Westport Republicans Demand Special Session on Budget Cuts

Westport Republican legislators have signed a petition seeking a special session to restore cuts to the Connecticut state budget.

A press release received Thursday said Sen. Tony Hwang, Sen. Toni Boucher, Rep. Gail Lavielle and every other Republican state lawmaker signed the petition whcih was submitted to the Connecticut secretary of state.

In the statement, Hwang said he hoped that the Democrats will do the right thing for the people of the state.

“We need to convene a special session to prevent devastating cuts to services for the sick, the elderly and the disadvantaged,” he said. “So far, they have resisted.”

Hwang said the result will be job losses and reduced access to health care for the neediest patients.

The petition calls for a special session “to make adjustments to the state budget for the biennium beginning July 1, 2015, including adjustment to restore Medicaid funding and other state support for hospitals, health care and other services.”

The governor’s $103 million in cuts include millions in cuts to mental health and substance abuse services and programs that help those with disabilities – all areas that were already slashed in the Democrats’ budget, the Republican legislators said. It also includes $64 million in Medicaid cuts that directly affect hospitals and translate to a loss of $128 million in federal dollars.