WASHINGTON — Connecticut lawmakers and environmental groups who want to stop a federal sale of Plum Island, won a key victory as the U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday to temporarily halt efforts to sell the property.
U.S. House votes to temporarily halt Plum Island sale
Posted inPolitics
Derek Slap seeks return to Capitol as a House member
The number of retirements among House Democrats has reached 11 with a decision by Rep. Brian Becker, D-West Hartford, not seek a fourth term representing parts of West Hartford, Avon and Farmington. Democrats have found a potential successor: Derek Slap, the former chief of staff for the Senate Democrats who now is the associate vice president of external relations for the UConn Foundation.
Posted inPolitics
It’s Ritter, Walker in contest for House majority leader
As House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, publicly acknowledged his political retirement plans Sunday, the telephone scramble began by three House Democrats competing for two leadership jobs.
House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, immediately confirmed he was running to succeed Sharkey as speaker, igniting a competition for his job between Matthew D. Ritter of Hartford and Toni E. Walker of New Haven.
Posted inEducation
Report: CT 4th worst in unfunded pension liabilities per teacher
Connecticut has the 4th highest pension costs for its public school teachers in the U.S., a new report released Monday shows. The high costs are largely attributed to a failure to save enough to pay for future pension promises, the report from TeacherPensions.org concludes.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Gov. Malloy’s task force may get a jump on coming price hikes
Today is the second meeting of a task force established earlier this year by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Connecticut’s Certificate of Need (CoN) laws. Along with a parallel study by the Governor’s Health Care Cabinet, the task force is supposed to help formulate a 21st century body of laws to govern our complex healthcare system. The challenge to both bodies is to place at the center of every discussion the interests of patients; access, both geographic and financial, as well as outcomes.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
If raising the minimum wage kills jobs, why don’t we lower it?
If raising the federal minimum wage would hurt businesses, as many aver, then it stands to reason that lowering the federal standard from $7.25 an hour would help. What are we waiting for? How about $5, perchance $3 an hour? That would be a steroid injection for our sluggish economy. Connecticut, which keeps raising its lowest wage, just doesn’t get it.
Posted inHealth
Introducing The Mirror’s Hospitals Database
On average, 78 percent of hospital beds in the state were filled during the 2014 fiscal year, and patients stayed an average of five days. Connecticut’s acute care hospitals earned an average margin of 6.22 percent that year. But averages don’t tell the full story about hospitals in Connecticut. This database is aimed at helping you dig deeper.
Posted inPolitics
House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey won’t seek re-election
House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, who oversaw the difficult passage of a state budget Friday on a 74 to 70 vote, said Sunday he will not seek re-election this fall to a ninth term in the General Assembly. House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz will be a candidate to succeed him if Democrats retain their majority this fall.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Like Senate, House defers vote on Malloy’s ‘Second Chance 2.0’
House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, postponed a vote Friday on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to reform the bail and juvenile-justice systems, underscoring the administration’s difficulties in finding sufficient votes for the governor’s signature criminal-justice bill.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics, Transportation
House sends lean, overdue CT budget to Malloy’s desk
Updated at 11:08 p.m.
The Democrat-controlled House voted 74-70 to adopt a $19.76 billion budget that closes a nearly $1 billion hole in the 2016-17 fiscal year without raising taxes or tapping Connecticut’s modest emergency reserve. Eight Democrats joined with all 62 Republicans present to oppose the measure.
Posted inNews
U.S. House OKs 18 bills, but little money, to fight opioid addiction
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives finished work Friday on a package of 18 bills aimed at fighting opioid addiction – but denied President Obama his request for $1.1 billion to confront the growing crisis.
Posted inPolitics
Senate defense bill holds the line on F-35s, Black Hawks
WASHINGTON — A Senate defense panel has been far less generous to Connecticut defense programs than it’s counterpart in the House, which had boosted the number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes and doubled the number of Black Hawk helicopters the Pentagon had asked for.
Posted inEducation
Feds bolster CT law requiring transgender access to school bathrooms
Public schools and colleges throughout Connecticut and the U.S. were informed by federal officials Friday that they must allow transgender students to use bathrooms for the gender they consider themselves – guidance that conforms to and bolsters changes made to state law five years ago.
Posted inEducation
CSCU moving its central office
The state’s largest public college system in moving out of its historic Tudor-style Hartford headquarters and consolidating staff at a more energy-efficient building nearby.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
We’re winning the battle of homelessness in Connecticut
Connecticut’s annual count of homelessness shows that our state continues to make major gains in the effort to end this significant problem, driving overall homelessness down to new lows. The continuing decline follows major investments to end homelessness by the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly, in tandem with concerted efforts to coordinate and target resources at the community level.