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Connecticut Lawmakers Scramble After Budget Miscalculation

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Connecticut lawmakers must now find ways to close a budget gap after an aide for Gov. Dannel Malloy admitted there was a miscalculation in the Democrat's proposed state budget.

Ben Barnes, the governor's budget chief, acknowledged Tuesday that Malloy's proposal for the new fiscal year beginning July 1 exceeds the state's constitutional cap on spending by about $55 million. He originally said the first year of the two-year, $40 billion budget was $6.3 million below the cap.

State Sen. Rob Kane, the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee, said lawmakers need to structurally change the way budgets are set.

Connecticut Lawmakers Scramble After Budget Miscalculation

"I am afraid that the Democratic side, which runs the majority of the House and the Senate, will put money back in and raise taxes yet again," Kane, R-Watertown, told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau. "And this administration is going to say, 'Well, it wasn't me; it was the Legislature.'"

Barnes blamed the error on data pulled from an outside vendor. He noted the second year of the budget comes in $80 million below the spending limit, instead of $135.8 million.

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said Republicans knew immediately Malloy's budget exceeded the cap. The GOP contends it actually exceeds the cap by $101 million because of the fiscal methods used by Malloy.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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