If you’ve been following our updates this summer, you know that Connecticut’s revenue picture has been shifting almost by the week, to the tune of hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars. Now, the Lamont Administration has announced the biggest forecast bump of the calendar year—another major wave of unbudgeted money showing up after the budget was finalized.

This newest projection brings the total to nearly $1.5 billion in unexpected revenue this year alone. Add in the billions already locked away by Connecticut’s restrictive “fiscal guardrails,” and we’re staring at more than $2.5 billion dollars sitting on the sidelines. And this is all before we address our upside down tax structure that is allowing the ultrawealthy to hoards billions of dollars at the top. 

Another important piece of the puzzle is the $600 million that must be allocated by November 1st. This funding exists because lawmakers and the Governor agreed to a volatility adjustment during the last session. If the legislature fails to act in a special session before that deadline, the money won’t reach the communities that need it—it will be automatically diverted to paying down legacy pension debt, exactly where it was headed before the adjustment was passed.

For CSEA members, the stakes couldn’t be clearer. We live with the consequences of understaffed agencies, underfunded schools, and unmet community needs every day. We’re told “there’s no money” for fair contracts, competitive wages, or stronger public services, even as hundreds of millions sit idle. We cannot allow November 1st to come and go without directing this $600 million toward the priorities it was meant to address.

Think about what these “extra” funds could mean:

• Affordable healthcare for childcare providers.

• Living wages and retirement security for paraeducators.

• Fair contracts that help state employees keep up with the cost of living.

• Stable funding for our public colleges so students aren’t paying more for less.

• A stronger Medicaid system that supports both patients and caregivers.

Instead, Connecticut continues to operate under outdated caps and self-imposed restrictions that prioritize saving and debt payments over investment in people. The result? Wealthy corporations and billionaires remain protected, while public workers and working families are told to make do with less.

Here’s the truth: Connecticut doesn’t have a revenue problem—it has a priorities problem. And the longer we accept “business as usual,” the more we allow those priorities to be set in a way that hurts our members and the communities we serve.

As taxpayers and public servants, CSEA members have every right to demand a budget that reflects reality—not one that hides behind guardrails while the needs of our state go unmet. The resources are here. What’s missing is the political will to use them.