Environmental activist organization, The Sierra Club, issued a press release in December pulling their support from the Transportation and Climate Initiative, saying the emissions goals were “too weak” and there is little evidence emission reductions […]
Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan for Connecticut to participate in the Transportation and Climate Initiative is scheduled for a public hearing on March 8, but some Democratic lawmakers are already expressing doubts over raising gas prices […]
A Labor and Public Employees Committee bill set for a public hearing would allow the automatic deduction of union dues or political donations from pension checks. The bill – An Act Concerning the Right of […]
It was the year the USSR dissolved – George H.W. Bush was President, and our Governor was Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (I). A lot has changed since 1991 – yet Connecticut is still stuck with […]
State officials have warned that upwards of 44,000 businesses in Connecticut have yet to register for Connecticut’s paid family and medical leave program and could potentially face fines. However, according to House Republican Leader Vincent […]
Connecticut’s long-term debt grew $8.4 billion between 2019 and 2020 due to increased liabilities for Connecticut’s retirement systems, according to the newly released Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Connecticut’s unfunded pension and OPEB liabilities increased from […]
On December 21, 2020 Gov. Ned Lamont signed onto a regional cap and invest program called the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) that will raise the price of gasoline by upwards of 17 cents per […]
Gov. Ned Lamont’s push to ease occupational licensing requirements for military spouses and people moving into the state received support from the Office of Military Affairs, the American Civil Liberties Union, independent contractors and business […]
Attorney General William Tong confirmed that his office is investigating the Connecticut Port Authority in a letter to Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, and Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, who asked the attorney general […]
A bill granting up to 30 years of property and sales tax exemptions for data centers in Connecticut passed in the House of Representatives 133-13 under an emergency certification. Although the legislation has been in […]
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.