An unelected state regulatory board in California is expected to issue a rule on Thursday banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Connecticut is legally bound to follow. According to a law […]
The Legislative Office Building remains closed with the governor stating that May 20 is the earliest date for deciding when, and if, schools will reopen along with other parts of the Connecticut economy. In terms […]
We are all aware there will be a fiscal fallout affecting Connecticut’s economy and budget due to COVID-19. This week Connecticut Voices for Children unveiled their recommendations for addressing the COVID -19 crisis, and they […]
With the increasing number of Connecticut residents testing positive for COVID-19, legislative leaders have decided to postpone the 2020 legislative session until April 20th. We hear legislative leaders have been communicating daily with their respective […]
As we reported last week, the state Capitol has been closed until March 30. We are hearing this could be extended as Governor Lamont and leadership continue to meet to discuss a plan moving forward. […]
The coronavirus has shut down the Capitol and LOB until March 30 as a full “disinfecting” of the building is being done. In addition, there will be no public hearings next week. While the building […]
It was a whirlwind week at the Capitol as various committees held public hearings and committee meetings. On Monday, the Transportation Committee held a public hearing on several bills, including SB 213, the Governor’s CT2030 […]
The 2020 Legislative Session continues to move along at a rapid pace with committee meetings and public hearings. Criminal Justice: The Chairs of the Judiciary Committee held a press conference this week announcing the committee would […]
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) recently announced a complicated set of rules for a “shared solar” energy pilot program. There’s nothing wrong with the basic idea – allowing people who live where rooftop […]
It is a genuine law of economics, because it is a central law of human nature: if you tax something, you get less of it. A necessary corollary: most taxes bring in less revenue than […]
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.