The General Assembly approved a highway use tax for large trucks under emergency certification following a lengthy debate on the floor of the House of Representatives. After failing to secure tolls on Connecticut’s highways for […]
Republican leaders today announced they are partnering with No Tolls CT to hold a series of rallies around the state to oppose the Transportation and Climate Initiative and the highway use tax on trucks, which […]
As part of his budget proposal Gov. Ned Lamont included a highway use tax for large trucks based on vehicle weight and miles traveled in the state to raise $90 million annually for the state’s […]
Gov. Ned Lamont released his biennial budget proposal to close a $2.5 billion deficit, which relies on a mix of federal aid, a continued delay of sales tax revenue for municipal grants and maintaining some […]
As state and federal governments order businesses closed and simultaneously ease regulations to combat the COVID-19 virus, the food and grocery industry is asking the federal government to ease business restrictions to help get more […]
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 […]
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 […]
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives on Tuesday brought the toll debate full circle in Connecticut, tell the press yesterday that Connecticut should toll only trucks, something Gov. Ned Lamont campaigned on in 2018, […]
No Tolls CT, a grassroots organization opposed to plans by Gov. Ned Lamont and Democrat leaders to put tolls on Connecticut’s highways, delivered a message to the governor today – actually, they delivered about 100,000 […]
Governor-elect Ned Lamont has reiterated his call to toll trucks as a way to raise revenue for state transportation costs but truckers and trucking companies are already paying for Connecticut roads, according to data released […]
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.