Of all the last-minute pieces of legislation haggled over in secret, the move to legalize keno is among the most shortsighted. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, State Senate President Don Williams and Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey all agreed to tuck keno in the budget just before the legislative session ended in June to balance […]
September 19, 2013 @ 12:00 am
Keno — A shortsighted idea from smart people
Of all the last-minute pieces of legislation haggled over in secret, the move to legalize keno is among the most shortsighted. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, State Senate President Don Williams and Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey all agreed to tuck keno in the budget just before the legislative session ended in June to balance […]
House Republicans vote to cut food stamp program, but Senate likely to rebuff
Washington — The Republican-led House voted to slash the food stamp program by $40 billion over the next 10 years, but that’s not the end of the story. The Senate, which had proposed a modest reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the official name for food stamps, is expected to reject what the House […]
CT lost 6,000 jobs in August; July gains smaller than reported
The state Labor Department threw some cold water Thursday on Connecticut’s optimistic job outlook. The department not only reported a 6,000-job decline in August, but scaled back the 11,500-job gain it announced in July by more than 16 percent. Despite the job losses, Connecticut’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in August at 8.1 percent. That’s because […]
Jepsen takes aim at health care ‘facility fees’
Hospitals are increasingly acquiring medical practices, and for many patients, that’s meant new, often unanticipated charges known as facility fees. The practice has drawn scrutiny from the state healthcare advocate, and on Thursday, Attorney General George Jepsen announced that he would take aim at the fees too. He plans to seek legislation requiring medical offices […]
Obamacare insurance: What the standard gold, silver and bronze plans look like
Here’s a look at the deductibles, copays and coinsurance requirements for the standard plans that will be offered through Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange.
Nassi, top aide to Donovan, gets 28 months
New Haven – Joshua Nassi, once the top legislative and campaign aide to House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, was sentenced Thursday to 28 months in prison for conspiring to block tobacco tax legislation in return for $27,500 in contributions to his boss’s doomed congressional campaign. Nassi, 35, a lawyer who worked as a community activist […]
CT’s multi-pronged approach to reducing recidivism is working
New Haven – After spending years chipping away at it, Connecticut has reduced its recidivism rate to 41 percent, down from 47 percent in 2007. “Six points is a significant drop and makes all the difference to their families,” said William Carbone, executive director of the Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division. The success gave […]
Obamacare is moving ahead in CT, but faces tougher time in other states
Washington — As the clock ticks toward implementation of the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act, its congressional opponents are making a last stand to derail the law. Other problems loom as well, even in states like Connecticut, that are eager to implement the law.