The woman called with a concern about her neighbor: He seemed to have stopped shaving, and his overall hygiene was worrisome. At the other end of the line was a representative from the Community Renewal Team Senior Services Gatekeeper Program, one of four agencies that, as part of a statewide program, take confidential referrals from […]
Concerned about a senior? Call the gatekeepers
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Connecticut lawmakers on front line of contraceptive battle
When President Obama was blasted by House Republicans this week for including contraceptive services in the health care reform act’s mandate on preventive care for women, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., jumped to the president’s defense. House Republicans say requiring religious hospitals and colleges to offer contraceptive benefits is a […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Malloy and medical marijuana
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he is reserving judgment on whether he will back efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Connecticut this year, but he does have some thoughts about those protesters who greeted him as he arrived at the Capitol this morning with a “legalize, don’t criticize” chant. “None of them look sick,” he […]
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Red ink, spending cap threaten new budget next year
One year after building the largest fiscal security blanket in more than two decades of state budgets, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy moved onto the fiscal high wire Wednesday without a net. While the governor talked decisively about finding more spending cuts to keep his new $20.7 billion plan for 2012-13 in balance, lawmakers from both […]
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Malloy: teacher tenure will have to be earned, and re-earned
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is calling on legislators to completely change how the state’s 45,000 teachers earn tenure. The change — linking tenure to student performance and teacher evaluations — will apply to new teachers and those who already have tenure. Gov. Dannel Malloy at his State of the State address “We’ve been too timid […]
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State of the State: A governor striving to be a reformer
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy used a televised State of the State address Wednesday to jump into the thicket of teacher tenure reform, a popular issue with voters, yet fraught with potential pitfalls for a Democrat narrowly elected with the support of organized labor. In a speech to the General Assembly, Malloy framed his first year […]
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Text of Governor Malloy’s State of the State
Photography by Uma Ramiah Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Senator McKinney, Representative Cafero, my fellow state officials, ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly, honored members of the Judiciary, members of the clergy, honored guests, and all the citizens of our great state who are watching or listening today, thank you. Thank you for the honor […]
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Malloy to add funds to private human service providers, nursing home “right-sizing”
The health and human services portions of Malloy’s proposed budget adjustments include money to support an effort to move people out of nursing homes, fund nursing homes that consider providing long-term care to people leaving prisons and state institutions, add three childhood vaccines to the state’s program and offer the first funding boost in five […]
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Malloy exhausts fiscal cushion for education, pensions
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled a revised, $20.73 billion budget plan for the next fiscal year, adding nearly $330 million in spending over the preliminary budget, largely to fund additional education aid for towns and to bolster the state employees’ pension fund. Malloy would pay for the extra spending largely by consuming what is left […]
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Malloy proposes $50 million increase in ECS funding
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy asked state legislators today to send an additional $50 million to local school districts, a move that school advocates say will cover a small portion of what the state actually owes them. “It’s still a long shot off,” said Dianne Kaplan DeVreis, the leader of a coalition of municipalities suing the […]
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Malloy expected to address the most controversial education reform — tenure
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was greeted at his parking space this morning by advocates holding signs demanding affordable health care, but today’s State of the State address will have one sharp focus: establishing Connecticut and Malloy as a player in education reform. Over the past weeks, the Malloy administration has carefully built to today’s speech, […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Budget winners and losers, health care edition
Here’s how some health and social service players made out under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget adjustments. Winners Office of Healthcare Advocate: The office, which helps consumers address health insurance issues, would get funding for four positions not in its current budget. Three are now filled and paid for by federal funds slated to […]
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Legislators, “red shirts” return to the Capitol
As has become their custom, supporters of universal health care spent opening day of the legislative session at the Capitol wearing red “healthcare4every1” T-shirts and urging lawmakers to support alternatives to private health insurance. Universal health care supporters on opening day Last year, the effort was centered on SustiNet, a proposed state-run insurance plan. The […]
Posted inEducation
Malloy wants only B+ students in teaching programs
New Britain — Elissa Maillet worries she’s not going to be able to get a teaching job when she graduates from Central Connecticut State University in two years. “I am really nervous about it,” the sophomore with a 3.6 grade point average said while studying between classes. “The job opportunities seem to be so scarce.” […]
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To open new session, Malloy on message — as usual
On the eve of his second State of the State address, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy refused to go off-message, even if the topic was a favorable poll from a surprising source: a conservative think tank that often criticizes the Democratic governor. “I don’t want to talk about polls,” Malloy said. “We don’t comment on polls.” […]