The families of those massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School are calling on legislators to amend state law so that photos and audio of the 9-1-1 phone calls from the December incident are not released to the public. “They are offensive and an invasion of my son’s right to dignity,” said Dean Pinto, whose 6-year-old […]
Newtown families to legislators: Stop release of crime-scene photos
Posted inNews
Responding to Newtown, House passes children’s mental health bill
The House on Friday unanimously passed a proposal aimed at better coordinating mental health services for young people, a measure described as a response to the massacre at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School. Supporters of the bill, which previously passed the Senate unanimously and now heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s desk, said it complements […]
Posted inHealth
Aetna files rate proposals for Obamacare exchange plans
There’s a national debate going on about just how costly health insurance will be once federal health reform rolls out next year. And this week, Connecticut got another clue.
Posted inNews
Lesson learned: state won’t intervene in Bridgeport school fight
One year after the state Supreme Court ruled that the State Board of Education overstepped when it intervened in Bridgeport’s school system, Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor has declined to get formally involved in a local dispute. In dismissing a request from the state’s largest teachers’ union to intervene in Connecticut’s largest school district, Pryor wrote to […]
Posted inNews
GOP balks, Dems listen on fate of Independent Party
The Independent Party will survive. Now, attention turns today to whether the same can be said of sweeping campaign finance reforms passed in 2005 as Connecticut watched a former governor go to prison. With Republicans threatening an end-of-session filibuster, Senate Democrats have given up on trying to force a name change in a party that […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Ned Lamont: Budget contains even more promises and gimmicks
Our Connecticut state budget has become a biannual fiscal train wreck. Given the depths of the budget crisis Gov. Malloy inherited two years ago, many of us encouraged our tough minded new governor, working with his fellow Democrats in the legislature, when he pledged to present the first honest budget in years. He said it was a GAAP-approved budget that would stabilize our finances with real budget cuts matched with revenue increases.
Posted inMoney
Ned Lamont: Budget contains even more promises and gimmicks
Our Connecticut state budget has become a biannual fiscal train wreck. Given the depths of the budget crisis Gov. Malloy inherited two years ago, many of us encouraged our tough minded new governor, working with his fellow Democrats in the legislature, when he pledged to present the first honest budget in years. He said it was a GAAP-approved budget that would stabilize our finances with real budget cuts matched with revenue increases.
Posted inMoney
Budget contains even more promises and gimmicks
Our Connecticut state budget has become a biannual fiscal train wreck.
Given the depths of the budget crisis Gov. Malloy inherited two years ago, many of us encouraged our tough minded new governor, working with his fellow Democrats in the legislature, when he pledged to present the first honest budget in years. He said it was a GAAP-approved budget that would stabilize our finances with real budget cuts matched with revenue increases.
Posted inHealth
Gary M. Steck: Full funding for behavioral health should be a priority in Connecticut
Gary M. Steck has been the Chief Executive Officer of Waterbury-based Wellmore Behavioral Health since 1999 and serves as Board Chair of the Connecticut Community Providers Association. He is a Connecticut licensed psychotherapist. As legislators in Connecticut prepare to vote on the budget for the next two years, there should be little disagreement about the […]
Posted inNews
Effort to shrink drug-free zones stalls
Someone caught selling cocaine in New Haven is almost certain to face the most severe charges, since almost all of the city is within a “Drug Free Zone,” with a school, day care or public housing facility nearby. Just a few towns over, in Madison, where there are fewer schools and the population is much […]
Posted inNews
Legislators: UConn expansion should not need approval from other college system
Plans to dramatically expand enrollment at the University of Connecticut advanced Thursday when the state House of Representatives voted to no longer require the state’s other public college system to approve the expansion. The measure now heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for his consideration. “We’ll review the bill,” a spokesman said. The governor’s proposal […]
Posted inNews
Democrats consider legalizing Keno to fill last-minute budget hole
Scrambling to find more revenue to balance the next state budget, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration and Democratic legislative leaders are considering legalizing Keno, a form of gambling that could require consent by the state’s two tribal casinos. Sources close to budget negotiations said the talks centered on a plan to raise $30 million to […]
Posted inNews
Connecticut Senate approves driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
A sharply divided Senate voted early Thursday to give final passage to a bill making Connecticut one of a handful of states allowing illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license. Passage of the bill on a 19-16 vote came after an 18-month campaign by Latino and religious groups, particularly Catholic nuns, priests and bishops. The […]
Posted inNews
Sequestration cuts will hit Groton sub base workers hard
Furlough notices will go out this week to civilian personnel at the Groton submarine base — the result of the so-called sequestration. The Department of Defense has to cut billions of dollars from its budget this fiscal year because of the across the board spending cuts triggered by sequestration. One way the Pentagon will achieve […]
Posted inNews
House sends minimum wage hike to Malloy’s desk
The state House of Representatives sent a measure boosting Connecticut’s minimum wage by 45 cents to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s desk Wednesday evening. The Democrat-controlled House passed the bill 89-53 in a vote largely along party lines. The Senate, where Democrats also hold a majority, adopted the bill last week. The measure, which raises the […]