The Senate today unanimously passed and sent to the House a complex, bipartisan energy bill that creates a new energy department and changes how the state regulates and procures electricity in the hopes of lowering the highest electric rates in the continental United States. An initiative of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the new Department of […]
Senate unanimously passes sweeping energy bill
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Lawmakers to end utility surcharge, but keep $40M collected so far
State legislators were expected to vote today on a bill that would cancel a controversial surcharge on residential and business utility bills without returning about $40 million already collected from Connecticut Light & Power Co. customers since January. The provision in an omnibus policy bill designed to help implement the $40.11 billion biennial budget adopted […]
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Final 3 days: Energy bill expected to pass Senate today
The Senate plans today to begin the last three days of the 2011 session by passing a massive energy bill, while the House is expected to give final legislative approval to an $864 million plan to revamp the UConn Health Center. Both bills are priorities of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, and both have drawn some […]
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Legislature hoping third try will be the charm in RttT competition
With the announcement of a new pot of federal Race to the Top education grants, state legislators are hoping a series of initiatives including tracking student outcomes, consolidating early education programs and providing funding for teachers to earn degrees will bring success after two failures. The state Senate passed the bills last week; the House […]
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Health insurance rate “symposium” bill clears Senate
The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill that gives the attorney general and healthcare advocate authority to have the insurance commissioner call public “symposiums” on proposals to increase rates on health insurance policies by more than 10 percent. They could also require the insurance commissioner to call hearings on proposals to raise long-term care […]
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Senate passes SustiNet compromise bill
A compromise bill on the proposed SustiNet state-run insurance plan passed the Senate 22 to 14 Monday, clearing the way for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature. SustiNet supporters cheered and hugged in the hall outside the Senate chamber after the vote, despite warnings from Republicans that the bill did not resemble the universal health care […]
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Report: Impact of global warming on agriculture has been understated
Scientists are beginning to believe that earlier projections of the effect of global warming on the world’s food supply have understated the impact of climate change on agriculture, Justin Gillis reports in The New York Times. For many years, scientists predicted that the effects of climate change on agriculture would be manageable–perhaps even beneficial, as […]
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Malloy signs into law bill scrapping college requirement for substitute teachers
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill that requires substitute teachers to just have a high school diploma to be hired, scrapping the requirement that every teacher have a bachelor’s degree. “We’ve heard from a lot of districts [the requirement is] causing a burden on them,” Rep. Andy Fleischmann, D-West Hartford and co-chairman of […]
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State Education Board Chairman ‘hopeful’ nomination for next education commissioner not far off
After pushing back the application deadline because of a less-then-appealing pool of candidates for the state’s top education job, State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said they have since received several more applications. “There are some encouraging signs,” he said Monday, declining to name individual applicants that have him so encouraged. “There is definitely more […]
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Pratt officials come to Washington–but not to lobby against GE provision
Top executives from Pratt & Whitney made the trek from Hartford to Washington on Monday, in part to brief defense reporters on the status of the company’s Joint Strike Fighter engine-the F135. During the 2-hour session at a swanky Washington club, Bennett Croswell, president of Pratt’s military engines division, downplayed the effort by Pratt’s rival, […]
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House passes bill allowing “expedited partner therapy”
Doctors who diagnose a patient with chlamydia or gonorrhea would be allowed to prescribe antibiotics to the patient’s partners without examining them, under a bill the House passed Monday. The measure was included in a bill that makes a wide range of changes to public health statutes, including allowing Connecticut licensing boards to discipline a […]
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High school dropout age will increase to 18 in three school years
State Representatives have voted to wait for three school years to raise the age to 18 that students must be to dropout of high school. The dropout age for the upcoming school year will be 17, but legislators had been considering increasing that to 18. A bill passed in the House Monday will increase the […]
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State workers say health care concessions are biggest worry
Questions about changes to their health coverage are the biggest concern state employees have about the $1.6 billion concession deal between the Malloy Administration and union leaders, workers who attended a closed-door briefing at the State Armory Saturday told reporters afterward. “People are always concerned about change. None of us do change well,” Paul Kalajian […]
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Wyman breaks tie to get marijuana decriminalization past Senate
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman used her tie-breaking vote for the first time Saturday to win Senate passage of a bill significantly decreasing the penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill, which is backed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, now goes to the House, where its prospects are uncertain. “Time’s running short, we […]
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Senate adopts airport authority bill
The state Senate unanimously approved a measure Saturday creating a new quasi-public authority to operate Bradley International and the state’s five smaller airports. The bill, which would create a new nine-member Connecticut Airport Authority composed of public- and private-sector representatives to replace the existing Bradley Board of Directors, now moves to the House of Representatives. […]