Connecticut lawmakers have passed a plan to slash the $220 million deficit in the current fiscal year budget, warning they still have to solve a much bigger financial problem in the new fiscal year beginning July 1.
The House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan compromise.
The package replaces mid-year cuts made earlier by Governor Dannel Malloy. For example, it releases a total of $140 million that was being withheld from Connecticut hospitals. It reduces funding to social services, but by less than Malloy's plan.
The General Assembly cut $350 million in December to balance the deficit-plagued budget. The state's income tax revenues in particular have been suffering.
The new fiscal year is expected to be at least $900 million in the red.
