Gov. Malloy: Possibility of SEBAC Agreement Ratification Looks Unlikely

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday that the SEBAC Agreement may not be ratified, which could mean layoffs and program cuts.

“It was always my hope that the SEBAC Agreement would be ratified and we could move forward with the process of getting our state’s fiscal house in order and creating new jobs,” Malloy said in a press release Thursday. “But that looks increasingly unlikely.

Malloy has called for a special session with legislators June 30 at 10 a.m., to officially ratify a plan to close a $1.6 billion gap to balance the 2011-12 and 2012-13 bienium budget.

"I am loathe to make the decisions facing us at this juncture – including layoffs, programmatic and municipal aid cuts – but I am left with no choice," Malloy said in the press release. "Working with the legislature, we will have a balanced budget and one that, while making painful cuts and difficult decisions, will be balanced honestly without tricks or gimmicks.”

In addition to possible municipal and higher education cuts, if union agreements are not reached, that puts both the First and Second Company Governor's Horse Guards, of Avon and Newton, respectively, back on the list of possible cuts. Either way, the Horse Guards will not know until after the budget is ratified.

"Governor Malloy has made clear that all options are on the table to close the budget deficit, except additional tax increases and the use of 'surplus' funds," Colleen Flanagan, director of communciations for Malloy, wrote in a press release.