The Connecticut Comptroller’s Office released its updated report on savings generated by Gov. Dannel Malloy’s 2017 agreement with the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, showing the that actual savings to the state were $200 million […]
Is it every year? Or every other year? That appears to be a perplexing question facing the Office of the State Comptroller concerning a report on taxpayer savings generated from the 2017 SEBAC Agreement. In […]
As Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration continues to negotiate with state employee unions over new collective bargaining agreements, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition indicated that it would be willing reopen its pension and healthcare benefits […]
Connecticut has the worst-funded pension system in the country, according to a new annual report released by the American Legislative Exchange Council. Using a “risk free” discount rate – which increases the state’s estimated pension […]
Connecticut’s total unfunded liabilities for other post-employment benefits like retiree healthcare totals $23.3 billion placing Connecticut 41st in the nation based on the size of its liability, according to a new report from the American […]
The Connecticut Department of Transportation released contract provisions for rehabilitation of the north-bound side of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London which includes a project labor agreement guaranteeing union labor will be used […]
Since its inception in 1991, Connecticut’s income tax has been raised four times, new brackets have been added, and the income tax has become the state’s largest source of revenue, projected to bring in $9.4 […]
Out of roughly 30,000 state employees in the executive branch only 139 were discharged for work performance issues over the course of a year, according to figures revealed through a Freedom of Information Request. According […]
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 […]
Members of the state Compensation Commission for Elected Officers and General Assembly Members voted 3-2 today to recommend that state lawmakers and the governor receive a wage increase in January following the next election for […]
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.