HARTFORD, Conn. -- On Wednesday, Gov. Jodi Rell announced that she set a date of Dec. 15 to call the state legislature into special session to consider her mitigation plan to close the projected $466.5 million budget shortfall.

Also, Rell is asking lawmakers to amend the landmark campaign finance law to comply with a federal court's ruling.

Rell said, "Failure to swiftly address this budget shortfall will only lead us into a deeper hole -- one that we cannot afford to close by borrowing more or raising taxes again. These are painful cuts, to be sure, but the Legislature must make them now to ensure that Connecticut returns to solid financial footing."

Rell issued her call for a special session after she presented the deficit mitigation plan.

The plan includes almost $70 million in recessions and other program reductions that can be made under Rell's authority. She is also calling for $116.3 million in cuts that need to be approved by the legislature.

The plan doesn't leave Connecticut's cities and town unscathed either. She is calling for a 3 percent reduction in municipal aid which Rell calls, "the most difficult cut of all."

Rell said, "We have to change the way we do business right now. In good times, municipalities shared in the state’s largesse. In this economy, they must be part of the solution and so it is important they are represented at the table to help us make these difficult choices."