Tag: Gov. Ned Lamont

Connecticut Lawmakers Approve 2.5 Percent Raises for State Workers

The Center Square
Worker at Desk

Tens of thousands of Connecticut state workers could be getting a bump in their paychecks with lawmakers advancing a proposal to give them a 2.5% across-the-board pay raise.

A proposal approved by the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on Friday would authorize a 2.5% wage increase for an estimated 46,000 state employees that was hammered out in negotiations earlier this year by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration and the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which represents unionized workers.

Read the full story

Connecticut to Wipe Out $1 Billion in Medical Debt

The Center Square
Gov. Ned Lamont

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont plans to cancel up to $1 billion in medical debt for hundreds of thousands of residents, making it the first state to take the step.

Lamont made the announcement Friday during an appearance on ABC News, saying the plans call for leveraging $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the state has received to wipe out the medical debt held by about 250,000 residents who meet the basic income qualifications.

Read the full story

Connecticut Doles Out More Security Money to Houses of Worship

The Center Square

Churches, synagogues and mosques in Connecticut are getting more money to bolster their facilities against terror attacks or hate crimes, according to Gov. Ned Lamont. 

Lamont said state funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program will expand to $5 million this year. The grants can reimburse nonprofits for the cost of metal detectors and surveillance cameras, adding more lighting, fencing, or locks and other security upgrades.

Read the full story

Connecticut to Wipe Clean 80,000 Criminal Records

The Center Square

Connecticut is set to wipe clean the criminal records of more than 80,000 people with previous convictions under a long-delayed law set to go into effect in the new year. 

The Clean Slate law, which was approved by the state Legislature in 2021, will automatically erase the criminal records of people seven years after the date of their conviction for a misdemeanor or 10 years after the date of their conviction for certain low-level felonies if they hadn’t been convicted of other crimes.

Read the full story

Report: Connecticut’s Revenue Down, Budget Still Balanced

The Center Square

Connecticut’s revenues are down about $460 million, according to a new report, which says the state’s financial outlook remains positive despite a drop in tax collections.

The consensus revenue forecast, released by the Office of Policy and Management and Office of Fiscal Analysis on Monday, shows the state is likely to close out the fiscal year more than $630 million above initial budget projections. That’s still a surplus but well below the $1.1 billion projections when the budget was approved in June.

Read the full story

Connecticut to Move Presidential Primary Date

Admin

Connecticut is one of the last states in the nation to hold a presidential primary, but that would change under a proposal awaiting action by Gov. Ned Lamont.

A proposal approved by the state Legislature last week during a special session would change the presidential primary date to the first Tuesday in April, which in the next nominating cycle would be April 2. Under the current law, the primary is held on the last Tuesday, which would be April 30. Lamont, who backs the move, is expected to sign the bill into law.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Migrant Surge is Coming to the Classroom

Admin

Democratic politicians and the liberal media made the first day of school all about welcoming migrant children. That’s sheer propaganda. Parents deserve the truth. The migrant surge is a disaster for their kids.

The surge will worsen our education system’s twin failures: plunging math and reading scores, and the failure to ensure newly arriving kids learn English so they can succeed, too.

Read the full story

Connecticut Bans Harvest of Horseshoe Crabs

The Center Square

Connecticut has banned the harvesting of horseshoe crabs along its coastline amid concerns about the ecological health of the species, which is prized for its life-saving blue blood.

The ban, approved by the state Legislature, outlaws horseshoe crab hand harvesting beginning on October 1. Anyone caught violating the law faces a $25 fine for each crab harvested. There are exemptions for scientific and medical purposes if it is determined that doing so will not harm the overall horseshoe crab population.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Hires Former U.S. Attorney to Probe Police Ticket Scandal

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has tapped a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation of allegations that state police may have issued hundreds of “fake” tickets.

Lamont said he has hired former U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly to investigate allegations outlined in a recent audit by a taxpayer-funded group that reviews police records to look for racial bias in law enforcement activities. Lamont said the inquiry seeks to determine “how and why the misconduct occurred” and why it went undetected for years.

