Governor’s Veto of Health Care Partnership a Betrayal of Hardworking Connecticut Residents

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:banghead: :grr:

For Immediate Release: For more information:


June 13, 2008 Adam Joseph: [phone]

Cell: [phone]

Governor’s Veto of Health Care Partnership a Betrayal of Hardworking Connecticut Residents

Small Businesses, Not-For-Profits and Municipalities Miss Out on Low Cost, High Quality Health Care

Hartford: Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz expressed disappointment in Governor Rell for vetoing H.B. No. 5536, An ActEstablishing the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership. H.B. 5536 aims to reduce health care costs to municipalities, small businesses (fewer than fifty employees) and not-for-profits by permitting them to voluntarily join the state employee insurance pool.

“This veto is yet an another blow to the hardworking families of Connecticut,” said Bysiewicz. “This is a profound failure of leadership that reflects an administration that is out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Connecticut residents. If our goal is for Connecticut to be the best place in the world to go to work and raise a family then we need to give it the tools to compete. I cannot think of a better way to encourage economic growth than to provide businesses with a high quality affordable health care option.”

The bill’s author, House Majority Leader Christopher G. Donovan, and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz have traveled across Connecticut conducting roundtables for small business owners, elected officials, and not-for-profit organizations. At every stop, the top concern for small business owners was their ability to provide affordable health care to their employees.

“While I am heartened by the Governor’s words indicating a willingness to work with legislative leaders in the future, the time to take action was in this legislative session,” said Bysiewicz. “In this time of financial insecurity, when families are feeling squeezed more and more every day, the Governor has vetoed a minimum wage increase and a health care plan that would have put money back into the pockets of hardworking Connecticut citizens. Special interest won this round but I pledge to work with the legislature next session to get hardworking Connecticut residents the health care they deserve.”


Small businesses are responsible for creating more than 90% of all new jobs in Connecticut, yet with skyrocketing health costs, more than half of the state’s uninsured population – about 180,000 people – are employees of small business.