Democratic lawmakers say equity is missing from Lamont's new budget

Democrats from some of Connecticut’s largest cities ripped Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget this week, saying the legislature needs to ensure that more money is allocated to the cities to help reduce racial inequities and provide more opportunities for minority residents.

Sen. Doug McCrory of Hartford tangled with Lamont’s budget director, saying he sees nothing in the budget that provides access to capital or leads to home ownership. McCrory and other members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus said they want to see improvements in the two-year, $46 billion proposal as the plan is debated and eventually reaches a final vote in June.

“I’m going to talk about equity from the standpoint of those who’ve been harmed or impacted by the inequities in the systems that were present before COVID and now while we’re in COVID,” McCrory said during a public hearing Thursday. “When I looked at this budget, I saw nothing that talked about how we are going to deal with the equity issue. ... What we’re really talking about is people living in ghettos that were created by government and by policymakers.”

McCrory said it will be “very difficult” to legalize recreational marijuana this year because he said the legislation must have strong provisions for equity for communities that have been harmed in the past by the war on drugs.

Read more: https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/2021/02/12/democrat-lawmakers-say-equity-missing-lamonts-new-budget-connecticut-ct-dem-lamont/6736525002/