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CT Mirror's Keith Phaneuf says the state budget will be 'tremendously' affected by the 2022 election year

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont delivers the State of the State address
Jessica Hill
/
AP Photo
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont delivers the State of the State address at the state Capitol, Feb. 9, 2022, in Hartford, Conn.

The state’s Finance and Appropriations committees are expected to be working behind closed doors for at least the rest of April to iron out the details of a $24.2 billion state budget proposed last week.

The Connecticut Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf, who has been covering the budget process, joined us on “All Things Considered” to discuss his observations.

In order, the subjects we discussed include:

1. How election year politics are affecting the budget process.

2. Why Gov. Ned Lamont's “SEBAC” agreement is unprecedented.

3. Whether Lamont's SEBAC agreement will actually keep workers from leaving.

4. Is child care/early child development the big winner in this budget?

5. What are the “Children's Trust Fund” and the “Revenue Cap”?

6. Is Connecticut heading for a “fiscal cliff” as federal pandemic dollars dry up?

7. What will happen with the car tax?

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.