March 2, 2011 @ 12:00 am

(Luis Caban is president of the board of the Connecticut Association for Human Services and executive director of SINA, Inc.) Gov. Dannel Malloy’s call for a State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-wage workers would help struggling families make ends meet and pump much-needed funds into Connecticut’s economy. The EITC is considered to be […]

The Malloy Administration wants to turn the first four of 17 state-run vocational-technical schools over to local control in the next school year–a move that has members of the State Board of Education concerned. “That’s insane,” board Chairman Allan B. Taylor said Wednesday, reacting to the timeline. Benjamin Barnes, budget chief for Gov. Dannel P. […]

Connecticut’s automotive retailers are hoping they can convince Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to drop two controversial tax proposals by translating them into a term he has used repeatedly since taking office: jobs. The retailers contend Malloy’s plans to impose the sales tax on automobile trade-ins, and to charge a luxury tax on vehicles worth more […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday nominated Superior Court Judge Carmen Espinosa, a former FBI agent and the state’s first Hispanic judge, to the state Appellate Court. Espinosa, 62, of Southington, who was appointed to the bench in 1992 by Lowell P. Weicker Jr., would be the first Hispanic member of the Appellate Court. She […]

Hollywood came recruiting right away. So did Washington law firms. The Obama administration put out feelers about possible assignments, though none engaged Chris Dodd’s interest after 36 years in Congress. The law firms, he ruled out immediately. Dodd said the offers were generous, but he had no desire to be a “show pony,” an eminence […]

Following his signature Race to the Top education reform program, President Barack Obama wants to apply its underlying principal–state competition for federal funding–to a variety of other areas, John Gramlich reports at Stateline.org. Obama’s proposed budget would have states compete for grants in areas from transportation to juvenile justice, Gramlich says. But his plans face […]

Americans are divided on the level of pay for government workers, but a solid majority thinks they should pay more for their benefits, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. The national poll comes as public employee unions in many states, including Connecticut, are under pressure for concessions to help ease budget problems. The telephone […]

The governor’s budget includes a cut in the dental services adults with Medicaid could receive. But to the Connecticut State Dental Association, which fought against proposals in recent years that would have eliminated the services entirely, it’s still a victory of sorts. “Given the budget circumstances and the financial times that we find ourselves in, […]

Half the state’s constitutional officers endorsed Chris Murphy for U.S. Senate today, an early commitment intended to start a bandwagon rolling for the in the 2012 race. Attorney General George Jepsen, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Comptroller Kevin Lembo issued statements of support for Murphy, the 5th District congressman, that are remarkable for […]