WASHINGTON – Connecticut’s House delegation on Friday voted unanimously for a measure– sponsored by a California Republican — that would stop federal agencies from enforcing marijuana laws against state-approved medical marijuana programs.
CT lawmakers vote to keep feds from enforcing marijuana laws
Posted inNews
Esty, other gun control proponents, shift focus to mentally ill
WASHINGTON – After a shooting and stabbing rampage by a troubled California college student that left six dead last week, Rep. Elizabeth Esty and other gun control supporters are focusing on legislation that would strengthen a ban on gun sales to the mentally ill.
Posted inHealth
Malloy vetos substance abuse treatment bill opposed by insurance industry
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has vetoed a bill opposed by the insurance industry that would have required carriers to report information about the substance abuse treatment they have covered and their networks of mental health and substance abuse treatment providers.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
Malloy’s veto preserves ban on glass eel fishing
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday he has vetoed a bill at the heart of an unusual end-of-session deal: A measure that would have lifted the statutory ban on fishing in Connecticut waters for a species now under consideration for endangered status, the glass eel.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Regents opt to disappoint, not appoint, Sen. Donald Williams
An unusually high-profile search for a new Quinebaug Valley Community College president ended Friday with the selection of Carlee Drummer, an Illinois community college administrator, over the top leader of the Connecticut Senate, Donald E. Williams Jr. New leaders also were named for Asnuntuck and Three Rivers.
Posted inHealth
Bill could encourage ‘warm handoff’ for mental health treatment in CT
A somewhat technical measure could make it significantly easier for people to get mental health care, treatment providers say.
Posted inNews
Connecticut colleges receive millions from the Pentagon
WASHINGTON – Connecticut colleges have been increasingly benefiting from money from the Pentagon over the last few years, winning millions in contracts from the U.S. armed forces to conduct research on a wide range of products used in national defense — from sensors that track the health of soldiers to instruments that detect matter in outer space.
Posted inPolitics
Legislative candidates get first public financing grants of ’14
The State Elections Enforcement Commission voted Thursday to authorize its first public financing grants of the 2014 campaign: all to state legislators or challengers for legislative seats. No statewide candidate has been formally approved yet.
Posted inEducation, Money
CT never looked for teacher’s pension beneficiary owed $192K
The state hasn’t looked for five years for a teacher’s pension beneficiary owed $192,000, the state auditors reported Thursday. In a letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Auditors Robert M. Ward and John C. Geragosian also wrote they fear other beneficiaries have not received funds because of one agency’s longstanding failure to collect sufficient contact information.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Op-Ed: Remembering JFK on his birthday, and his gift to us
It’s hard to believe President John F. Kennedy might have turned 97 today. I often wonder how much better America could have been if not for losing his idealism and courage so soon.
Posted inNews
Op-Ed: Remembering JFK on his birthday, and his gift to us
It’s hard to believe President John F. Kennedy might have turned 97 today. I often wonder how much better America could have been if not for losing his idealism and courage so soon.
Posted inPolitics
Himes says VA chief Shinseki must go
Washington – Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, on Thursday became the first member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation to call for the resignation of Eric Shinseki, the embattled secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT’s storefronts closing for regular business this summer
Access Health CT’s storefront enrollment centers in New Britain and New Haven will close for day-to-day business this summer and reopen in the fall, according to the state’s health insurance exchange. The two storefronts will host educational sessions about health care reform during the summer.
Posted inPolitics
Joe Visconti and the gun issue are both sticking around
Joe Visconti’s path to the Republican gubernatorial primary runs past Hoffman Guns, where his campaign sets up under a red canopy most mornings, collecting signatures on a clipboard and cash donations in a big jug. He captured only 1.76 percent of the convention vote, but he’s a lot like the gun issue. Neither will go away, and no one is quite sure what that means for the rest of the GOP field.
Posted inNews
DeLauro fights GOP attempts to weaken school nutrition standards
WASHINGTON – A congressional food fight is expected today as House GOP lawmakers press for changes in federal nutrition rules that would allow Connecticut schools to opt out of new school lunch standards.