On March 25, 2010, the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee released proposed revisions to the FY 11 budget. The revisions recommended by Appropriations preserve levels of funding for many of Connecticut’s early care and education programs, but perhaps most significantly, would increase funding for Connecticut’s Care4Kids program to $103.42 million. This represents a $7.5 million increase from initial appropriations and a $19.00 million increase from the Governor’s proposed FY 11 budget revisions. If fully spent, this increase would play an important role in maintaining (and potentially increasing) the level of child care support offered by Connecticut to its working families.
Another noteworthy proposal is Appropriations’ recommendation that funding for the Children’s Trust Fund be fully restored. The Trust Fund had faced a loss of almost half its budget in the Governor’s proposed FY 11 budget revisions. These changes are not final, but merely proposed. In order for the Appropriations budget to enter into effect, it must be approved by both the House and Senate, and signed by the Governor.
