Republican state legislative leaders charged Tuesday that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s first budget proposal, which technically boosts spending 2.4 percent each of the next two fiscal years, isn’t frugal enough and piles $85 million in new municipal taxes on top of an already too-high $1.5 billion state tax package. But the administration fired back that […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy intends to propose one of the largest tax increases in state history Wednesday, seeking $1.5 billion in new annual revenue from income tax hikes on the wealthy and middle classes, and new sales taxes on clothing and other long-exempt products and services. In a plan outlined Monday to The Mirror by […]

Looking for a high-paying secretarial job? Your best bet would be state government. How about a university teaching post? Try the private sector. A new report from state legislative researchers shows government salaries tend to outstrip the private sector when less training or education is required, and swings the other way for highly specialized posts. […]

While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy insists that any income tax increase used to close the budget deficit can’t sacrifice Connecticut’s competitive advantage over its neighbors, a progressive coalition asserted Thursday that the state must forfeit some of that edge to spare vital programs from “devastating” cuts. The centerpiece of the Better Choices for Connecticut coalition’s […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tried Wednesday to erase any doubt he may have created about sparing municipal education grants from the budget axe when he met with the mayors of Connecticut’s three largest cities–but he declined to talk about other local aid programs. Accompanied by Pedro Segarra of Hartford, Bill Finch of Bridgeport and John […]

Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to merge state government’s environmental protection and utility regulation departments was met largely with initial optimism, House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero raised a potential red flag Wednesday afternoon. The Norwalk Republican specifically said he fears that merging the Department of Public Utility Control — which is overseen by […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy disclosed plans late Tuesday to create a new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, a move expected to enhance energy planning efforts while reducing spending across three existing agencies. The proposed merger, to be included in the budget Malloy will propose next week to cover the next two fiscal years, also […]

Greenwich Republican Tom Foley used his new public policy forum Tuesday to decry a state income tax increase one week before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy — who defeated Foley last November — is expected to propose a plan to close the largest deficit in state history. In a paper titled “Don’t Kill the Golden Goose,” […]

One of state government’s most controversial taxes, a levy on large estates, has been the centerpiece of a decade-long, see-saw battle that last swung in favor of high-earners just one year ago. But several forces, both political and fiscal, could tip the scales back in the other direction this legislative session. And while the income […]

Connecticut not only faces one of the largest funding shortfalls in its retirement benefit programs of any state in the nation, but has been one of the slowest to respond over the last two-and-a-half years, according to a new study from a nonprofit economic development group. The Connecticut Regional Institute for the 21st Century, a […]

It will barely dent the largest budget deficit in Connecticut history, but state Comptroller Kevin Lembo today said the state can save between $66 million and $80 million next year simply by better coordinating how government purchases prescription medication. Lembo, who took office in January, will ask the General Assembly to place authority for the […]

The state’s largest nursing home association says it has a plan to boost funding for the struggling industry by 4 percent at just the right price for the state–nothing. The East Hartford-based Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, which represents about 60 percent of the state’s nearly 230 licensed homes, recently told Gov. Dannel P. […]

One of the leading Wall Street credit rating agencies recently increased its focus the fiscal health of state pension systems when rating overall creditworthiness–at the worst possible time for Connecticut. Moody’s Investors Service stopped short of saying when–or if–this might lead to a drop in credit ratings for particular states. But it defended the focus […]

For nearly two decades, state-mandated wage levels for public construction projects have been a topic of heated debate between municipalities and labor unions. Now, with Connecticut facing a record-setting budget deficit and 9 percent unemployment, both sides are hopeful that economic factors will push the debate in their favor. Town leaders say the current system […]

State agencies dismissed three more holdovers this week from former Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration. But unlike some earlier dismissals, this week’s firings did not question the applicants’ credentials, but rather cited ongoing efforts to eliminate positions. Nora Duncan, 37, of Manchester, was let go as legislative program manager for the Department of Public Works. […]