Attorney General George C. Jepsen is walking a fine line between celebrating his role in negotiating a $25 billion national settlement with mortgage servicers and tamping down expectations about what the deal means for struggling homeowners. “I just think it’s important not to oversell it or undersell it,” Jepsen said Tuesday after a legislative appearance. […]
A new AG raises his profile with mortgage deal
Posted inNews
Teachers unions say “no” to Malloy’s tenure plan
The state’s teachers unions may have reached agreement on how their members should be graded weeks ago, but on Tuesday, union leaders came to the state Capitol complex to display buyer’s remorse. Calling it a “leap of faith,” when they signed on to the historic teacher evaluation framework, Phil Apruzzese, head of the state’s largest […]
Posted inNews
Teachers unions blast Malloy education agenda
Any hope that remained that the state’s teachers unions would be backing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education package quickly left the state Capitol complex Tuesday. “On behalf of the 43,000 members of the Connecticut Education Association, I urge you to reject Senate Bill 24,” Phil Apruzzese’s, the president of the state’s largest teachers union, testimony […]
Posted inNews
Subsidized housing: Should homeless children get to jump to the front of the wait list?
One way of looking at the business of state government — especially human services — is through numbers. The state’s population of about 3.5 million breaks down into about 1.3 million households, according to the U.S. Census. Of those, more than 190,000 households last year claimed the federal EITC — earned income tax credit — a good indicator […]
Posted inNews
Attempt to increase hedge fund tax shakes Connecticut industry
Washington — Raising taxes on hedge fund managers, an idea that has plenty of popular support but has failed to gain traction, is under scrutiny in Washington again. President Obama last week proposed ending the current tax treatment given to hedge fund managers, whose income is considered “carried interest” and taxed at the capital gains […]
Posted inEducation
Are Malloy’s plans for education reform legal?
Are Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plans for education reform legal? When the head of the state’s largest teachers union informed the members of the Education Committee today that the General Assembly’s nonpartisan research office is questioning the legality, the co-chairs of the committee were surprised by the news. They have yet to see this report, […]
Posted inEducation
Charter students journey to the Capitol to thank Malloy
Hundreds of students from charter schools across the state journeyed to the state Capitol to publicly thank Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for proposing boosting the amount of money the state will send their way. “You stood up for us… and we will stand here with you,” said Dacia Toll, the leader of Achievement First, the state’s […]
Posted inNews
State finds fault with immigration crackdown program
New Haven — City and law enforcement leaders are calling on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to reject a U.S. Department of Homeland Security initiative they say would encourage racial profiling and undermine the city and state’s power to police themselves. New Haven Mayor John DeStefano At a news conference today at City Hall, Mayor John […]
Posted inNews
The promise and pitfalls of being the ‘inevitable’ nominee
The word never will pass Chris Murphy’s lips, at least not in public. But the congressman is doing everything he can to create the impression that his winning the Democratic nomination for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s seat is, well, inevitable. He is steadily rolling out endorsements, and his campaign bank account dwarfs those of his […]
Posted inNews
Connecticut lawmakers hope for new era of earmarks
Washington — Hoping to stir public outrage against a rival, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are brawling over who is responsible for the most “earmarks,” special projects inserted into spending bills. While the presidential hopefuls portray earmarks as a corrupting influence on politics and a waste of taxpayer funds, Connecticut lawmakers, among others, are taking […]
Posted inNews
After years of debate, health care pooling ready to become reality — for some
The state is poised to open its employee health plan to municipalities and school districts, a controversial concept long advocated by labor unions, town officials and Democratic legislators. A law passed last year required that the state offer coverage to non-state public employers beginning in January, but it was delayed after Office of Policy and […]
Posted inNews
Homeland Security’s controversial “secure communities” program going live in Connecticut
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s controversial “secure communities” is going live in Connecticut on Wednesday, despite reservations by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy about the wisdom of turning local police officers into enforcement agents on immigration cases. Connecticut did not join New York, Massachusetts and Illinois in trying to opt out of the program, but […]
Posted inNews
Controversy flares in new solar program for homeowners
The solar industry in Connecticut and around the nation had been waiting years for what happened last Tuesday: The board of directors of the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority approved a new residential solar incentive program. Then the solar folks saw the details. Instead of a long-term plan to help jumpstart an industry that […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
Shoreline task force members named
The line-up is almost complete for the recently announced Shoreline Preservation Task Force, headed by Rep. James Albis, D-East Haven. There are eight representatives and two senators from shoreline districts, and three non-legislative members. While technically bipartisan, the membership definitely skews Democratic. Albis said he was looking for one more legislator and a coastal engineer. […]