At the end of every session, power shifts to the minority

With the legislature’s adjournment deadline of May 5 fast approaching, the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus suddenly found itself with new political muscle Monday. Its members staged an ad hoc filibuster over Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s nomination of 10 white lawyers to the Superior Court and pressed for Rell to nominate a minority lawyer. Their […]

Tom Marsh, the Republican first selectman of Chester, announced today he is running for governor as an independent. An excerpt of his announcement: “On January 14th, after much careful consideration, my wife Kathy and I drove to Hartford and submitted the paperwork necessary to form an Exploratory Committee for statewide office. As a result of […]

The legislature’s Judiciary Committee today postponed a confirmation vote on an all-white class of nine judicial nominees after an ad hoc filibuster by black and Puerto Rican legislators. Members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus are pressuring Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration to add a minority lawyer to what may be her last group […]

The House Majority Leader today said she plans to introduce legislation that will make it illegal to pay someone to register voters. “Any practice like this is fraught with the potential for voter fraud,” said Rep. Denise W. Merrill, D-Mansfield, who is a candidate for secretary of the state. The issue arose after the Stamford […]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave Connecticut a face-saving pat on the back Monday, saying the state is well-positioned to obtain federal transportation stimulus dollars to develop a high-speed rail corridor from New Haven to Springfield. “Connecticut has its act together,” LaHood said. “And Connecticut will be connected with intercity, high-speed passenger rail because of […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell came to work today on the 8:38 a.m. Amtrak out of New Haven, commuting with Connecticut’s other high-profile lame duck, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. They shared a car with the U.S. transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, and other VIPs from Massachusetts and Connecticut to talk about federal dollars for high-speed rail from […]

Della Fothergill says she is able to work full time because the state helps pay for her childcare expenses. But before the 28 year-old single mother was able to begin receiving the Care 4 Kids subsidy, she had to wait for the Department of Social Services to begin accepting applications again. She said she would […]

Forget next year’s $726 million budget shortfall, and the billions in deficits projected for the years ahead. Right now, for this brief moment, the current state budget may actually be in the black. Neglected in all the deficit angst, that short-term fiscal good news came in a report from the Office of Policy and Management, […]

Marijuana may turn a new shade of green if Sen. Robert J. Kane has his way: He sees the illegal substance as a potential pot of tax money for Connecticut’s municipalities. “This is easy money,” said Kane, R-Watertown, who wants to allow towns to collect a tax on marijuana and other controlled substances seized by […]

Democratic legislative leaders today said they will not act on the deal between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Judicial Branch over nine judicial nominations until an overall budget agreement is reached. “A few weeks ago I made it clear to the governor, that with the issue of judges and the judicial [branch] budget, […]

Lawmakers and representatives of education groups moved closer Thursday to crafting a bill designed to shake up Connecticut’s public schools and help the state qualify for millions of dollars in federal school reform funds. Among other things, the bill would require more rigorous evaluations of teachers, a fast-track training program for principals and tougher graduation […]

Towns may be able to reduce the number of polling places they open for the August party primary elections under a bill being considered by the General Assembly aimed at saving municipalities money. “It’s extremely expensive to have this many polling places open,” said Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz. The bill also is supported […]

A key piece of Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s plan to close the deficit in next year’s budget hinges on a legal question with a murky answer: Can the state offer its employees retirement incentives without their unions’ approval? Rell’s budget office says yes. The unions say no, and add that they have “deep concerns” about […]

Nine judicial nominations threatened by a court funding fight will go forward as a result of an agreement reached by Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration and the judicial branch. The administration has agreed to forgo $7.8 million in cuts that were anticipated by the end of the fiscal year and to pledge a more collaborative […]

The Senate approved a bill that would extend the current ban on smoking in the workplace to small businesses that are now exempt. The state passed landmark legislation in 2003 banning smoking in restaurants, bars and businesses, except in a designated ventilated smoking room, but exempted businesses with five or fewer employees. Sen. Jonathan A. […]