Two bills that would tax workers in Connecticut to fund paid time off for family medical needs are working through the legislature, yet the proposals don't say what the tax rate will be. Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 6212 would create a state trust fund into which employees would pay a percentage of their income and be guaranteed 12 weeks of leave with pay up to $1,000 per week.
As American politics becomes increasingly divisive and at times violent, two bills threaten to force nonprofits that take issue positions to report the names of their supporters or members to the state government. House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, an employee of the powerful government union AFSCME, introduced one of the bills. The government administration and elections committee introduced a second proposal.
Should Connecticut repeal the estate and gift taxes? Should members of the military and their spouses be forced to jump through the red tape of Connecticut's occupational licensing laws? These are just two of the many bills that were debated throughout this week. Below is a run down on which bills Yankee testified on and our position.
As Connecticut’s legislature moves forward debating bills, know that Yankee Institute is at the capitol giving voice to the hard-working people of Connecticut. In just the last week, Yankee Institute has testified in person or in writing on 13 bills brought up for public hearings. Here is a list of the ideas we supported and opposed.
In its administrative report to the governor, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, which is tasked with investigating claims of discrimination in employment and housing, claimed that it had “the best production rate" of any similar agency by securing $10,250,000 in discrimination settlements from employers and property owners during FY16. But some employers and property owners liken the CHRO's practices to “extortion” and claim they are forced to settle with claimants to avoid a longer and more costly fight.
Connecticut is naughty both for energy policy and energy prices. According to the Pacific Research Institute’s most recent 50 State Index of Energy Regulation, Connecticut has a lot of work to do. The state’s regulatory scheme ranks 47 in the country. The Index measures the regulatory burdens placed on consumers and producers of energy by each state, ranking them accordingly.