Republican legislators’ hopes for a pre-campaign season debate on the mammoth-sized deficit facing state government in 14 months were dashed this weekend, prompting GOP leaders to accuse Gov. M. Jodi Rell of ducking the problem. And while majority Democrats in the General Assembly dismissed the minority’s objections as mere posturing, the Republican governor took a […]

Two jobs bills are headed for Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s desk, one she has promised to sign and the other she will veto. Rell says she will sign a green jobs-creation bill overwhelmingly passed Saturday by the House and Senate. But she will veto a bill passed early Sunday that creates a tax on bonuses defined as “excessive” […]

The gulf between Gov. M. Jodi Rell and fellow Republicans in the legislature tore open this afternoon as House and Senate GOP leaders accused the lame duck governor of abandoning any effort to alleviate the multi-billion-dollar deficit she is on pace to hand off to her successor next year. Rell’s office declined any immediate comment, but […]

A bill to cancel more than $420 million in planned state government borrowing, including funds for dozens of small projects in state legislators’ home districts, is now on its way to Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s desk. The House of Representatives voted 145-0 Saturday to adopt the measure, which passed unanimously in the Senate on Friday and […]

State lawmakers plan to investigate the recent dismissal of Southern Connecticut State University president Cheryl Norton and the disclosure that Norton will remain on the payroll along with her interim replacement. The co-chairmen of the legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee said they will schedule a hearing where they also will ask about a […]

The Senate voted unanimously Friday to tighten the limit on state government’s credit card as lawmakers adopted a bill to cancel or reduce planned borrowing for dozens of community and regional projects in their home districts. The measure, which now heads to the House of Representatives, also reduces bond authorizations for tourism programs, open space preservation […]

A Democratic “jobs” bill that taxes large bonuses paid by companies that got federal bailouts to pay for a small-business tax break passed the Senate Friday mostly along party lines. The bill eliminates the annual $250 business registration fee for small businesses, taxes bonuses over $500,000 from companies bailed out by the federal government and […]

The state Senate voted Friday for a sweeping overhaul of Connecticut’s public schools, approving a bill designed to help the state qualify for millions of dollars in federal school reform funds. Among other things, the bill calls for tougher graduation standards, a fast-track training program for principals, an expansion of charter schools and a system […]

In a rare move of bipartisan frugality, the state Senate unanimously adopted a bill this afternoon that cancels $422 million in planned borrowing to keep state government’s credit card under its statutory limit. The measure, which now heads to the House of Representatives, cancels dozens of community and regional projects in legislators’ home districts and […]

The House overwhelmingly voted in favor of providing tax incentives to school systems that use buses with 3-point seat belts, paid for by increasing the fines to reinstate suspended licenses. Seat belts on school buses got a fresh impetus following the death of a student from Rocky Hill in bus crash earlier this year. The Transportation […]

The statue of limitations for civil actions in child sex abuse cases will not be extended this year, as state lawmakers conceded today they cannot pass the bill this legislative session. “You’re running a marathon, not a sprint,” said Sen.Mary Ann Handley, D-Manchester, recognizing that time was not on their side with the legislature having […]

The Connecticut Mirror is beginning its new commentary section, CTCommons, just as the 2010 session of the General Assembly is drawing to a close-and we invite you to mark both occasions with your thoughts on the legislature’s work. What went right? What went wrong? How will the events of the last three months at the […]

State revenues were projected to increase without the help of a tax hike for the first time in 2 ½ years in a new report released late Thursday by Executive and Legislative branch analysts. But don’t break out the champagne just yet. The nearly $406 million in annual extra revenues Connecticut can expect by 2011-12 […]

Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision opening the door for corporations and organizations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political speech, state lawmakers are proposing a measure to require that such spending be disclosed. “We banned this type of spending in Connecticut for a reason, but now that’s unconstitutional,” said Rep. James F. Spallone, […]

A thaw in one of the General Assembly’s chilliest relationships has produced a sweeping, 11th-hour proposal to overhaul Connecticut’s electric regulatory structure and subsidize solar energy. Setting aside three years of conflict, Sen. John W. Fonfara, D-Hartford, and Rep. Vickie O. Nardello, D-Prospect, are collaborating on what could be the biggest energy bill since deregulation […]