Between an expiring hospital tax, a high-stakes dispute over Medicaid rates, and ongoing union negotiations, there are unknowns worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Keith M. Phaneuf
Keith has spent most of his four decades 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 inMoney
Builders, trades, launch new ad to push for tolls on CT highways
A new television and online advertising campaign is making a pitch for electronic tolling to refinance a critical rebuild of Connecticut’s highways, bridges and rail lines.
Posted inMoney
Is CT stepping off its fiscal rollercoaster? Income tax receipts appear stable.
Tax receipts tied to capital gains and dividends are running $84 million below projections, while those from paycheck withholdings are about $100 million ahead.
Posted inMoney
Tolls vs. ‘Prioritize Progress’: competing plans or a natural pairing?
One plan for funding Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure relies on tolls. The other doesn’t. But which is best?
Posted inHealth
Lawmakers: $53 million price tag on health coverage for undocumented children too high
Despite early enthusiasm, lawmakers now say a bill extending state-sponsored health coverage to about 18,000 undocumented children is unlikely to succeed this year.
Posted inPolitics
Mueller report says Trump team did not collude, but was eager for Kremlin’s help
The report details the role of former campaign manager and Connecticut native Paul Manafort and others in encouraging Russian help.
Posted inMoney
1,300 jobs lost March; unemployment rose to 3.9 percent
Connecticut lost 1,300 jobs in March as its unemployment rate rose from 3.8 percent to 3.9 percent, the state reported Thursday.
Posted inMoney
Legislators break with Lamont, pitch tax hike on wealthiest
A new proposal by Democratic lawmakers to hike taxes on the capital gains of Connecticut’s wealthiest sets up a showdown with Gov. Ned Lamont.
Posted inHealth
State reviewing nursing home strike contingency plans
State health officials have begun preparations in advance of threatened strikes planned for May 1 at 20 Connecticut nursing homes.
Posted inMoney
Who pays the next CT tax hike? Democrats must answer question soon.
None of the options are good for Democrats, who must decide whether to spread additional tax pain to low and middle-income residents or ask the state’s wealthiest to pay more.
Posted inHealth, Money
Nursing home workers set May 1 strike deadline
Workers at state nursing homes want the legislature to budget an estimated $40 million for raises.
Posted inNews
Union threatens strikes at 20 Connecticut nursing homes
The state’s largest healthcare workers’ union warned Friday that as many as 2,500 employees at 20 nursing homes could be on the brink of a strike by the end of next week.
Posted inPolitics
Lamont, GOP make clear — tolls are a fault line
Two things became clear Wednesday: Gov. Ned Lamont cannot yet answer some crucial questions about tolls, and there are no answers that could entice GOP support.
Posted inMoney
Cities and towns could face $24M hit from minimum wage hike
State analysts also warned that the wage hike could add nearly $7 million in expenses to child care providers who participate in the state’s Care4Kids program.
Posted inMoney
Governor: One key labor concession won’t be achieved this year
Gov. Ned Lamont conceded Tuesday that he won’t win new limits on cost-of-living adjustments to state employee pensions in time to build savings into the next state budget.