Read the full story

Connecticut to Spend $381 Million on ‘Baby Bonds’ Program

The Center Square

Connecticut leaders are moving ahead with plans to establish a “baby bond” program to provide every child born into poverty in the state with a $3,200 savings account to help close a racial wealth gap.

A tentative agreement reached this week between Gov. Ned Lamont, Treasurer Erick Russell and legislative leaders calls for spending $381 million to create the “first in the nation” Baby Bonds Trust, which would provide eligible newborns with a bond that would grow in value to upwards of $24,000 over time.

Read the full story

Connecticut Lawmakers Resurrect Transportation Climate Plan

The Center Square

Connecticut lawmakers are advancing a climate change bill that critics say would give the state broad authority to raise gasoline taxes and take other aggressive steps to reduce tailpipe emissions. 

The proposal, which was recently approved by the Legislature’s Environmental Committee, would empower the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to implement climate change policies aimed at helping Connecticut reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gases to 80% of 2001 levels by 2050.

Read the full story

Connecticut’s Health Care Costs Jumped Past Benchmarks

The Center Square

Connecticut’s health care expenses increased by 6% to $34 billion in 2021, according to a new report, exceeding a goal set by Gov. Ned Lamont to limit the state’s cost growth.

The first annual Connecticut Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark report said the state spent $34 billion on health care and insurance costs in 2021, up from $31.9 billion in 2019 and $30.9 billion in 2020. That’s higher than the 3.4% growth benchmark set by the Lamont administration three years ago.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Unveils Plan to Reduce Connecticut’s Healthcare Costs

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has unveiled a raft of proposed health care reforms he says will cut medical costs and make care more affordable. 

Lamont has filed a pair of bills that, if approved by the state Assembly, would ban the use of anti-competitive health care contracting practices, improve transparency in pricing for medical treatments, cap out-of-network insurance charges, and join a multi-state bulk purchasing program to lower prescription drug costs, among other changes.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Signs Fiscal Controls, Free Lunch Bill

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has signed a bill extending “guardrail” fiscal reforms that have been credited with helping turn the state’s once-troubled finances around.

The measure, which was approved by the state Legislature last week, will keep in place a raft of spending “guardrails” that were initially approved as part of the 2017 fiscal year budget for at least another five years.

Read the full story

Lamont, Legislative Leaders Agree to Extend Fiscal Reforms

The Center Square

 Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut’s legislative leaders have agreed to extend a raft of fiscal reforms that have been credited with helping turn the state’s finances around.

A compromise bill unanimously approved by the state General Assembly late Thursday commits the state government to keep in place several spending “guardrails,” which were approved as part of the 2017 fiscal year budget for at least another five years. 

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Seeks Income Tax Cut in Budget Proposal

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is pitching a plan to cut state income taxes for middle-class workers as part of his budget plan for the next fiscal year. 

Lamont’s proposal, unveiled Monday, calls for permanently lowering the personal income tax rate on single filers’ first $10,000, and $20,000 for joint filers of adjusted gross income from 5% to 4.5%, and the rate on income up to $50,000, and $100,000 for joint filers from 3% to 2%, beginning in 2024. The move, if approved, is projected to save taxpayers $440 million annually.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Pitches Plan to ‘Erase’ Medical Debt

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is pitching a plan to tap into federal pandemic relief funds to “erase” an estimated $2 billion in medical debt owed by the state’s residents. 

The plan, which will be included in Lamont’s preliminary two-year budget proposal to be unveiled next week, calls for using $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to hire a nonprofit organization that buys medical debt and eliminates it “at a fraction” of the original cost. 

Read the full story

Gov. Lamont’s Plan to Tighten Gun Laws Faces Pushback

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wants to tighten the state’s gun control laws to prevent mass shootings, but the move is facing pushback from Second Amendment groups which say it would be unconstitutional. 

