There is no rational explanation to support SB 175, a newly-proposed bill with the innocuous title “An Act Concerning Recommendations of the Department of Education”. There is no excuse for elected officials to take away a citizen’s right to peacefully protest and dissent. Vote NO on SB 175!
CT Senate bill 175 stifles parents’ right to dissent on standardized testing
Posted inPolitics
Cable, satellite TV balk at paying for new ‘civic network’
The cable and satellite television industries are lining up against a proposal for a new State Civic Network that would provide unprecedented cable and streaming video access to the legislature, courts and other aspects of public life in Connecticut. Their customers would pay for the new network, though proponents say it could cost as little as 40 cents per subscriber.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Governors ask for money, share strategies to combat opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The nation’s governors have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems. They also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
UConn contract seems iffy as Appropriations vote nears
On the eve of a critical legislative committee vote, some members of the Democratic majority were still undecided on whether to approve a five-year salary contract for 1,900 University of Connecticut employees.
Posted inEducation
Program that trains teachers for hard-to-fill slots faces big cut
With hundreds of students in low-performing districts already being taught by a revolving door of substitute teachers because schools cannot find enough qualified teachers, the state’s largest producer of teachers in high-need subject areas might have to close its summer program.
Posted inHealth
About 8,000 CT exchange customers didn’t pay first bill
About 8,000 people who signed up for coverage through Connecticut’s health insurance exchange missed the deadline for their first payment and lost coverage, exchange CEO Jim Wadleigh said Monday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Legislators, stop using the disabled as a fiscal punching bag!
There is no honor in how the state has disrespected persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities(IDD). Their plight is dire. With the last rescission, the IDD population since 2013 has lost nearly $100 million from its agency — the Department of Developmental Services(DDS).
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut needs a rational, fair, school funding system
Three weeks ago, in his sixth State of the State Address, Gov. Dannel Malloy laid out his five “budget principles” and called for a “more predictable, more sustainable, and more transparent” Connecticut budget that “prioritizes funding for core services.” Rightfully, one of the core services Malloy listed was public education. However, for Connecticut to prioritize education and achieve the governor’s budgetary goals, the state must fundamentally change the way it funds its public schools.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Is a last-minute budget the only one sure to be balanced?
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy challenged legislators recently to break their bad habit of resolving the new state budget in the waning hours of the General Assembly session. But while legislative leaders recognized that last week as a laudable goal, they also said that — if recent history is any guide — an early finish could produce a budget that is unbalanced before the next fiscal year even begins.
Posted inHealth
Key task force: Evidence ‘insufficient’ to recommend universal autism screening
Sparking strong reaction from doctors and child development experts, an influential task force says there’s “insufficient evidence” to argue definitely that the benefits of screening all young children for autism outweigh the harms.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy accuses GOP senators of ‘terrible lies’
WASHINGTON –After a meeting with President Obama late Friday, Gov. Dannel Malloy accused Republican senators of “terrible lies” in claiming it’s too late in the president’s term for him to pick a Supreme Court nominee.
Posted inPolitics
Report: More than 350 CT bridges ‘structurally deficient’
WASHINGTON – A transportation builders’ association says 357 bridges in Connecticut are “structurally deficient,” meaning one or more key elements, such as the deck or substructure, is considered to be in “poor” condition – or worse.
Posted inEducation, Justice, Money, Politics
Judiciary says proposed cuts ‘compromise access to justice’
Cutting $64 million from the previously approved funding for the Judicial Branch next fiscal year would result in hundreds of layoffs and force closure of multiple courthouses and a juvenile detention facility, Judge Patrick L. Carroll III, chief court administrator, told the legislature’s Appropriations Committee.
Posted inJustice
Claims commissioner resigns amid controversy
J. Paul Vance Jr., the claims commissioner under fire for awarding $16.8 million to compensate four member members of a New Haven gang whose murder convictions were set aside, submitted a resignation letter last week, the governor’s office said Friday.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy’s agenda at winter NGA meeting
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will be in Washington D.C. through Monday for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, a security briefing by the FBI and meetings at the White House with President Obama.