Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday that he is extending the public health emergency declaration until February 9, which also allows his executive orders to remain in effect. The governor’s emergency powers were set to expire […]
Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, filed a Freedom of Information request with the Office of the Governor for all documents, emails and information pertaining to Gov. Ned Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, setting up a potential […]
In testimony before the Public Safety and Security Committee, House Republican Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, and Rep. Mitch Bolinsky, R-Newtown, said there has been no evidence that the CT AFL-CIO replaced missing funds dedicated to […]
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 […]
Protesters from No Tolls CT and a small group of union leaders gathered at opposite ends of the circular driveway to the governor’s mansion on Tuesday, while inside Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative leaders attempted […]
Over the past year, Connecticut’s Auditors of Public Accounts have found instances of workplace violence, benefits paid to deceased individuals, abuse of overtime, state agencies that violate both state policy and union contracts and “massive […]
**Update: Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that the Department of Revenue Services will revise its guidance to eliminate the sales tax on items from grocery store aisles** As Gov. Ned Lamont heads into meetings with […]
Gov. Ned Lamont spoke with reporters following a meeting with Democrat and Republican leaders on Wednesday to discuss tolls and transportation funding and it was clear that nothing had changed since the end of the […]
After extensive debate, the Connecticut Transportation Committee today voted along party lines to approve several tolling bills, which have sparked public interest and outcry across the state. The Democratic party majority held enough of a […]
A proposal to increase the Connecticut sales tax by .5 percent and send the increased revenue to municipalities received a public hearing on Wednesday before the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. Senate President Pro Tempore […]
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.