Union Concessions, Affordable Housing Decided

HARTFORD, CT — The State House of Representatives voted Monday to accept the state employee union concession deal and on to overturn Gov. Dannel Malloy’s veto on an affordable housing bill.

An independent actuarial analysis found that the union concession deal would save $24 billion over the next 20 years.

“The vote in the House today approving a plan with significant, structural changes that will save state taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next two years is a major step forward in creating the foundation for a responsible, balanced budget that will help put our state on a more stable and sustainable path," Malloy said.

All Republicans opposed the bill and all but one Democrat supported it.

The house also decided to overturn Malloy's affordable housing veto. The House voted 101-47 and the Senate 24-12 to overturn, according to the CT Mirror.

The bill will revise language in the affordable housing statute with the goal of reducing predatory development. The 8-30g law applies to communities that don’t have 10 percent or more of their housing stock classified as affordable, but communities that achieve certain affordable housing goals can apply for moratoriums.

The bill was overwhelmingly passed in the house and State Senate, but was vetoed by Malloy who argued it would, “perpetuate the harmful effects of bad economic policy and institutional segregation, damaging our state’s economy and its moral foundation.”

The issue became a hot-button topic in many communities across the state and in particular Milford, which has seen a number of proposed developments filed under the law.

Image via pedrik/Flickr Commons