Committee advances Democratic budget focused on equity SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press FacebookTwitterEmail The Connecticut General Assembly's budget-writing committee approved, along party lines, a proposed two-year $46 billion state spending plan crafted by the majority Democrats who say that it attempts to address many equity issues that came to light during the pandemic and the nation's reckoning on race. The committee's budget bill is essentially a response to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's proposed budget unveiled in February, which also spends roughly $46 billion over two years. However, it includes more money than Lamont's budget for financially struggling nonprofit agencies that provide social services, as well as to local health and school districts, workforce development programs, higher education and other initiatives.