A far-reaching package of gun-violence legislation in response to the Sandy Hook school massacre is widely seen as inevitable in the General Assembly, with legislative leaders saying Wednesday night their goal is a vote by the end of March with or without a bipartisan deal. In separate interviews, Democratic and Republican leaders said they are […]

Connecticut could lose more than $900 million in federal defense spending this year, according to a new analysis, though a compromise measure pending on Capitol Hill could mitigate some of that pain. The state legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis also projected that most of the pain from the so-called sequestration cuts tied to the […]

A bill requiring all public school and homeschooled children in Connecticut to have behavioral health assessments in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 is drawing criticism from parents and homeschool advocates who say it would stigmatize children and intrude on parents’ rights. The bill was crafted in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting with the hope […]

Washington — For Monte Frank and 25 other bicyclists from Newtown, riding 400 miles in four days may not be as challenging as changing minds in Congress on the issue of gun control. Frank, a Danbury lawyer, is a member of Newtown’s “Team 26” cyclist group. The team, a mix of professional and amateur cyclists, takes […]

Washington — A bill that would expand background checks on gun purchasers was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on party lines Tuesday, its prospect of Senate approval diminished with the withdrawal of a key GOP supporter. The Senate panel also approved a bill that would provide schools with federal grants for school safety programs, […]

Buoyed by his crisis leadership, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy won a 48 percent to 39 percent job approval rating in a Quinnipiac University poll released today, his highest mark since becoming governor in January 2011. Malloy, 57, the first Democratic governor in 20 years, still faces considerable political challenges as he looks to re-election in […]

With several inmates in Connecticut serving more than 60 years for crimes committed as children, the question facing legislators is not whether they will change state laws in reaction to a U.S. Supreme Court decision barring mandatory life sentences for juveniles, but how far the change will go. “We have the United State Supreme Court […]

Washington — The 26 gun control activists who biked from Newtown to Washington, arriving Tuesday, belong to a growing group of Newtown residents who, with the help of national groups, are becoming a lobbying force on Capitol Hill. The residents and family members of the 26 killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings are […]

A bipartisan deal on gun violence remains elusive, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislators held a ceremony Tuesday to mark last week’s unanimous passage of a bill creating the Sandy Hook Workers Assistance Fund. “I want to commend the members of the General Assembly for coming together in a bipartisan manner to provide relief […]