Gov. Ned Lamont announced in late December that he would use federal COVID relief funds to retroactively increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to 41.5 percent for roughly 198,000 families in Connecticut who filed for […]
The Connecticut Senate and House of Representatives both voted to extend Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency executive powers through September, although several Democrats broke ranks and voted with Republicans against the extension. Republicans argued that Connecticut’s […]
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a formal opinion saying the proposed Connecticut Equitable Investment Fund proposed by Democrats on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee “lacks the requisite standards and limits to survive to […]
The Moderate House Democratic Caucus said they stand with Gov. Ned Lamont in opposing tax increases on Connecticut’s wealthy residents proposed by their progressive counterparts as Democratic legislative leaders and the governor begin budget negotiations. […]
Democratic legislative leaders held a press conference pitching a $46 billion budget proposal from the Appropriations Committee and announcing their intention to push forward with tax increases on Connecticut’s wealthy residents despite opposition from Gov. […]
House Republican leadership is questioning the constitutionality of a proposed “Equitable Investment Fund” that would use new and increased taxes on capital gains, digital advertising, sports gambling, marijuana sales and a second income tax on […]
The Labor and Public Employees Committee will once again consider legislation to increase unions’ access to public employees and block others from informing those employees about their rights under the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court […]
Testifying before the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Tuesday, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said New Haven’s unfunded pension liabilities are driving the city’s $66 million deficit, leaving him few options but to raise property […]
Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven, and supporting Democrats have labeled a proposed statewide property tax a “mansion tax” that would largely affect high-wealth towns like Greenwich and Westport. However, it is also a tax on […]
Senate President Pro-Tem Martin Looney, D-New Haven, filed two bills to implement a statewide property tax on residential and commercial property and to implement a surcharge on capital gains. Although the bills are only concept […]
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.