This might be more painful than actually stepping on a LEGO. The LEGO Group announced on Jan. 24 it will be shipping its U.S.-based headquarters to Boston by the end of 2026, moving from […]
Connecticut state lawmakers—with support from government unions—are pushing a bill that would allow up to 10 senators and representatives access to anyone’s tax return under the guise of promoting equity and fairness in Connecticut’s tax system. […]
Governor Lamont’s administration still hasn’t revealed the terms of new labor agreements negotiated with state employee unions. But the unions themselves aren’t being shy about the deal they scored. The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition […]
Connecticut’s largest public employee union is working to block a bill designed to fix a loophole which has potentially kept an unknown number of otherwise-disqualified cops on the job. Council 4 of the American Federation […]
A proposal in the Connecticut General Assembly’s Energy and Technology committee would apply a “community access support” charge to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and other streaming video services by making them subject to the surcharge now […]
More than 8,000 Connecticut businesses registered with the state’s new paid leave agency but haven’t paid into the system, leaving state officials wondering how many registered unnecessarily—and how many will face penalties. Officials with the […]
A proposed bill would give state agencies new powers to sue private employers—and would let the state labor commissioner steer a portion of the proceeds to hand-picked labor unions. The legislation (HB 5245) is designed […]
Almost 370 people signed up to testify at yesterday’s legislative forum about Governor Lamont’s executive orders, and less than half of the would-be speakers got their three minutes after being picked in “randomized order.” Kate Dias […]
Governor Ned Lamont on Wednesday unveiled a “series of tax cuts” he’s proposing as part of his FY2023 budget. The plan, which centers on the governor’s 2018 pledge to reduce property taxes, is heavy on […]
Low temperatures in New England this morning, and the resultant demand on natural gas supply, left the electric grid leaning heavily on two older fuels to keep the lights on: oil and coal. As of 10 am, the New England grid was getting […]
The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4th and will adjourn on June 7th. The “long session,” as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts.
What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? What tax reform proposals will there be? What can be done to lower home heating bills? How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements?
While we wait to see the thousands of individual and committee bills that while dominate the myriad policy debates this year, Yankee Institute is hard at work promoting free-market solutions to the problems we face from Stamford to Putnam and Mystic to Salisbury. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticut’s government work for its residents.
Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! And that’s why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s also imperative that we do so. As we noted in a report and CT Mirror op-ed last year, the debate over whether we’re in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. We had more people employed in the private sector in 2007 than we do today. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. We’re not attracting innovation and industry. We’re losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where it’s easier to make a living.
But together, we can reverse this trend.
At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet! Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive – and with your help, it will be.