State legislators have sent a bill to the governor’s desk that delays the package of school reforms passed last year in the state’s bid to capture federal Race to the Top money. The legislature’s budget office estimates the increased graduation requirements alone would cost up to $29 million to hire the additional teachers needed for the additional required courses […]
Senate sends bill to Malloy delaying education reforms
Posted inHealth, Money
Insurance rate review bill passes, but will Malloy sign it?
A proposal to give the attorney general and healthcare advocate authority to order public “symposiums” on requests to raise health and long-term care insurance rates won final legislative approval Wednesday, but it’s not clear whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will sign it. Malloy’s insurance commissioner, Thomas B. Leonardi, considers the bill an unnecessary mandate. Asked […]
Posted inNews
High school graduation rates on the rise
A new analysis of high school completion finds that the national graduation rate has reached its highest point in two decades: 71.7 percent for the class of 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, Christopher B. Swanson reports at Education Week. Although completion rates increased markedly across all groups in recent years, […]
Posted inHealth
Insurance department: Revised rate review bill unnecessary
A controversial bill requiring public hearings when insurers seek to raise health insurance premiums by more than 10 percent passed the Senate unanimously Monday after being revised significantly. But Insurance Commissioner Thomas B. Leonardi still sees it as an “unnecessary mandate,” his spokeswoman said. “We just don’t think the legislation is necessary,” Connecticut Insurance Department […]
Posted inNews
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear challenge to California’s immigrant tuition law
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a California law similar to a bill passed in Connecticut granting in-state tuition to some undocumented immigrants. The California law and the Connecticut measure both grant in-state tuition to such students if they complete a minimum amount of their high school educations in state–three years in […]
Posted inNews
New federal money available to battle chronic diseases
Federal health officials are preparing to dole out $40 million to states for comprehensive initiatives that combat chronic diseases. Part of the health care reform law, the new money is focused on reducing the nation’s five leading chronic disease-related causes of death and disability: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. To win the money, […]
Posted inNews
More consolidation, investment needed for job growth
Governor Malloy will be focusing on development of economic policies which will hopefully promote the kind of job growth that has eluded Connecticut for decades. The Connecticut economy has created zero jobs in the last 20 years. We are an extremely expensive place to do business; state government is perceived, correctly or not, as anti […]
Posted inNews
Energy bill sought by Malloy wins final passage
In a bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday night to a complex bill sought by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and negotiated by his environmental commissioner to remake how Connecticut procures and regulates the generation, purchase and delivery of electricity. The legislation approved 138 to 9 both refines and expands a sweeping […]
Posted inNews
After 8½-hour debate, Senate closes the book on the next budget
The Senate closed the book Tuesday on the next state budget, approving a final package of adjustments that plugged a $400 million hole, canceled a controversial utility bill surcharge, and effectively granted advance approval to a $1.6 billion union concession deal. The budget policy bill, which now heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, also would […]
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Legislators send marijuana decrim bill to the governor
Connecticut legislators have voted to join eight other states in making possession of small amounts of marijuana a low-level offense that will no longer saddle violators with a lifelong criminal record. “Many of us do struggle with this issue as we try to do the right thing. … But there’s a difference between a few […]
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Malloy, Esty refuse to examine controversial Haddam land swap
What to do when a land deal sought by a political ally becomes a hot potato? If you are Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his environmental commissioner, Daniel C. Esty, the answer is lay low while the legislative session winds down. The Malloy Administration on Monday ignored the latest challenge to review a proposal by […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Esty refuses to say if legislators should approve Haddam land swap
Legislators trying to judge the propriety conveying open space in Haddam for a development project overlooking the Connecticut River will have to make do without the opinion of Daniel C. Esty, the commissioner of environmental protection. Esty today declined to respond to a request yesterday from three legislators on the Environment Committee for his opinion […]
Posted inEducation
Legislature sends bills to governor aimed at landing RttT money
The House has voted to send two bills aimed at helping the state land new federal Race to the Top money for early childhood education to the governor’s desk. The bills provide funding for preschool teachers to earn degrees, begin testing kindergarten students on their reading and education development and require principals to report to the […]
Posted inNews
Northeastern states leading economic recovery
The New England and Mideast regions are leading the nation in growth in their gross domestic products, according to new statistics by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. The 2010 GDP region-wide grew by 3.4 percent and 3.8 percent respectively, compared with 2.6 percent nationally. The growth was not uniform, however. In New England fort […]
Posted inEducation
Educators seek to bridge early school years
A relatively new reform movement known as PreK-3 is aiming to help children sustain educational gains made in pre-kindergarten as they enter their elementary school years, Sarah Garland writes at The Hechinger Report. Although the movement is only about 5 years old, it is rooted in research going back to the 60s showing that while […]