Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration approved the controversial financing method for a University of Connecticut Health Center project that auditors say cost the state $77 million in “unnecessary” interest.
July 2015
Posted inHealth
Depression screening urged for pregnant women, new moms
A new proposal by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all women who are pregnant or within a year of giving birth be screened for depression.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Crisis pregnancy centers should be accountable for lies, misinformation
Connecticut has long been a national leader in reproductive rights, yet as long as so-called crisis pregnancy centers are allowed to operate without oversight or regulation, dispensing lies and misinformation, they threaten all the progress we’ve made. The right to have an abortion means little when these centers are falsely telling women the procedure is dangerous or deadly. Now that we have clear evidence that these centers lie about medical information while posing as real providers, we have an obligation to hold them accountable for their actions. Connecticut women deserve medically accurate, unbiased healthcare, and they deserve better than CPCs.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
CT lawmakers push back on pharmaceutical issue in TPP
WASHINGTON – As negotiators for a massive Pacific Rim trade pact meet in Maui for a final round of talks, Connecticut lawmakers are pressing for changes they say will keep the price of key medicines affordable for patients who need them overseas and in the United States.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal, Murphy back short-term highway bill, reject longer one
WASHINGTON – Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy on Thursday both voted for short-term and against long-term legislation that would keep hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway money flowing to Connecticut.
Posted inEducation
Auditors find some DCF employees showing up late for work
A number of state employees at the Department of Children and Families routinely show up late for work and are still paid for a full day, state auditors reported Thursday.
Posted inPolitics
Former Sen. Eileen Daily, long a force in state finance, dies at 72
Former state Sen. Eileen Daily of Westbrook, who died early Thursday, was remembered as a devoted friend, a shrewd negotiator and a calming force who helped shepherd Connecticut through one of its worst fiscal crises.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Close the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Training Center
In a scathing 68-page report released July 22, the Office of the Child Advocate reported on its findings after an investigation of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School over the past 18 months. OCA conducted site visits and interviewed staff and residents; viewed videotapes; and analyzed facility reports, educational attendance data and treatment plans. The youth prison model embodied at CJTS can’t be fixed. CJTS should be closed and here’s why:
Posted inPolitics
Republicans in Congress target state, local immigration policies
WASHINGTON – Local and state immigration policies, including Connecticut’s, are under scrutiny by congressional Republicans as a reaction to the July 1 killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant with an extensive criminal record.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal, undecided on Iran pact, probes its consequences
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal questioned top Obama administration officials about the possible consequences of a nuclear weapons deal Wednesday, pressing the nation’s top general on the military impact of the deal.
Posted inEducation, Money
Auditors criticize UConn’s award of $93K in bonuses without criteria
The University of Connecticut doled out more than $93,000 in one-time performance bonuses to six employees to recognize their work implementing a new financial reporting system, the state auditors reported Wednesday.
Posted inEducation, Money
Auditors: UConn ‘burdened’ CT with $77M in ‘unnecessary interest costs’
The University of Connecticut burdened the state with an estimated $77 million in “unnecessary interest costs” when it secured financing 19 months ago for a new ambulatory services center in at the UConn Health Center in Farmington, the state auditors of public accounts reported Wednesday.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal campaign raises $3.3 million; Wolf rakes in $240K
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has raised more than $3.3 million this year for his re-election, while his Republican challenger, August Wolf, who has only been in the race since May, has pulled in nearly $240,000.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Legislators resist granting Malloy his transportation ‘lockbox’
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy watched his transportation initiative take another step forward Tuesday, it remained uncertain whether legislators are willing to insulate transportation funds from future budget cuts.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Call for DCF’s Katz to resign is about children, not politics
Recent reports concerning the Department of Children and Families, along with Commissioner Joette Katz’s long history of failure, misplaced priorities and lack of transparency and accountability, leave me with no confidence in her willingness or ability to openly and seriously confront critical issues within her agency. That’s why I felt compelled to call for her resignation.