Lamont presents optimistic view of Connecticut in State of the State address

In a speech interrupted by protest, Gov. Ned Lamont presented a State of the State Address that underscored tax breaks and attractive budget initiatives while downplaying crises unfolding in the state.

After feeling “footloose” and free in his 2023 address, Lamont’s remarks for the 2024 session cast a rosy glow on a state constrained by challenge.

In a meandering 30-minute speech, Lamont emphasized wins secured in 2023, including a tax cut for the middle class, millions of dollars earmarked for mental health, workforce incentives, health care, debt relief, technological advancements in quantum and biopower, and population growth.

Citing the “state’s largest ever commitment to child care, K-12 education, our universities, workforce training, and not-for-profits,” Lamont largely glossed over several problems plaguing the state, including a historic rise in homelessness, a crisis in early child care, continuing teacher shortages, strains on the nonprofit system and deficits in higher education budgets.

The issues Lamont did acknowledge? Affordable housing, extreme behavior, climate change and social media.

“We have too many people who cannot find a place to live — it is not available, or it is not affordable,” Lamont said.

Lamont highlighted new housing development in Connecticut’s urban centers and the commuter rail investments “turbocharging this renaissance.”

The governor said he wants to expand the reconfiguration of empty parking lots, office buildings, and brownfields into new, affordable communities. Lamont said he wants to take that approach to the suburbs.

“We are taking this model across the state, and we will be looking for input from towns and cities — where do you want the housing to be, what is the density, and how far are you from public transportation and our schools? The state will be your partner in completing the financing ASAP to get that shovel in the ground.”

He added that the state must balance the growth with green space preservation and other considerations.

“We are one of the densest states in the country — more people per square mile — so we have to manage our growth carefully. What do we want Connecticut to look like in 2035?”

Six minutes into the address, pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the proceedings shouting “Cease-fire now” as they attempted to unfurl banners from the gallery.

The disruption lasted less than a minute as Capitol Police quickly escorted the demonstrators out.

Returning to the podium, the governor noted that he had been to “a few antiwar demonstrations, as well” back in his day.

“Whatever the justice of the cause, I think you do a disservice when you’re rude and disrespectful in a room like this. Disrespecting the people in this room, disrespecting the audience,” Lamont said.

His response received a round of applause and standing ovation from lawmakers.

“All right, back to our regularly scheduled programming,” Lamont quipped as he carried on with his remarks.

After discussing continued clean energy initiatives to combat climate change and extreme weather, Lamont turned his attention to “extreme behavior,” which he said “reflects something … profound.”

“Our culture is unleashing more extreme behavior, be it expressions of racism and hate speech, increased domestic abuse and fentanyl overdoses, with a sad surge in mental health calls starting younger and younger,” Lamont said.

When it comes to youth, Lamont said later in his speech that “severe anxiety and aberrant behavior can be traced back to social media.”

“Social media is often anti-social, and too much smartphone makes you stupid,” Lamont said.

To address the problem, Lamont said he hopes to take “little bit from China and a little bit from Beyoncé.”

In China, Lamont said children are barred from using TikTok for more than one hour each day. At Beyoncé concerts, attendees must place their phone in a “Yondr Pouch” — a smartphone sleeve that magnetically locks and unlocks devices to inhibit use.

“We will be sending out guidance to your school board — have your younger students leave their smartphones at home or drop them in a Yondr pouch at the start of every school day,” Lamont said.

Toward the end of his speech, Lamont addressed Connecticut’s fiscal health.

“Like too many of our citizens, Connecticut in years past was living paycheck to paycheck with too much debt and no room for error,” Lamont said. “Today, in addition to making our regular payments to the pension fund we have paid down an extra $8 billion, saving taxpayers about $800 million every year for the next 25 years that can be dedicated to critical services.”

The spending caps and guardrails that ushered Connecticut out of debt and into an era of record surplus have been faced with criticism lately from lawmakers who argue that as residents struggle, the state should do more with its reserves.

“Paying down our debts and a robust rainy day fund doesn’t short change our programs, it has resulted in six years of consistent increases in our key social programs, rather than the herky-jerky boom and bust cycles of yesteryear,” Lamont said.

But not everyone in the legislature agrees.

“I’ve been here during some really challenging and promising economic cycles. I’ve been here for $4 billion deficits, never fun. I’ve been here for $4 billion surpluses. That should be fun, but it doesn’t quite feel that way right now,” said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, reflecting on his 16 sessions in the legislature in a speech before Lamont’s address.

“We are paying down debt. Wall Street has responded positively. The business community has responded positively. Those are all good things, but what about the stability of many other critical institutions in our state? Our system of higher education is not stable. Our nonprofit providers are not stable. Our homelessness response system is not stable. Our state agencies are understaffed. We’ve done our best to provide as many resources as we can to them, but we have to do more,” Rojas said.

In reference to Lamont’s proposed budget adjustments, Rojas said the legislature will have “some tough decisions to make.”

“We’ll have to strike a careful balance between his priorities and ours, recognizing that we share many similar priorities between the executive branch and the legislative branch,” Rojas said. “We clearly have the work to do. Are we up to that challenge? I believe we are.”

PHOTOS: CT State of the State Address