The budget passed by the General Assembly in October was much more than a budget document. In addition to severe cuts, the General Assembly also imposed sweeping changes to the state's constitutional spending cap along with several new budget restrictions. These rules, together, could dramatically weaken Connecticut's ability to make children and families a priority, and hamper the strategic investments key to long-term economic growth.

The coming legislative session will be crucial. These four new fiscal restrictions (bond cap, spending cap, volatility cap and bond lock) have the potential to make all our efforts moot. Unless they are addressed, fixed costs will crowd out spending in children and families, with the legislature constrained to only austerity budgeting.

In our recent webinar,  Ellen Shemitz, Executive Director at Connecticut Voices for Children, and Ray Noonan, Associate Policy Fellow, will explore these pressing budgetary issues before the state legislature this session. On the agenda:

• The state of Connecticut´s economy, and why it matters for the state budget.
• The state of Connecticut´s budget, with an overview of revenues and liabilities.
• The state of our children, and how the state has shifted away from its priorities.
• The new fiscal restrictions in the budget, and how they might impede future growth.
• How to chart a path towards fact-based, equitable solutions.

You can download the slides without the presentation below: