Connecticut has also faced a series of multibillion-dollar budget deficits, including a projected $1.5 billion shortfall in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed an expansion of the sales tax, new so-called sin taxes and state employee givebacks as part of his plan to close the gap. The state is also struggling to make up for decades where past governors and legislators did not properly fund state employee pensions.