On Dec. 15, the Connecticut Task Force to Improve Access to Legal Counsel in Civil Matters issued its final report and recommendations. The Connecticut Bar Association supports the findings of the task force.
Task force recommends legal help for child custody, eviction and restraining order cases
Posted inMoney
One study finds Connecticut a fine place to do business
A new study issued this month by the Council on State Taxation concludes Connecticut actually is tied for the most favorable business climate — if one considers not just the cost of doing business, but the potential for earning big profits here. But it warns against interpreting that to mean that Connecticut is a low-tax environment overall.
Posted inPolitics
Larson: Dems will defy fines, other sanctions, aimed at stopping protests
WASHINGTON — Rep. John Larson, an architect of a sit-in rebellion of House Democrats last summer, said he and his colleagues will not be deterred by new House rules that will levy fines on such future behavior. He calls the Republicans’ proposed new punishments “Putin-esque.”
Posted inTransportation
Malloy goes to DMV for some good news, seriously
He doesn’t deliver his State of the State address until next week, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proclaimed Wednesday that the state of the much-maligned Department of Motor Vehicles is, well, better. In fact, it’s 55 percent better, as measured by average wait times.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Lembo to critics: ‘Your crazy’s showing’
Activists from across the country are inundating Kevin Lembo with taunts like “faggot” and “Satan” — but that’s not stopping him from moving to prevent state government from forwarding charitable donations to an anti-gay lobbying group.
Posted inHealth
Facing unaffordable prices, millions buy medicine outside U.S.
As drug prices have spiraled upward in the past decade, tens of millions of generally law-abiding Americans have committed an illegal act in response: They have bought prescriptions outside the U.S. and imported them.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The Connecticut State College system provides great value for the money
Connecticut’s public universities have much to offer; it is why I chose to return here. It is why I hope to continue to achieve personal and career goals in Connecticut and to contribute to its economic growth. Our state universities helped me grow to be a productive adult and lifelong learner, and make me proud to be a resident of this state. There has already been a 22 percent reduction in state funding since 2009, and it would be a great loss if, due to continual defunding, future CSCU students wouldn’t be able to have the opportunities that I had.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy, other CT Democrats, working to empower state’s Latinos
WASHINGTON– Connecticut’s growing Latino population is not increasing its political clout, so Sen. Chris Murphy and members of the state legislature’s Hispanic Democratic Caucus are trying to do something about it. They have established the Latino Leadership Academy.
Posted inEducation
After 3-year hiatus, state seeks bids to open new charter schools
The State Department of Education is seeking applications for new charter schools – sending a glimmer of hope to those waiting years to pitch their idea for a new state-funded school.
Posted inHealth
Senior citizens, even 80-year-olds, can be organ donors
Even though senior citizens’ corneas, kidneys, live and other tissue are viable, organ donations from them rarely happen. Of the 9,079 deceased organ donors in the U.S. in 2015, only 618 were aged 65 or older, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Truth or consequences: Failing America’s youth
Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher wrote in his September school funding decision of the “alarming” condition of education in the state’s neediest districts, citing that “[A]mong the poorest, most of the students are being let down by patronizing and illusory degrees.” He has a point – one that extends far beyond Connecticut and our poorest students. The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, found that nearly two-thirds of 12th-graders in the U.S. perform below proficiency in reading, and three-quarters perform below proficiency in both math and science.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics
Union concessions still key focal point in a time of hard tradeoffs
With Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal less than seven weeks away, his budget director warned that unless unions grant further concessions, avoiding major tax hikes likely would require significant cuts to municipal aid, social services, higher education — and more layoffs.
Posted inMoney, Politics
New Year’s brings little to celebrate for CT fuel cell industry
WASHINGTON — Congress dealt a key – and growing – Connecticut industry a blow by failing to extend a fuel cell tax break at the end of the year – an omission that could cost the state jobs.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Nonprofits must be part of CT health, social service and budget solutions
Amid the negativity and divisiveness this election season, one issue has brought together Americans from across the country and both sides of the political aisle: the role of charitable nonprofits. In a recent report, nearly three quarters of those surveyed said they trust public charities with their checkbooks more than government and want to see expanded access to charitable giving.
Posted inNews
Analyst: Trump’s idea for F-35 would be ‘a disaster for the U.S.’
WASHINGTON — While President-elect Donald Trump is unhappy about the cost of Lockheed Martin’s F-35, replacing it with a cheaper jet would face serious problems, defense analysts and Connecticut’s lawmakers say. Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, called Trump’s idea “a disaster for the United States” that would hurt the nation’s military strength.