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.
Hospitals sign off on tax to leverage federal funds
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.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
It is time for lawmakers to get to work and fund Connecticut’s schools
As our students return to school, they know they’re beginning a year of new challenges, new ideas, and new people. Behind the scenes, however, things look a little different. Because state legislators still haven’t fixed Connecticut’s broken public school funding system, the staff at Park City Prep is going into the new school year prepared to scrape by with insufficient resources.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
‘We as legislators are failing our constituents’
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to discuss the status of our state and the current budget crisis with many leaders and officials in our local community. It pains me to hear the drastic impact Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed cuts would make to some of the most fundamental aspects of our towns, particularly in the schools. Unfortunately, without a budget, the governor has the authority to continue making these unacceptable and arbitrary cuts. This is exactly why I have been demanding that the Speaker of the House call us into session for a budget vote.
Posted inEconomic Development, Money
For CT, strides and stumbles in quest to spur bioscience industry
Connecticut is losing more bioscience jobs than it is gaining, despite a sizable jump in research and development jobs over the last three years. Alexion’s departure is the latest in a line that has undercut bioscience growth. Nonetheless, many say New Haven is nearing a “critical mass” after years of effort by Yale and a new cluster is emerging in Farmington after more than $1 billion in state investment.
Posted inPolitics
Senate heads toward political fight over new base closing round
WASHINGTON — The Senate is readying for a showdown over whether the nation needs another round of base closings – a move that could once again put Naval Submarine Base New London on the defensive.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Alexion reminds Malloy of the risks and rewards of corporate aid
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy picked the gleaming new New Haven offices and labs of Alexion Pharmaceuticals a year ago to highlight the returns Connecticut was getting on its economic development investments. On Tuesday, Malloy stood outside his office to answer questions about Alexion’s plans to slash jobs, close a Rhode Island production facility and relocate its headquarters to Massachusetts, while keeping a “Research Center of Excellence” in New Haven.