Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Democratic lawmakers are proposing to legalize marijuana and open a third casino in East Windsor as part of a budget recommendation that will be released Tuesday afternoon, according to high-ranking Democratic sources.
Even though marijuana legalization is included in the proposal, Democratic sources concede that they do not have enough votes in their own caucus to pass the measure. But they placed the item into the package in order to spur further conversation and help balance the budget.
The proposal comes a day after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made his own recommendations for closing a growing budget deficit. Initial proposals from Malloy and Democrats earlier this year attempted to close a $1.7 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, but the budget gap has since grown to more than $2 billion.
In addition, the Democratic budget will propose closing a prison and opening a third casino in East Windsor that would be built jointly by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, officials said. Some Democrats have pushed strongly for the East Windsor casino, saying that it would create 1,700 construction jobs and another 1,700 permanent casino jobs to compete with a nearly $1 billion casino by MGM that is currently under construction near Interstate 91 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
House Republican leader Themis Klarides said in an interview on the House floor that she does not foresee the marijuana measure passing.
I don't support it,'' Klarides told The Courant. "They don't have the votes for their budget to begin with - even with pot in it.''
Two committees have rejected the idea, and Senate Republican leader Len Fasano said on the opening day of the session in January that marijuana legalization was dead because of a lack of support.
Democratic leaders have said publicly that they would need votes from the House Republicans in order to approve legalizing pot because they do not have the necessary votes from their 79-member caucus. The measure needs 76 votes to pass in the 151-member House.
Legalizing and taxing marijuana using a similar model to Colorado would bring in nearly $64 million in tax dollars in Connecticut in the first full year, according to a report by the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis. Some legislators say that Connecticut should adopt the Colorado model over the less-lucrative Massachusetts model, which would generate more than $30 million in the first year.
The fiscal office also found that the costs in the first full year to the state would be $4.2 million under the Massachusetts model and $9 million under the Colorado model.
Although several legislative hearings were held on legalizing marijuana this year, the idea was scuttled last month when there was not enough support in the General Assembly. The legislature's judiciary and public health committees did not vote on the proposal by their deadlines.
Two of the leading proponents for marijuana are Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney of New Haven and Rep. Melissa Ziobron, the ranking House Republican on the influential budget-writing committee.
One of the biggest hurdles against marijuana for years has been the continuing opposition of Malloy. While Malloy has not publicly used the word "veto,'' his strong opposition shows that lawmakers would need a two-thirds vote in both chambers to overcome the veto.
Malloy has called the potential influx of pot tax revenue "blood money" and other opponents warn of the social, legal and financial troubles surrounding cannabis use.
The new proposal from Democrats would include other forms of raising revenue for the state, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said at a press conference Tuesday morning, but would avoid "direct tax" increases.
Aresimowicz said he expected the proposal to be released Tuesday afternoon after it has been properly checked by the fiscal office. Lawmakers expect to meet with Malloy on Wednesday on the budget.
Proposals raised by Democrats last month included raising the sales tax and imposing an additional tax on the state's highest earners. The proposals were not well-received by Republicans, the governor and even some Democrats.
Republicans are expected to also have a budget proposal, although insiders said Monday there could actually be two: one from the House Republicans and one from the party's Senate members. There are varying opinions on the earned income tax credit and the educational cost-sharing formula, but the situation was fluid Monday night.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization, Casino Included In Democratic Budget Proposal - Hartford Courant
Author: Christopher Keating and Daniela Altimari
Contact: Contact Us - Hartford Courant
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Hartford Courant: Connecticut breaking news, UConn sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic - Hartford Courant
Even though marijuana legalization is included in the proposal, Democratic sources concede that they do not have enough votes in their own caucus to pass the measure. But they placed the item into the package in order to spur further conversation and help balance the budget.
The proposal comes a day after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made his own recommendations for closing a growing budget deficit. Initial proposals from Malloy and Democrats earlier this year attempted to close a $1.7 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, but the budget gap has since grown to more than $2 billion.
In addition, the Democratic budget will propose closing a prison and opening a third casino in East Windsor that would be built jointly by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, officials said. Some Democrats have pushed strongly for the East Windsor casino, saying that it would create 1,700 construction jobs and another 1,700 permanent casino jobs to compete with a nearly $1 billion casino by MGM that is currently under construction near Interstate 91 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
House Republican leader Themis Klarides said in an interview on the House floor that she does not foresee the marijuana measure passing.
I don't support it,'' Klarides told The Courant. "They don't have the votes for their budget to begin with - even with pot in it.''
Two committees have rejected the idea, and Senate Republican leader Len Fasano said on the opening day of the session in January that marijuana legalization was dead because of a lack of support.
Democratic leaders have said publicly that they would need votes from the House Republicans in order to approve legalizing pot because they do not have the necessary votes from their 79-member caucus. The measure needs 76 votes to pass in the 151-member House.
Legalizing and taxing marijuana using a similar model to Colorado would bring in nearly $64 million in tax dollars in Connecticut in the first full year, according to a report by the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis. Some legislators say that Connecticut should adopt the Colorado model over the less-lucrative Massachusetts model, which would generate more than $30 million in the first year.
The fiscal office also found that the costs in the first full year to the state would be $4.2 million under the Massachusetts model and $9 million under the Colorado model.
Although several legislative hearings were held on legalizing marijuana this year, the idea was scuttled last month when there was not enough support in the General Assembly. The legislature's judiciary and public health committees did not vote on the proposal by their deadlines.
Two of the leading proponents for marijuana are Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney of New Haven and Rep. Melissa Ziobron, the ranking House Republican on the influential budget-writing committee.
One of the biggest hurdles against marijuana for years has been the continuing opposition of Malloy. While Malloy has not publicly used the word "veto,'' his strong opposition shows that lawmakers would need a two-thirds vote in both chambers to overcome the veto.
Malloy has called the potential influx of pot tax revenue "blood money" and other opponents warn of the social, legal and financial troubles surrounding cannabis use.
The new proposal from Democrats would include other forms of raising revenue for the state, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said at a press conference Tuesday morning, but would avoid "direct tax" increases.
Aresimowicz said he expected the proposal to be released Tuesday afternoon after it has been properly checked by the fiscal office. Lawmakers expect to meet with Malloy on Wednesday on the budget.
Proposals raised by Democrats last month included raising the sales tax and imposing an additional tax on the state's highest earners. The proposals were not well-received by Republicans, the governor and even some Democrats.
Republicans are expected to also have a budget proposal, although insiders said Monday there could actually be two: one from the House Republicans and one from the party's Senate members. There are varying opinions on the earned income tax credit and the educational cost-sharing formula, but the situation was fluid Monday night.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization, Casino Included In Democratic Budget Proposal - Hartford Courant
Author: Christopher Keating and Daniela Altimari
Contact: Contact Us - Hartford Courant
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Hartford Courant: Connecticut breaking news, UConn sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic - Hartford Courant
