Three fiscally conservative Democrat Senators are behind the Senate's narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the wage and benefit package for 44-thousand-130 state workers.
The package, approved yesterday, is designed to shave one-point-five-billion-dollars from a deficit estimated to top five-billion-dollars over the next two years.
After a five-hour debate, it was still unclear what would happen, until Paul Doyle of Wethersfield, Joan Hartley of Waterbury and Gayle Slossberg of Milford said they would support it.
Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman broke the tie on the measure, as the state Constitution requires.
Lawmakers have expressed their hope that the passage of this measure will spur the passage of a state budget.