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 […]
The union representing professors and faculty at the University of Connecticut say state lawmakers should reject tax cuts and instead fund state employee raises, according to a message posted to the union’s Facebook page. “We […]
“The most serious labor shortage Connecticut faces is the lack of senators and representatives willing to do their jobs in Hartford. If the last two years’ advances in vaccines, testing, treatments, and telecommuting weren’t enough […]
A couple weeks ago, while facing questions over his wife’s investments, Gov. Ned Lamont said Anne Lamont was in Nashville, Tennessee setting up businesses there because it was easier than setting up a business here […]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by Ken Girardin with analysis by Marc Joffe Most of Connecticut’s towns and cities face significant unfunded liabilities from pension and retiree healthcare benefits promised to current and former employees. In fact, these […]
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 […]
Connecticut made a historic $1.6 billion payment toward its $40 billion pension debt thanks to the state’s volatility cap, and that payment is expected to achieve significant savings over the next four years, according to […]
Connecticut neared the middle of the pack in Reason Foundation’s annual ranking of states by highway condition and cost effectiveness, beating out nearby neighbors like Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Connecticut was ranked 31st […]
The Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations upheld the 2019 termination of a Darien police officer over issues related to alcohol use and truthfulness, according to the decision issued on September 30 of this year. […]
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 […]
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.