On the second try to pass a compromise budget, the House Democratic leadership was counting Friday on the evenly divided Senate, where three conservative Democrats have been in open revolt, to pass the bill first and increase pressure on recalcitrant House members to fall in line. But the trio remained uncommitted to the budget at 1 p.m., and the House lacked a firm majority.
Fate of budget uncertain as Senate agrees to attempt passage
Posted inNews
Compromise budget deal collapses as midnight approaches
A compromise to end Connecticut’s summer-long budget impasse dramatically unraveled Thursday night as House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, brusquely acknowledged to reporters he was postponing a vote after a day of cajoling reluctant Democrats. Early today, Senate and House Democrats said they would make another attempt this afternoon and evening.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Deal struck on stabilizing profits of Millstone nuclear station
The Connecticut General Assembly and the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have agreed in principle on bipartisan legislation authorizing state energy officials to take measures to stabilize the profitability of New England’s largest power plant, the Millstone nuclear station in Waterford.
Posted inNews
Unhappy with credit-freeze fees after Equifax breach? So is attorney general
Updated Sept. 15 at 3:15 p.m.
Consumers looking to protect themselves from identity theft following a massive data breach of credit report provider Equifax could face fees, thanks to a decade-old state law that has similar counterparts in many other states. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen thinks Equifax should be on the hook for those fees.
Posted inCities & Towns, Money
Census says CT still rich, but wage gap persists and population stagnant
WASHINGTON – Connecticut continues to be one of the highest-income states in the nation, but its population is stagnant and may even be on the downturn, and there’s a huge gap between the incomes of white state residents and minorities.
Posted inNews
Hospitals sign off on tax to leverage federal funds
The Connecticut Hospital Association, which was sharply critical of the governor’s proposal to boost taxes on the industry Monday, negotiated legal “assurances” with the governor and top lawmakers that the levy would impose no fiscal burden on hospitals.
Posted inNews
CT jobless rate drops to 4.8%, but workforce actually shrunk
Connecticut’s jobless rate fell from 5 percent to 4.8 percent in August, more of a statistical fluke than cause for celebration as the number of unemployed and employed each fell, according to a report issued Thursday by the state Department of Labor.
Posted inMoney
Budget to be balanced by broad package of fees, taxes
The proposed solution to the Connecticut budget impasse would break new ground, raising revenue with taxes and fees on seasonal homes, cell phones and fantasy sports gambling as part of a broad package of increases expected to raise $1.53 billion across this fiscal year and next combined. The package was endorsed Thursday by a key committee, a prelude to action by the full General Assembly.
Posted inMoney
Democrats get creative in setting up budget choices
As Democratic legislative leaders scrambled Thursday morning to get a new state budget ready for a vote later in the day, they readied an unusual procedural maneuver to underline the stark choice of passing a compromise spending plan or ceding authority to the governor. The GOP called the move “absurd.”
Posted inMoney, Politics
Push for new CT budget deal going down to the wire
Democratic legislative leaders insisted late Wednesday afternoon — one day before legislators hope to vote on a new state budget — that they remained close to a deal with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy but continued to struggle over key policy questions.
Posted inEducation, Money
New CT budget could shift teacher pension costs onto future taxpayers
If legislators vote on a new state budget Thursday, it may include a complex proposal from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to restructure skyrocketing contributions to the teachers’ pension program — potentially inflating and then shifting billions of dollars in expenses onto a future generation.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Anthem, ConnectiCare say they will continue on Access Health CT
WASHINGTON – Anthem and ConnectiCare said on Wednesday they will continue to sell policies on the Access Health CT exchange next year, but charge a lot more for most policies.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Blumenthal, Murphy split over Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ plan
Blumenthal was one of nine Democrats with Sanders, I-Vt., when he introduced his “Medicare for All” bill at a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday. Murphy said he prefers a plan where Americans have a choice between private insurance and a government-run plan.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy, Democrats close on budget deal
Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy stood on the cusp of a deal Wednesday morning to end Connecticut’s 10-week budget impasse and avert huge cuts in municipal aid three weeks from now, sources said. But a few key issues remain unresolved. The House speaker’s optimism was evident in a Facebook post: A picture of white smoke swirling from a chimney that others called premature.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Goodwin College examines race relations in Connecticut since ‘Roots’
A conference this fall at Goodwin College in East Hartford will examine the 1977 TV miniseries “Roots,” its impact at the time of its original broadcast and the ways in which race relations have developed in the decades since.