William Petit is one of 35 newly elected members of the Connecticut General Assembly, but he’s probably the only one whose November election made national news. He spoke with The Mirror about his new job as a legislator, changes in how doctors practice, diabetes, the federal health law, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Second Chance Society criminal justice reform initiatives, victims’ rights, and the assumptions people have about him.
Doc, now Rep. Petit, on health care, victims’ rights and small business
Posted inEducation, Politics
DeVos’ code words for creationism offshoot raise concerns about ‘junk science’
Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick for education secretary, says she supports science teaching that “allows students to exercise critical thinking.” This seemingly innocuous statement has raised alarms among science education advocates, and buoyed the hopes of conservative Christian groups that, if confirmed, DeVos may use the U.S. Department of Education to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Employers fret job-based coverage vulnerable in GOP health overhaul
As President Donald Trump promises a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that will provide “insurance for everybody,” employers worry Republican attempts to redo other parts of the insurance market could harm their much larger one.
Posted inPolitics
DoD, Lockheed Martin agreement cuts price of F-35
WASHINGTON — Under pressure from President Donald Trump to cut the cost of the F-35 program, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin announced Friday they had reached agreement to lower the cost on the 10th lot of fighter jets by $728 million.
Posted inJustice, Politics
CT’s senators call Gorsuch extreme, but promise fair hearing
Connecticut’s two Democratic U.S. senators distanced themselves Friday from those would block the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court with the same tactics employed by Republicans against President Obama. But both suggested Neil Gorsuch’s conservatism may fall outside the legal mainstream.
Posted inEducation
Bridgeport superintendent who left amid turmoil lands new gig
Fran Rabinowitz – who resigned in December as the leader of Bridgeport Public Schools after it became clear the state would decline her request to intervene in her troubled district – has landed a new job as executive director of the Connecticut Assocation of Public School Superintendents.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT aims to compete in precision medicine. What will it take?
Connecticut has the potential to become a national leader in the growing field of precision medicine – but the state will have to chip in, scientists and industry officials told a state economic competitiveness panel Friday.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
Malloy would bill towns for teachers’ pensions, cut middle-class tax credit
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday his proposed budget would shift $400 million, nearly one-third of the cost of municipal school teachers’ pensions, onto cities and towns next fiscal year — a move that would hit the state’s wealthiest communities the hardest.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Free speech defense bill will combat ‘libel tourism’ in Connecticut
In the internet age when, at the press of a button, the spoken and written word can be transported around the world virtually instantaneously, our Constitutional freedom of expression is at increased risk from a relatively unrecognized threat – that of “libel tourism.” Fortunately, CT S.B. 69: “An Act Concerning the Enforcement of Foreign Libel Judgments” is the cure, and has been introduced this session.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
On Connecticut’s self-inflicted financial meltdown
Connecticut is spiraling out of control. Gross mismanagement, political ideology, cronyism, and entitlement are self-inflicted wounds. The state’s projected $1.5 billion fiscal deficit is just the tip of an iceberg into which Connecticut is colliding. It is a devastating multi-year crash that could have been avoided. Now, residents who remain, either by choice or necessity, will all have to bear its brunt.
Posted inMoney, Politics
A legacy of debt: When fiscal reality meets political spin
As state government’s fiscal challenges became increasingly daunting, politicians for years nonetheless downplayed the risk and wooed voters with unrealistic promises. Last story in a five-part series
Posted inHealth, Politics
Some seek more oversight of Access Health’s funding
As Congress takes aim at the federal health law, some Connecticut legislators are raising questions about another aspect of Obamacare – how the state’s health insurance marketplace gets its money.
Posted inPolitics
Himes’ New Dems and moderate Republicans explore coalition
WASHINGTON — With Donald Trump’s presidency fueling partisan fires in Congress, a group of centrist Democrats led by Rep. Jim Himes is trying to find common ground with GOP counterparts. The goal is to determine whether they could come together on infrastructure, budget, tax and other issues.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy pitches early intervention for distressed communities
WATERBURY — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed a new municipal accountability system Thursday designed to provide early intervention to cities and towns before they slip into severe fiscal trouble.
Posted inPolitics
CT Dems say federal fundraising inquiry ends without charges
A federal investigation into whether Connecticut Democrats illegally raised money from state contractors in support of the re-election of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2014 has ended without criminal charges, the party’s lawyer said Thursday.