The General Assembly OK’d a $7.5 billion two-year bond deal that invests in transportation, housing, higher education and school construction.
Keith M. Phaneuf
Keith has spent most of his 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.
Posted inCities & Towns
How did your town fare in the 2023-2025 CT budget?
State aid to CT’s cities and towns is expected to increase to many towns in the coming fiscal years. Here’s how much.
Posted inMoney
Senate gives overwhelming bipartisan approval to new CT budget
A new CT budget cuts income tax rates and invests in local schools but leaves questions around higher education and social services.
Posted inMoney
CT House adopts $51B budget with big middle-class tax cut
The CT budget proposal features an income tax cut and boosts funding to local schools. The Senate is expected to debate the bill on Tuesday.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
CT never spent $30 million it reserved to help the poor stay warm this winter
Money lawmakers set aside for the CT Energy Assistance Program remains unspent, even though requests for help were up 24% this winter.
Posted inMoney
GOP objects as Lamont tries to resurrect waste disposal fee
Negotiations on the state budget have been complicated by a late move by Gov. Lamont to include new municipal waste fees in the budget.
Posted inMoney
Protesters arrested as Lamont, lawmakers strike CT budget deal
With a budget centered on middle-class tax relief largely finalized Thursday, protesters were still demanding more spending on wages.
Posted inMoney
CT budget vote likely to run into final week of legislative session
Lawmakers are unlikely to vote on CT budget before next week, but leaders remain optimistic a bipartisan deal will be enacted by June 7.
Posted inMoney
A CT budget crisis is ‘on the horizon,’ legislators warn
With just over a week to go before CT’s legislative session ends, some say the state’s spending cap is setting up the next budget to fail.
Posted inMoney
CT union calls group home strike while pay demands look unlikely
SEIU 1199 went on strike at CT group homes hours before politicians urged the industry to brace for a funding hike short of its demands.
Posted inMoney
CT must reform its pension investments now, Republicans say
A recent analysis from Yale concluded that poor pension fund investments have cost CT tens of billions of dollars over the past decade.
Posted inMoney
CT budget deal approaches, but the bottom line is blurry
House speaker Matt Ritter said a $300 million buffer could bolster underfunded programs. Gov. Ned Lamont and Republicans don’t agree.
Posted inMoney
Union to strike at group homes serving 1,500 disabled clients
More than 1,700 members of SEIU 1199NE seeking a ‘pathway to $25/hour’ are set to strike May 24 against six agencies that run group homes.
Posted inMoney
‘Baby Bonds’ for youths in poverty salvaged after compromise
CT’s Baby Bonds program could launch in July after Treasurer Erick Russell and Gov. Ned Lamont reached deal to avoid millions in interest.
Posted inMoney
Next CT budget will hinge on Lamont’s ability to find big savings
A bipartisan deal on a CT budget, including the first income tax rate cut in decades, could come by the end of the week, leaders said.