Rather than authorize immediate construction of Connecticut’s first casino outside tribal lands, the state Senate is set to vote on a bill creating a complex approval process requiring passage of a second law next year.
Strategic retreat: No final casino vote until 2016
Posted inHealth
VIDEO: The public and personal sides of at-home caregiving
Along with sponsor AARP, The Connecticut Mirror hosts its third Google Hangout of the 2015 Connecticut legislative session to discuss caregiving. Joining host and Mirror Health Care Reporter Arielle Levin Becker are Rep. Catherine Abercrombie (D), Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R), and Claudio W. Gualtieri, associate state director, advocacy, AARP Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s timid approach to clean energy penalizes consumers, costs state jobs
The Connecticut legislature’s reluctance to fully launch a program to develop a system of shared renewable energy is not only costing the state jobs and federal energy subsidies. It is also causing the state’s consumers to pay more than they have to for electric power. We are missing the clean energy revolution.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Gov. Malloy’s ‘Smart Start’ picks winners … but we all lose
The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and the Gov. Dannel Malloy recently announced the first round of winners in the Smart Start initiative. And while they acknowledged that many school districts opted not to apply, they fail to acknowledge the glaring truth about the reason, i.e. this is a bad initiative and a bad prescription for […]
Posted inPolitics
House adopts ‘drive-only’ license bill
The House of Representatives adopted a measure late Monday that would make it easier for undocumented residents to obtain a restricted, “drive-only” license.
Posted inNews
Police violence cases spurring CT proposals for body cameras
WASHINGTON — A rash of cases involving police violence against young black men — most recently including the death of a Baltimore man in police custody — has bolstered the case for body-worn police video cameras both in Connecticut and Washington. Several Connecticut departments are exploring the idea, and the U.S. Senate will hold a hearing on the issue this week.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT says it has six months of transportation funds if Congress fails to act
Washington — The law that authorizes federal transportation spending in Connecticut and across the nation runs out at the end of the month, and the fund that pays for that spending is expected to go broke two months later, but Connecticut says it has funding in place for at least six months’ worth of projects if Congress fails to act in time to avert the looming crisis.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Would state sales tax hike really translate into local tax relief?
The fate of a major proposed expansion of Connecticut’s sales tax may not hinge solely on the objections of businesses and consumers. The key question could be whether cities and towns — the prime beneficiaries of these potential sales tax receipts — would use those funds to lower property taxes or to expand local spending.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
On Connecticut’s campuses, administration is not a dirty word
During a budget crunch It’s easy to blame administrative bloat and the regional office for a college system’s ills, but can we afford independent college infrastructures or do we need a system or regional infrastructure to provide economies of scale? How important is local decision-making and in particular academic control? How do we maximize teaching resources when current funding is simply not sufficient to meet both student demand and overall organizational operating needs?
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT to make a start on electric vehicle incentives
In the face of tight state finances, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is about to unveil financial incentives for electric vehicle purchases and leases using money from outside the state budget. Malloy will announce that $1 million from the Northeast Utilities/NSTAR merger settlement fund will be used to help jump-start a sluggish EV market in Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Providing a military honor guard is a moral obligation
The state has a moral obligation to provide an honor guard detail for military funerals. Any proposal to reduce funding for this service is an embarrassment.
Posted inNews
Future of Connecticut Rails: Last call for tickets for Tuesday’s Half Full event
The final event in The Mirror’s four-part Policy Pairings Series will take place Tuesday at Half Full Brewery in Stamford and feature a panel discussion on “The Future of Connecticut Rails.” Panelists will be Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker; Amanda Kennedy, the Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association; and Jim Cameron, former chair of The CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT Lawmakers split on defense bill Obama dislikes
WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers were split Friday over a massive defense bill that would authorize billions of dollars for the state’s defense industry but has provoked a veto threat from President Obama for boosting military spending in an account that’s out of the reach of a spending cap.
Posted inPolitics
A ‘kumbaya moment’ eludes Connecticut pols
Lost in the imbroglio over whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy really blames racism for GOP opposition to his sentencing reforms was that the legislation already had stalled in the General Assembly for a more conventional reason: Democrats see the issue as politically dangerous.
Posted inPolitics
FAQ part of Malloy’s lobbying for ‘Second Chance’
The office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sent the following email to legislators. SB 952, An Act Concerning a Second Chance Society Frequently Asked Questions As Governor’s Bill 952 has moved through the legislative process, there have been numerous questions (as well as some misconceptions) about various aspects of the bill. This document is intended […]