Gov. Ned Lamont followed through this week on a promise that sent shockwaves through his party: he vetoed S.B. 8, a bill that would have offered unemployment benefits to workers who strike after two weeks. […]
Connecticut has a problem with its major cities. In two separate 2025 WalletHub studies, Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury were among the least affordable housing markets in America. Moreover, Bridgeport and New Haven […]
Yankee Institute commends Gov. Ned Lamont for vetoing two detrimental bills: S.B. 8, which would have provided unemployment benefits to striking workers, and H.B. 5002, an omnibus housing bill that threatened local decision-making. “We appreciate […]
In politics, it’s not uncommon for a lawmaker to tailor their message to different audiences but Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport) is taking the art of double-speak to a whole new level. In the span of […]
On Monday, June 16, the Connecticut AFL-CIO — the state’s largest labor union — protested outside the Governor’s Mansion in Hartford, demanding that Gov. Ned Lamont sign a bill (S.B. 8) that would offer unemployment […]
During a union-organized rally last night outside the Governor’s Mansion to pressure Gov. Lamont to sign S.B. 8, a digital billboard truck operated by Yankee Institute was vandalized. The vehicle, displaying messages critical of a […]
On June 16, the manicured lawns outside Gov. Ned Lamont’s Hartford mansion will serve as the stage for a union-backed protest. Organized by the Connecticut AFL-CIO — the state’s largest labor union — the demonstration […]
Given a choice between protecting environmental goals or energy affordability, Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport) insinuated he’d prefer the former during a June 6 legislative session review hosted by environmental activist group Connecticut League of Conservation […]
The Connecticut General Assembly’s 2025 session ended June 4, with Gov. Ned Lamont and lawmakers approving a $55.8 billion biennial budget. The governor hailed it as a “balanced, sensible budget” with significant investments in education […]
Imagine visiting European museums, only to discover sparce walls and empty galleries. No Michelangelos. No Da Vincis. No Caravaggios. No Roman sculptures. Or imagine vacationing in Italy and not marveling at its wonderous monuments and […]
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.