Connecticut has too much red tape, and this year lawmakers from both parties are taking action to cut it. Unemployment for people ages 25 to 34 in Connecticut is abysmal, one of the 10 worst states and in close competition with Mississippi. This depressing statistic should motivate reform, especially the need to cut red tape for people starting their careers.
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned Wednesday a New York law that prevented businesses from charging an extra fee for credit card purchases. The ruling could affect a nearly identical law in Connecticut. Merchants in Connecticut and nine other states can only offer customers a "discount" for using cash but can not charge a "surcharge" for using a credit card.
Despite pushing a tax on grocery bags and a state carbon tax due to environmental concerns, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Branford, voted against allowing electric vehicle makers to sell their products directly to consumers in Connecticut.
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.