartisan solution.
