Connecticut Worst in New England…Again For the third consecutive year, Connecticut ranks as the 47th worst state in the nation — as well as worst in New England — for individual tax climate according to […]
With public hearings now over, Connecticut lawmakers will be voting on more than 700 bills until session’s end, June 6 — and most of them steer away from expanding free market principles and individual liberties. […]
Dissenters and other free thinkers be warned — college campuses are no longer safe spaces for you. Last month, one of America’s most prestigious graduate schools, Stanford Law School, made headlines after its diversity dean […]
Until the session’s end on June 6, Connecticut lawmakers will be voting on more than 700 bills ranging from government transparency, the environment, education, healthcare and — of course — taxes and spending. Since January, […]
What’s the Big Secret? The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) has reached its cut-off for introducing new bills. More than 700 bills have been voted out of the 24 different committees — most coming from The Government […]
Connecticut is ready for its Hollywood close-up — but at what cost? The movie industry’s glitz and glamour has lured lawmakers to introduce a new bill expanding the film tax credit, established by the General […]
In an era when disagreement looms large on a variety of issues, surely all of us agree on the importance of protecting our environment. We breathe the same air, drink the same water — and […]
Saying the Quiet Part Out loud The Appropriations Committee— the spending arm of the legislature — met on Tuesday (April 18) to reveal their spending plan for the next biennial. The $51 billion two-year spending […]
The University of Connecticut believes a new bill requiring public institutions of higher education to adopt a freedom of expression policy by Jan. 1, 2024, is “not necessary.” During a Higher Education and Employment Advancement […]
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee regarding HB 6929: An Act Concerning the Film and Digital Media Production Tax Credits. My name is Bryce Chinault 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.