As the state launches a fresh marketing campaign to lure and retain families and businesses, Connecticut is still suffering under one of the nation’s most burdensome tax climates, according to a new study by the […]
After operating a food pantry for half a decade, the Faith Temple Assemblies of God in Hartford faced a setback in their efforts to expand their outreach. The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals denied the […]
For the second consecutive month, Connecticut’s unemployment rate (3.5%) is below the national average (3.8%), while state employers added 3,200 jobs, according to the Department of Labor (DOL) September Jobs Report. The unemployment rate is […]
There was “little interest” from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to expand into the Connecticut Valley when a delegation of sachems offered land in exchange for protection against the Mohawks and Pequots. Yet the English reconsidered […]
Gov. Ned Lamont decided to rescind regulations that would require all new vehicles purchased in Connecticut to be electric. We thank the governor and his team for listening to you! Your efforts made this unprecedented […]
The Connecticut People’s World Committee announced on Wednesday (Oct. 11) that Sen. Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) is slated to receive an award at its annual Amistad Awards on Saturday, Dec. 9. The gathering, hosted by […]
The Connecticut State Labor Board recently issued a ruling favoring the police union in a case involving the Town of Windham/Willimantic Service District. Windham’s vaccine mandate stood as one of the strictest in the state […]
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced its intent to adopt California’s regulation prohibiting the sale of new gas cars by 2035. According to a letter sent Tuesday (Oct. 3) to the Legislative […]
In response to Gov. Ned Lamont’s request for a special session, the General Assembly met on Tuesday (Sept. 26) to approve a new state Supreme Court Justice and to adopt a bill making minor technical […]
The Town of Beacon Falls’ electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are currently out of order and “no longer available for public use until further notice” at a local commuter lot, according to a Sept. 29 […]
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.