Gov. Rell meeting with president-elect; state budget deficit growing

Posted on 12/02/2008

HARTFORD (AP) -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell is among a group of governors who will be meeting with Barack Obama to discuss economic problems with the president-elect.

Rell says the national economic crisis, the challenges facing individual states and a second stimulus package that Congress will consider in January will all be part of the discussion.

The session is set for Philadelphia Tuesday.

Rell says one of the key messages from the governors will be that the hands of the states are tied by the requirement that they have balanced budgets and federal action is necessary to ease the fiscal pain the states are suffering.

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman is now projecting a $338 million deficit in Connecticut's approved $18.4 billion budget. Wyman says since the projected deficit exceeds 1 percent of the budget, state law requires Rell to submit a second plan for bringing this years budget back into balance.

A spokesman for Rell says the governor agrees and that she will present a plan before the month is out.

Wyman issued her monthly budget estimate Monday, one week after state lawmakers approved a deficit reduction plan in special session.

Rell made another $184.4 million in spending reductions using her limited executive authority to make budget cuts.

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