Over the past year, Connecticut’s Auditors of Public Accounts have found instances of workplace violence, benefits paid to deceased individuals, abuse of overtime, state agencies that violate both state policy and union contracts and “massive […]
Republicans in Naugatuck have called for the resignation of Naugatuck Tax Collector Jim Goggin and other public officials after an audit of the Naugatuck Tax Collectors Office by the State of Connecticut found multiple issues […]
Despite increasing General Fund revenue by $2.52 billion over the next two years, Connecticut will still face billion-dollar budget deficits from 2022 through 2024, according to a budget report released by the Office of Fiscal […]
The PCA Workforce Council contract passed by the legislature in 2018 requires the personal and bank account information of personal care attendants to be transferred to SEIU 1199 if the federal government ends automatic union […]
SEIU Healthcare 1199NE held a rally outside the offices of Allied Community Resources in Enfield on October 14 saying the company has not been paying personal care attendants on time. But the rally may be […]
Yankee Letter Across Connecticut, the teacher pension system is not working for teachers, taxpayers or children. And it has the potential to fail current and future retirees if it is not equitably and carefully reformed […]
A new study from the Manhattan Institute, a free-market think tank based in New York City, reported improvements for one of Connecticut’s underfunded long-term debts – namely its medical benefits for state retirees and teachers. […]
** For the full study including charts and graphs, please download the PDF** Yankee Letter Across Connecticut, the teacher pension system is not working for teachers, taxpayers or children. And it has the potential to […]
A joint public hearing before the Judicial and Labor and Public Employees Committee was held at the Capitol today to consider a working draft bill to change state regulations regarding wages for restaurant servers. The […]
While perhaps not as big a box-office flop as The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Connecticut’s film tax credit program hasn’t resulted in significant job growth or economic gains, according to a new study conducted by the […]
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.