Utilities want consumers to foot the bill for new pipelines through a surcharge on our bills – a pipeline tax. The scheme was rejected by Massachusetts’ highest court and by New Hampshire public utilities regulators. Here in Connecticut, the pipeline tax is alive and well. That’s why the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the CT Fund for the Environment and Sierra Club support a bill introduced by state Rep. Christopher Rosario, D-Bridgeport, to ban such a tax.
Connecticut legislature must act on bill to repeal gas pipeline tax
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Nominate G-squared (Garland and Gorsuch) to the Supreme Court
Relations between Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C. have deteriorated to the point that I see little chance of the following suggestion becoming reality. But because hope springs eternal, I offer it anyway. It is hardly novel.
Posted inHealth, Money
Small community hospitals struggle to avoid a downward spiral
Many in health care say joining larger systems is key to small hospitals’ survival. But some policymakers are wary of the trend, saying it can raise prices without necessarily improving quality. And leaders of the state’s few remaining independent community hospitals say their organizations are facing stresses that could jeopardize their viability.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lembo, OFA project CT budget deficit; Malloy does not
Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo projected Monday that the current state budget is a modest $44.6 million in deficit, effectively matching the conclusion reached March 27 by the legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration still says finances are in balance.
Posted inEconomic Development, Politics
One option for promoting faster public Internet still on the table
Updated at 6:30 p.m.
A bill that would have prevented towns from using their reserved space on telephone poles to provide high-speed Internet services to the public failed to gain enough traction to get out of committee this session. That leaves an option on the table for town and municipal officials looking for creative ways to improve the state’s Internet infrastructure.
Posted inPolitics
Of ‘blatant’ politics here and in Washington
Extreme political circumstances can inspire extreme counter-measures, and that seemed to be the case when state legislators began reacting to Trump administration policies that rub them the wrong way.
Posted inMoney
Economist Perna: Connecticut’s budget in ‘a state of emergency’
Nicholas S. Perna has been one of the most influential economists in Connecticut for more than three decades, serving as a financial adviser for a number of leading financial institutions. He spoke to the Mirror recently about the state of Connecticut’s economy and its economic future.
Posted inPolitics
No response from Trump to Dem’s inquiry letters
The lack of responses shows a hard truth for Democrats: As the minority in both the House and the Senate, they have no clear authority to compel the Trump administration to answer questions or release documents.
Posted inEducation
DeVos says American schools can’t get much worse
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos isn’t concerned that a push for more school choice could inadvertently harm America’s schools, she said Wednesday — because she believes the nation’s achievement is already too abysmal for that to be possible.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal: Gorsuch unqualified over Roe ‘litmus test’
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal pledged Friday to oppose the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court through all available means, saying the Harvard-educated, conservative jurist failed during his confirmation hearings to demonstrate he is not bound by an anti-abortion litmus test imposed by President Trump.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Zambia and the $15 minimum wage in Connecticut
A minister who recently moved from Zambia sees parallels between poverty in the African country and in Connecticut, where she says the minimum wage is too low to support basic life necessities.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Police should be allowed to ask those carrying guns to show permit
The state legislature’s Judiciary Committee has a responsibility to keep the public safe, which they should do by voting “yes” on H.B. 6200 to allow law enforcement to make sure people carrying guns openly in public really are “good guys.”
Posted inJustice
Despite immigrant-friendly stance, CT shares information with ICE
Updated at 9:20 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s confidence that Connecticut won’t be subject to Trump administration punishment of “sanctuary” cities and states is based on its policy of information-sharing with federal immigration authorities.
Posted inHealth
‘Early intervention is the key:’ Identifying trauma in young children
“With all my being, I cannot stress this enough: Early intervention is the key,” a Groton mother of a teen who experienced trauma as a child told an audience at the state Capitol Thursday. “My son’s now getting intervention, and it’s working. But he’s now 15, and we have a long road to go.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
New school funding essential to giving some students a voice
Our state’s funding formula, which was intended to equalize education funding in each district, is irrational and disservices students in our neediest communities. We’ve used an arbitrary baseline for funding and have employed insufficient calculations for poverty and special education. A true school funding fix must include measures that hold all districts accountable so that educators can purposefully and efficiently use state money to advance student achievement and growth.