“Decoupling” is the fashionable term for the United States’ efforts to extricate itself from its dependence on Chinese manufacturing. “Dissolution” is the term often used by business partners who are ready to go their separate […]
A special legislative session is more than likely to happen, according to Speaker of the House Matt Ritter (D-Hartford). Speaking to the WTIC-AM 1080 Brian and Company show on Jan. 23, Ritter was asked whether there […]
Despite the unemployment rate rising from 3.6% to 3.8% in December, the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) assured that 2023 overall was a year of “solid growth” with the “highest two-year job growth than in […]
Sen. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), has been part of the Connecticut Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC) since 2013; but his involvement may be ending, and not on his own volition. On Jan. 14, an online […]
Rumors have been circulating within the Capitol this week that lawmakers may be summoned for a special session. This session expected just weeks before the General Assembly resumes on Feb. 7, may involve a controversial […]
The U.S. Census Bureau unveiled state-specific statistics last month for the years 2022 and 2023, revealing that from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, Connecticut experienced a rise in its total population of 8,470. […]
It’s been less than a month since the State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC) dismissed allegations of election misconduct against Fairfield’s Democrat Registrar Matthew Waggner in the 2022 election. However, new claims have surfaced. This time, […]
The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is requesting public comments from Connecticut residents by midnight Friday, Jan.12, regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Program, which was established under the 2022 […]
On Wednesday (Jan. 10), the Motor Vehicle Property Tax Taskforce reconvened for the second time this week with a specific focus on the subcommittee Collecting Revenue at the Local Level. The committee discussed potential strategies […]
In a recent nationwide study on religious liberty laws in all 50 states, Connecticut ranked 29th in best protecting the right guaranteed in the First Amendment. Illinois claimed the top spot, followed by South Carolina […]
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.