Far too often, Connecticut lawmakers seem content to listen to themselves talk about legislation rather than hear from the people who voted them into office. Connecticut’s complicated legislative process does more to keep voters out of government than […]
Connecticut’s lawmakers derive their power from the people, but too often the people are in the dark about what their elected representatives are doing with that power. State leaders usually welcome public participation and have […]
Connecticut ranked 6th in the nation for loss of wealth to other states between 2017 and 2018, with a net loss of $1.13 billion in adjusted gross income as people moved out, according to figures […]
The Hartford Federation of Teachers, AFT, is fighting a multi-year court battle with its own unionized office employees over wage and retirement benefits, pitting the teachers’ union against its own affiliate organization, the AFL-CIO. At […]
Senate Democrats gave tepid support for Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan to toll trucks following a long caucus meeting, but a special session on the matter remains in limbo as a bill has yet to be […]
Gov. Ned Lamont and his team coordinated with a pro-tolls group to hold a public town hall meeting in Westport where the governor will pitch his CT2030 plan, according to an email labeled “top secret.” […]
The implementation of a Northeast regional cap and trade system for gasoline distribution took a step forward today when the Transportation and Climate Initiative released a draft memorandum of understanding with participating states, including Connecticut. […]
In the lead-up to a potential December special session for Gov. Ned Lamont’s transportation plan that would implement tolls on trucks, No Tolls CT generated hundreds of emails from Connecticut residents to Democratic senators expressing […]
AFSCME International and AFSCME Council 4 are pushing to remove Charles “Chuck” DellaRocco from his position as head of AFSCME Local 749, part of an ongoing conflict between between the two organizations that has spurred […]
A partial judgement was handed down by Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher against two restaurants named in a class action lawsuit filed in 2017 by two former employees. Chicago Sam’s and Penny Corner Pub, […]
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.