Personal income in Connecticut rose by an estimated 1.5 percent in 2017, the slowest growth of any state in the northeastern United States, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday.
March 2018
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Merrill: The privacy of Connecticut’s voters must be protected
It should come as no surprise that my office is frequently asked to protect voters’ personal information. Voters are aghast when they learn that Connecticut’s voter file contains full address and full dates of birth. They are uniformly against my office sharing this much personal information, but, unlike the DMV, we are required to do so by law. There are plenty of causes for concern: Russian hackers, the growing influence of Big Data, concerns about identity theft, the end of dangerous and abusive relationships, and more…. This is why I am proposing An Act Protecting The Privacy Of Connecticut Voters, which will protect the personal information of Connecticut voters.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Pregnancy resource centers should stop lying to women!
You have a quarter mile left to go and just two minutes until your appointment. You’re in a rush because you had to leave work early and you’re a little nervous. Unsure of where the office is located you’re relieved to see the number so you pull in, park, and start walking quickly toward the medical building. That’s when you notice them, a group of people holding signs seemingly standing in the way of the entrance.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The extraordinary life of Les Payne
It would be difficult to conjure a more arresting rebuke to the current rash of racists and white nationalists —and their enablers in high places— than to remember the life of Les Payne, 76, who died on March 19. Payne, who attended Hartford High School and the University of Connecticut and served his country in Vietnam, rose from challenging circumstances to become a journalist of the highest rank: an investigative reporter, editor and columnist who won one Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for another.
Posted inMoney
Time is running out for lawmakers to close CT budget deficit
With 10 days left before Connecticut enters the final quarter of the fiscal year, the legislature still has not addressed a significant deficit that leaders pledged to tackle four months ago.
Posted inPolitics
Trump administration: No comment on Lumaj as ambassador
The Trump administration declined Wednesday to confirm or deny Republican gubernatorial candidate Peter Lumaj’s account that he rejected an offer after the 2016 election to return to his native Albania as the ambassador from the United States. Lumaj only entertained questions about the offer if they were submitted in writing.
Posted inHealth, News, Politics
Massive spending plan boosts defense, includes Murphy’s gun bill
Updated at 10:48 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Congress late Wednesday reached final agreement on a massive spending bill that will boost spending on both defense and domestic programs and also make a number of policy changes, including some to federal gun laws. But the nation’s “Dreamers” are among the losers.
Posted inHealth
Bills to mandate health coverage die in committee but some support remains
The two bills that would establish an individual mandate in Connecticut failed to make it out of committee, but Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney said Wednesday he would consider reviving the proposal by offering an amendment to other legislation.
Posted inMoney
General Assembly approves raises for home-care workers
The General Assembly voted Wednesday to approve a contract that will raise wages, provide workers’ compensation and increase holiday pay for thousands of private-sector, personal-care assistants who are directly employed by their elderly and disabled clients, but paid through state and federal programs.
Posted inEducation
Towns told to make up for state education cuts
Shortly after the governor imposed $58 million in midyear cuts to state education aid for 130 communities last November, the state informed superintendents their districts would lose even more state funding if they coped by cutting their own budgets by more than the administration has determined the law allows.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Helping people with disabilities live independently saves state dollars
Eugene is 64 years old with a long history of coronary heart disease. He has a tracheotomy to help breathe and spent more than a dozen years in nursing facilities. But after two failed attempts to move out of the facility and into the community, he finally has an apartment of his own and he’s going back to school. His story is marked by both tragedy and successes. But Eugene’s story is also proof that where there is a will to persevere and support to help make it happen, people with disabilities and complex needs can thrive in the community, improve their quality of life and save the state millions in far more expensive care.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Pregnant women deserve accurate information, trustworthy medical care
In recent years, the anti-abortion movement has passed more than 400 state laws that shame, pressure, and punish women who have decided to have an abortion – despite the fact that three-quarters of voters support access to abortion. But the anti-abortion movement has also pursued a lower-profile, more insidious strategy of setting up shop in our neighborhoods, opening nearly 2,500 “fake clinics” that pose as women’s medical facilities, but instead of providing legitimate medical services, use lies, pressure, and deceit to prevent women from getting an abortion.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
HB 5416: Protecting pregnant women or infringing on free speech?
Connecticut House Bill No. 5416 proposes to prohibit deceptive advertising practices of “limited services pregnancy centers” which it defines as pregnancy services centers that “do not provide referrals to clients for abortions or emergency contraception.” The bill has generated both strong support and opposition from the medical and religious communities. Below are excerpts from a sampling of public testimony from people and organizations that oppose or support the legislation.
Posted inJustice
Malloy pushes one more time to expand juvenile court jurisdiction
“We know that if we can avoid exposing young adults who have committed less serious crimes to the adult criminal justice system, the less likely they are to reoffend or ultimately become incarcerated,” Malloy said.
Posted inEducation
CT schools chief takes aim at Trump safety proposals
WASHINGTON — Connecticut Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell on Tuesday helped congressional Democrats push back against President Donald Trump’s school safety initiatives, including proposals to arm teachers and review Obama-era policies that encouraged educators to consider alternatives to detention and expulsion.