WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday in calling for a rejection of Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next U.S. Attorney General. Democrats pushed the committee vote on the nomination to Wednesday.
Blumenthal joins bitter partisan scrape over Sessions
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy happy to defer to Trump on hedge-fund tax break
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reacted warily Tuesday to state legislation to eliminate the “carried interest” tax break for Connecticut’s influential hedge fund managers, suggesting instead that the liberal sponsors press President Trump to keep his pledge to eliminate the tax benefit through federal action.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Aetna’s Bertolini: ACA has not met its goals
WASHINGTON — Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said the insurer isn’t likely to expand its participation in state exchanges in 2018. Bertolini said he is working with the Trump administration on a transition to an ACA replacement.
Posted inPolitics
Key panel gives McMahon bipartisan support as SBA chief
WASHINGTON — Linda McMahon’s nomination to head the Small Business administration was quickly approved by members of a key committee, even as Democrats pulled out all the stops Tuesday to delay confirmation on several controversial Trump administration nominees.
Posted inHealth
State delays controversial electronic system mandate for home health care
The state Department of Social Services has agreed to postpone the rollout of a new electronic system for home health agencies after an outcry among providers and threats to drop clients on Medicaid.
Posted inCities & Towns, Education, Money, Politics
Malloy proposes easing mandates on cities and towns
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled a plan Tuesday to ease municipal mandates, including tighter wage standards on construction projects and greater flexibility in property assessments.
Posted inMoney
Report: Financial services sector remains key part of NE economy
The financial services sector accounted for 14 percent of all employment and 22 percent of all wages in Connecticut in 2015, according to a new report released Tuesday by a major regional business association.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Six design principles for a new, fair CT school funding formula
Connecticut’s K-12 public school funding system is fundamentally broken. That is the simple and unfortunate truth that boards of education, superintendents, principals, teachers, and education reform advocates have known for years. Lacking a fair funding formula we are shortchanging our communities, and most importantly our children who deserve access to a quality public education.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
‘Driver’s Ed’ needed for understanding Connecticut health insurance
Just as an uneducated driver is more likely to be involved in a mishap on the road, a healthcare consumer who does not understand health insurance is at greater risk for adverse financial and/or clinical consequences when navigating the complex and evolving healthcare landscape.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Transportation
A legacy of debt: Squeeze on state’s priorities only getting tighter
State government’s surging retirement benefit costs are likely to have a big impact on programs and taxes over the next two decades. But they already have sapped significant funding from key priorities, including transportation, higher education, health care and social services. Second in a series.
Posted inPolitics
CT Lawmakers press opposition to Trump travel ban
WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers on Monday were on the front lines of Democratic opposition to President Trump’s executive order regarding Muslim immigrants, fashioning legislation and participating in protests aimed at derailing the new policy.
Posted inHealth
With time running out, Obamacare signups lag amid uncertainties
With one day left in the sign-up period for private insurance coverage, the Connecticut health insurance exchange’s enrollment has slowed down compared to past years, and the marketplace’s chief executive thinks confusion about the future of Obamacare could be a factor.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy offers tax break to bolster insurance industry
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday he would propose reducing the state’s insurance premium tax by one-seventh in his new budget next week, a move that would save insurance companies $11 million next fiscal year.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Re-invest in college opportunity for Connecticut
Education remains the clearest pathway to better jobs and promising futures in the U.S.A. By 2020, 70 percent of jobs will require post-secondary education; as such, Connecticut must recommit to educational opportunity for all by ensuring that all residents have access to an affordable, quality public higher education.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics
A legacy of debt: Connecticut standing on its own fiscal cliff
The budget that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will present to the legislature Feb. 8, in an attempt to close $3 billion in deficits over the next two years, is only a portent of a far greater, long-term challenge facing the state. First in a series.