A new report from Fitch Ratings placed Connecticut second only to Illinois in the amount of state debt compared to personal income. The 2020 State Liability Report looked at direct debt and net pension liabilities […]
The Department of Developmental Services paid over $1.5 million over the course of two years for a child who had moved to Massachusetts, according to a new audit of the department. “The department paid approximately […]
Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, held onto his seat in the 90th district by a very tight margin after Wallingford learned of a mistake in Tuesday’s vote counting in which one district did not count any […]
We all know the saying, “Be careful what you wish for – you just might get it.” It’s a warning of which Connecticut’s wisest Democrats are no doubt aware. With nearly insurmountable legislative majorities, coupled […]
Connecticut’s job growth in 2019 was dead last in the country and only 48th since 2010, according to Connecticut Department of Labor report released on election day. According to the Connecticut Economic Digest, “Idaho, Arizona, […]
Woodbridge residents William Wang, an undergraduate student majoring in biomedical computation, and his father Frank Wang have designed a face shield for medical workers and organized volunteers from the local Chinese American community to create. […]
An Act Concerning Police Accountability, passed during special session in July, overruled a provision in the Connecticut State Police union contract that exempted certain personnel records from the state’s Freedom of Information laws, but state […]
The Department of Economic and Community Development offers loans, grants and business tax credits to qualifying businesses under a variety of program intended to boost economic activity and jobs in the state. But according to […]
Out-going Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, posted on his Facebook page Monday that “Tolls are never going to pass or even be proposed in this state.” “I tried and used all of my […]
With less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, the SEIU Connecticut State Council contracted with public affairs firm, Grossman Solutions LLC, for $50,000 worth of mail and digital advertising to support labor-backed candidates […]
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.