January 2010

Text messaging while driving may soon be illegal if Gov. M. Jodi Rell has her way. Rell said Saturday she plans to submit legislation that will expand current law that forbids drivers from talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device to include prohibiting sending text messages as well. “Over and over again we […]

Lobbyists and legislators debate if a ban on campaign contributions has lessened the influence of lobbyists at the Capitol. One thing is undisputed: It hasn’t hurt their bottom line. The top-ten lobbying firms grossed $17.5 million in 2008, up $3.7 million since the ban passed in 2005. Gaffney Bennett & Associates, the perennial top earner, […]

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, said Thursday night he would vote for the Senate health reform bill, even though it lacks key provisions sought by him and other members of the House Democratic majority. “I am willing to vote for the Senate bill, even though I’ve got real problems with it, if the alternative […]

Just as business leader Oz Griebel launched his campaign for governor Thursday, the man he is chasing for the Republican nomination hit the accelerator, an effort to get some distance on a growing field of candidates. Tom Foley, a former ambassador and an independently wealthy businessman, unveiled two biographical commercials that will air throughout February, […]

State employee union officials said Thursday they have agreed to a plan by Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration to delay $100 million in contributions to their pension fund–a move that shrinks the budget deficit projected for this year, but adds to the state’s $15.8 billion in long-term, unfunded pension obligations. “It’s better than cutting spending,” […]

Funding for a high-speed train project in Connecticut received a $40 million boost today from the federal government. “This is great news for one of the most important and ambitious public transportation projects we have undertaken in years,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. The money will be used to help build a second track through […]

Connecticut has received a commitment of $40 million in federal stimulus funding to add double tracking to part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line – the first step toward providing high-speed commuter rail service in the corridor. The award, to be annonced in Philadelphia today, is part of $8 billion in federal funds designatd for […]

Oz Griebel launched his campaign for governor today, but the buzz belonged to former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. After a charity roast Wednesday night in Greenwich, Shays  sounded like he was ready to become a candidate: “I feel that I have a voice that can make a contribution, win or lose,” Shays told the Greenwich Time. […]

State of the Union edition. Two essentials: A transcript, from the New York Times, and a link from CBS to what probably will be the longest-remembered moment of the night, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s judicially-tempered reprise of “You lie!” Healthcare: Sam Stein at The Huffington Post notes that much of Obama’s address was aimed […]

Want to handicap the odds of saving the state’s voluntary system of publicly financing campaigns? The Senate majority leader is optimistic about the legislature revising the law, which was found unconstitutional last summer. The Senate minority leader is betting against it. “I think we are coming close to the point where it is too late,” […]

Tom Foley knows how to cut at least $150,000 in state spending: He pledges to forgo a salary if elected governor. Foley, an independently wealthy businessman who is the early frontrunner for the Republican nomination, makes the pledge in “A Plan Forward for Connecticut” posted Wednesday night on his campaign web site. As for as […]

Connecticut’s restrictions on charter schools could jeopardize its chances of winning millions in federal stimulus money, an outspoken school reform advocate told state officials Wednesday. Unless the state removes barriers to the growth of charters, “we are not going to be competitive” in the federal school reform competition known as Race to the Top, Alex […]

Young workers are leaving Connecticut at alarming rates, in part because of the lack of affordable housing. But House Majority Leader Denise W. Merrill and the chairman of the state’s Planning and Development Committee Brendan J. Sharkey said Wednesday the state can and should do only so much to address the problem. “There’s no money. […]

Common Cause today bolstered its efforts to save the public financing of campaigns in Connecticut with a poll showing support for the reforms passed in 2005 after the resignation of Gov. John G. Rowland. The group is trying to nudge legislators to cure legal defects in the law that could kill the Citizens Election Program […]

Connecticut needs a half-billion-dollar answer to its fiscal woes – and state Comptroller Nancy S. Wyman (left) told a crowded room on Tuesday there are only so many options. “People really don’t want to hear it, but the fact is we’re going to have to cut spending. We’re maybe going to do some more borrowing […]