Sen. Martin Statement on Gov. Lamont’s Line-Item Vetoes of Funding in SB 298

HARTFORD – Senate Minority Leader Pro Tem Henri Martin (R-Bristol) issued the following statement regarding the governor’s line-item veto of more than $3.8 million in budget earmarks approved in last week’s ‘emergency’ session.

“I am pleased that the governor listened to Senate and House Republicans’ repeated concerns about how millions of taxpayer dollars are doled out. Last month, we called for an end to the ‘candy store’ of handouts to select, politically connected organizations, especially as federal authorities are now involved. Last week’s emergency session included millions more in similar taxpayer-funded handouts. There should be no more free money until we can implement better oversight and reporting of how taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars are spent,” he said.

Last month, Sen. Martin, along with Senate and House Republicans, unveiled legislative proposals aimed at delivering accountability, preventing fraud and waste, and rooting out the “culture of corruption” in state government.