Re-Energize Connecticut – Download Full Report Re-Energize Connecticut – One-Page Overview Connecticut’s people suffer from some of the highest electricity rates in the nation. Electricity is a top budget priority for every household, but there […]
After failing to eliminate the subminimum wage during the last legislative session, the out-of-state advocacy group — One Fair Wage (OFW) — is once again spearheading efforts to get the bill passed. The proposed legislation […]
On Wednesday, March 20, a revised draft of Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal to expand Connecticut’s paid sick leave law was made available exclusively to legislators. This updated version redefines the term family member to now […]
Irish immigration to Connecticut can be traced to the early 1600s, hundreds of years prior to the Revolutionary War. While some emigres from the Emerald Isle journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean as adventurers and soldiers, […]
In Connecticut, public schools are consistently failing to meet the needs of children from low-income families. Despite calls for help from parents and local communities, teacher unions continue to be a roadblock to progress for these […]
In a move to combat the ongoing nursing shortage in Connecticut, a bill sponsored by Gov. Ned Lamont successfully cleared the Public Health Committee on Monday (March 11). The bill paves the way for […]
Submitted by David Flemming, Director of Policy and Research March 13, 2024 Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Planning & Development Committee in support of S.B. 333. My name is David Flemming, and I […]
Submitted by Frank Ricci, Labor Fellow March 12, 2024 Thank you for the opportunity to testify in opposition to SB 413: The proposed bill, AN ACT CONCERNING PREDICTABLE SCHEDULING, raises concerns about government intrusion into […]
The Transportation Committee is holding a public hearing on Wednesday (March 13) on a bill that creates an Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Coordinating Council charged with submitting a draft “Zero-Emission Vehicle Roadmap.” The bill requires […]
Over the past year, Connecticut’s labor market added 11,200 new positions across its industry supersectors, increasing the total payroll jobs to 1.70 million — a 16-year-high, according to the state’s Department of Labor (DOL) annual benchmark […]
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.