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.
Ned Lamont: Budget contains even more promises and gimmicks
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Malloy seeks public comment on Storm Sandy disaster relief plan
Washington -– With the clock ticking toward a June 9 deadline, the Malloy administration on Wednesday unveiled its plan to spend $72 million in federal Storm Sandy recovery money and has asked for public comment. The money involved is Connecticut’s allocation of $5.4 billion in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block […]
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Slower rollout for education reforms approved by Senate
With thousands of students each year showing up for the fourth grade still struggling to read, legislators last year celebrated passage of a reform package that required statewide reading intervention and improvement plans — the top priority of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. This year those reading reforms are likely to be delayed. The […]
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Activists protest Koch brothers’ potential purchase of Courant parent
On Broad Street in Hartford outside the headquarters of the nation’s oldest, continuously published newspaper, activists mobilized in protest against the Koch brothers’ reported interest in buying the Tribune Co. “We’re concerned about the way that the Koches know nothing about, and represent nothing about, the values of journalism,” said Josh Stearns, Journalism and public […]
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Reversing course, new insurance market might negotiate rates
With four months to go before a new health insurance marketplace opens to the public, the Senate on Wednesday approved a proposal requiring it to take a more active role in determining the costs of the plans it sells. The marketplace, known as the health insurance exchange, is being established as part of the federal […]
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Malloy’s $80 million energy auction imperiled by House Democrats
Critics say they have the votes to block Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plan to raise at least $80 million by auctioning the rights to serve certain electric customers, an idea opposed by AARP in a months-long, grass-roots lobbying campaign. With one week until the end of the 2013 session, the fight exposes strains between the […]