WASHINGTON — The pool of candidates for Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s congressional seat grew again on Wednesday as Waterbury teacher Jahana Hayes joined the race as a Democrat. Hayes was the 2016 National Teacher of the Year.
Congress
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Middletown’s Drew says he won’t run for Esty’s seat
WASHINGTON — Middletown Mayor Dan Drew said Tuesday he has decided against running for Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s congressional seat.
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Barden, Hockley say they won’t run for Esty’s seat
Updated at 5:50 p.m.
WASHINGTON – Sandy Hook Promise founders Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden on Friday said they have decided against running for Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s congressional seat. Meanwhile, former Newtown Rabbi Shaul Praver announced his intention to enter the race.
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CT tax chief slams key GOP lawmaker over online sales tax issue
WASHINGTON – Kevin Sullivan, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Revenue Services, lashed out at the Republican head of a key congressional committee on Friday, accusing the lawmaker of bottling up a bill that would help Connecticut and other states collect taxes from online purchases.
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‘Enough is Enough,’ CT marchers tell Washington
WASHINGTON — The March for Our Lives attracted thousands of students and supporters from Connecticut and hundreds of thousands from across the nation demanding change – not only in the nation’s gun laws but the makeup of Congress. Organized by students after 17 people were killed at a Parkland, Fla., high school last month, it also mobilized activists who have been fighting gun violence since 20 schoolchildren and six educators were slaughtered in Newtown a little more than five years ago.
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CT colleges pay to play in Washington
WASHINGTON — Universities across the United States spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year lobbying in Washington, including the University of Connecticut and Yale. A main reason: They are in a tight competition for a dwindling pot of federal research money.
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CT Dems pan Trump infrastructure plan
WASINGTON – President Donald Trump rolled out his long-awaited infrastructure plan on Monday, which was quickly panned by Connecticut’s Democratic lawmakers, who are backing a rival proposal. Both plans face major challenges on the road to becoming reality.
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Community health centers, facing fund cutoff, get short reprieve
Despite congressional inaction, the federal agency that oversees community health centers has sent money to some centers in Connecticut and committed this week to send funding to more, giving them a temporary reprieve from potential layoffs and cuts to services.
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Despite shutdown deal’s promise, CT immigrant youth still in limbo
WASHINGTON — A deal that ended the brief government shutdown included a promise to hasten a debate in Congress over immigration, but good intentions have run into political realities that are putting the fate of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants in Connecticut in doubt.
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Arora puts up big money in bid to unseat Himes
WASHINGTON – With his base in wealthy Fairfield County, Rep. Jim Himes is a top campaign fundraiser, but the Democrat has a new Republican challenger who says he plans to rival the incumbent in raising political money.
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CT extends HUSKY B coverage for kids again, now through March
Connecticut officials have again extended health care coverage for more than 17,000 children and teenagers in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), this time through March 31. The program is known as HUSKY B in Connecticut.
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CT extends health care coverage for kids through February
Connecticut officials have pushed back their deadline to end health care coverage for more than 17,000 children and teenagers to Feb. 28 because of partial funding approved by Congress before Christmas.
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CT reviewing lifeline Congress throws children’s health program
Connecticut officials said Friday they were unsure what the temporary lifeline Congress threw the Children’s Health Insurance Program — known as Husky B in Connecticut — would mean for the state.
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Shays wrote the law, but wants reform of Congress’s sexual harassment policy
Former Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays, who sponsored the House bill that established the Office of Compliance 20 years ago, said secret settlements weren’t the goal of his legislation. He wants the House rules changed to increase transparency and shift responsibility for payouts to the accused.
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Internet giants say they are open to new political-ad rules
WASHINGTON — When it comes to disclosures about political ads, the Internet was like the Wild West, with few regulations that required them to lift the veil on those using social media to influence voters, a situation that allowed Russian operatives to meddle in U.S. elections last year. But that may be changing thanks to political pressure from lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal.