Yankee Institute Blog
CTtransit hit with OSHA violation after union says drivers sickened by disinfectant spray
CTtransit in Hartford, a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, has been issued a serious violation notice and a proposed $7,111 penalty by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after chemicals known to cause respiratory and skin...
Hotels hang by a thread waiting for more federal aid: “The risk is tremendous.”
The Connecticut Restaurant Association estimates that as many as 600 restaurants have closed permanently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent business restrictions but another wave of closures in the leisure and hospitality industry may rest on the...
Senators Haskell and Kasser file new tolls bill for 2021
Senators Will Haskell, D-Westport, and Alexandra Kasser, D-Greenwich, have filed a bill authorizing the Department of Transportation to install electronic tolls on Connecticut’s interstate highways and parts of Route 15. The debate over tolls was put to rest in late...
Connecticut signs onto tax fight against Massachusetts, New York in lawsuit targeting telecommuters; over $400 million at stake
If you live in Connecticut but work in New York, you end up paying income taxes in New York and receiving a credit from the state of Connecticut, known as the convenience rule. But what happens when a pandemic causes people to start working remotely from home? That is...
“Major Issue:” Connecticut to face big borrowing crunch in 2022
As Connecticut’s legislature is sworn in, lawmakers and the governor will enter into the 2021 legislative session with a hefty Rainy Day fund but, because of the pandemic, also face lower revenue, budget deficits and a very tight credit crunch. According to the Office...
House Republicans: Vaccinate teachers next
As Connecticut’s teacher unions continue to push for remote learning, House Republicans yesterday sent a letter to the co-chairs of Connecticut’s Vaccine Advisory Group asking that school teachers and school employees over the age of 55 be moved to the front of...
Carol’s Column: 2021 – A Year for Freedom and Opportunity
Welcome to 2021! I’ve always believed it’s just human nature to welcome the new – it is, after all, a fresh start, limited only by the imagination’s boundaries. Perhaps for that reason, I found myself once again engaged in an annual ritual of formulating a resolution...
Connecticut saw more high-income people on the move in 2020, according to United Van Lines study
United Van Lines released its National Migration Study on Monday and, despite the pandemic and a hot real estate market, Connecticut was once again in the top five states that saw more people moving out. According to the study, 63.5 percent of the state’s migration...
House Republicans call on Lamont to suspend state employee raises, FMLA payroll deduction
The new year will bring another round of wage increases for state employees and a new payroll deduction for everyone else, and House Republicans are calling of Gov. Ned Lamont to suspend both in light of the pandemic. “Main street businesses are struggling under...
New Haven Local 884 union president canned by AFSMCE International
AFSCME International removed New Haven Local 884 President Doreen Rhodes and Treasurer Carl Alford from their positions in the union and issued them two-year suspensions after AFSCME’s Judicial Panel determined they had knowingly withheld up to $90,000 in dues...