The Office of State Ethics is trying once again to tighten the ethics code. But just a little.
February 2020
Republicans walk out of House coronavirus briefing, protesting DeLauro remarks
Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized the Trump administration’s coronavirus funding proposal and what she said was ‘the lack of transparency and unwillingness to allow public health experts to speak freely about what is happening.’
Dems seek to question Durham about his investigation of Russia probe
The request that Durham and other officials come in for interviews opens a new line of investigation by House Democrats into the conduct of the Trump administration.
Gun owners protest ammunition tax proposal
A proposal to make gun owners pay a 35% tax on ammunition drew a large crowd of opponents who said the bill violates their Second Amendment rights and unfairly targets their hobbies and lifestyles.
CT’s use of solitary confinement could amount to torture, UN says
The United Nations noted that Connecticut’s use of solitary confinement is especially extreme and prevalent.
Town aid stranded by tolls debate isn’t out of political limbo yet
Connecticut’s tolls debate is over, yet millions of dollars in town aid remains in political limbo.
Democrats: GOP has a healthy appetite for borrowing too
Republican leaders may be on the governor’s “debt diet,” but rank-and-file GOP lawmakers are bypassing the proverbial salad bar.
Connecticut: A place where everyone — of any race — should thrive
Last fall, there were several pieces published in the Hartford Courant and CTMirror related to the many strengths and challenges Connecticut has faced over time and what is driving our population to stay here or leave. However, absent from these fight-or-flight debates was a discussion of how race influences the phenomenon.
Connecticut’s failure to adopt tolls is an economic setback
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey might have folded a few years ago, but don’t worry Connecticut, there’s a new circus in town. It’s called CT2030. With all of the changes the transportation plan has undergone since Gov. Ned Lamont first unveiled it last November, the only reasonable take away is that the “2030” part of it meant 2,030 different versions.
Connecticut’s new teacher-preparation program earns good grades
The editorial written by Aram Ayalon about edTPA complained, without justification or facts, that edTPA is overly rigorous, demands too much of pre-service teachers, is managed by unqualified overseers employed by a greedy, for-profit entity and makes it more difficult to attract new teachers of color. These accusations could not be more wrong.
Blumenthal, Murphy pin hopes on gun control ‘movement’ as gun bills stall in Congress
‘If Republicans aren’t interested in saving public lives they should be interested in saving their own political lives,” Murphy said.
Mounds succeeds Drajewicz as Lamont’s chief of staff
Ryan Drajewicz is leaving the State Capitol after 13 months as Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief of staff. His successor is Paul Mounds, the former Malloy aide he recruited to the administration. Josh Geballe was named chief operating officer.
As the coronavirus spreads, Americans lose ground against other health threats
As the world struggles to control the coronavirus, U.S. officials are refighting public health battles they thought they had won.
State regulators threaten fines for electric utilities over ‘shared solar’ rollout
Regulators say the state’s two biggest electric utilities are dragging their feet on developing rules for the shared solar program.
Why I oppose HB-5044 (An Act Concerning Immunizations)
H.B. No. 5044 (Raised) An Act Concerning Immunizations (the “bill”) proposes to eliminate the religious exemption to vaccination. This proposal has become a perennial favorite, notwithstanding that it perennially fails to gain traction. I strongly encourage legislators to allow it to fail again this term.