In an email to his constituents on Wednesday, Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, wrote “there will necessarily be a combination of property tax increases or loss of services,” in Hamden, which has been struggling under crushing […]
In a sudden switch that spurred controversy, Gov. Ned Lamont rescinded an offer to Bloomfield Schools Superintendent James Thomas and instead offered the job to Meriden Assistant Superintendent Miguel Cardona. The reversal sparked some outrage […]
Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, and Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, filed amendments on 35 different bills to change the Democrats’ budget that would make the nonprofit corporation created with billionaire investor Ray Dalio’s $100 million education […]
Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives debated for over 12 hours through the night and into the morning before approving an increase to Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023. The […]
Analysis: Preview of the budget battle ahead Democrats are gearing up for an intra-party squabble about how to close the $3.7 billion two-year budget deficit. This year’s budget battle won’t be Democrats vs. Republicans, but […]
The incoming governor and legislature are already feuding about whether to raid the Rainy Day Fund to balance the books in 2019. Governor-elect Lamont is right about this: the Rainy Day Fund must be saved for the next economic downturn. The fiscal life of the state depends on it.
Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, is an outspoken proponent of increasing Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15, going so far as to grade fellow House Democrats on whether or not they support the increase.
There’s only one problem: Elliott doesn't pay his own employees $15 per hour.
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.