Lamont’s proposal, which will be unveiled as part of this preliminary budget proposal, calls for increasing the age to buy firearms to 21, closing “loopholes in the state’s assault weapons ban and prohibiting the sale of large-capacity firearm magazines.” 

Lamont said the “commonsense” changes come in response to a spate of mass shootings nationwide. He said the state’s gun control laws have “not kept up with the innovative ways firearm companies are manufacturing guns that have the sole purpose of killing the largest number of humans within the shortest amount of time.” 

Read the full story

Connecticut Leaders React to LEGO’s Decision to Move Headquarters

The Center Square

Connecticut leaders are lamenting LEGO Group’s decision to move its corporate headquarters to neighboring Massachusetts, but argue the state will bounce back. 

The company announced it will be relocating from its office in Enfield to Boston by the end of 2026, as part of a strategy to “support the business’s long-term growth ambitions.” The office, which opened in 1975, has roughly 740 employees, who will be given the option to work at the new Boston office.

Read the full story

Lamont Pitches Plan to Overhaul Connecticut’s Pass-Through Tax Credit

The Center Square

Gov. Ned Lamont wants to update Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit, which he says will save business owners, and the state more money.

The plan, a key component of Lamont’s yet-to-be-unveiled budget proposal, calls for restoring Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit back to its original level of 93.01%, allowing certain business owners to claim a larger credit on personal income tax returns.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Unveils $20 Million Energy Relief Plan

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has unveiled a new energy plan that pumps more money into fuel assistance to provide short-term relief for consumers, while taking steps to wean the state off fossil fuels.

Under a plan unveiled this week, Lamont has directed the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program to increase fuel assistance payments to qualifying residents by another $430 this season to help with home heating costs, and unpaid utility bills through the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Read the full story

Connecticut-Based Helicopter Firm Appeals Army Contract Rejection

The Center Square

With backing from Gov. Ned Lamont, a Connecticut-based company is appealing the U.S. Army’s rejection of its multimillion dollar bid for a defense contract to build long-range helicopters.

Sikorsky Aircraft, maker of the iconic Blackhawk helicopters, had submitted a proposal to the U.S. Army to produce its Defiant-X helicopter as part of the next generation of long-range helicopters. But the Army announced earlier this month that it was awarding the $1.3 billion contract to Bell Textron, a Texas-based company.

Read the full story

Connecticut Lawmakers to Get Huge Pay Boost in New Year

The Center Square

Connecticut lawmakers will see fatter paychecks in the new year with a law that bumps their base pay by upwards of $12,000, once it goes into effect.

Legislation approved earlier this year, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont, increases rank-and-file lawmakers’ pay from $28,000 to $40,000, with future raises pegged to the cost of living in every two-year legislative cycle. Compensation for the House speaker and Senate president will increase from $38,689 to $50,000 next year under the law.

Read the full story

New England Governors Push for Home Heating Assistance

The Center Square

New England governors are pressing the federal government for a supplement aid package supporting home heating assistance to residents this winter.

Led by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, the governors penned a letter to congressional leaders expressing their desire to see approval of President Joe Biden’s request for the emergency supplemental funding package that would assist residents with home heating assistance.

Read the full story

Connecticut’s Broadband Program Gains Federal Approval

The Center Square

A Connecticut plan to use federal funding to expand broadband access in the state has gained federal approval.

The Connecticut Broadband Infrastructure Program, Gov. Ned Lamont said, will use $42.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to expand service to underserved areas in the state and was approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Broadband will be expanded, or improved, in 10,000 households and businesses.

Read the full story

Connecticut Gaming Revenue Rebounding from COVID-19

The Center Square

Connecticut’s gaming revenue continues to grow and evolve since the heaviest pandemic-induced shutdowns impacted the income source two years ago.

A five-year analysis of the state’s gaming-derived revenues, gleaned from data via the state Department of Consumer Protection, shows how COVID-19 intermittently impacted the bottom line during the heaviest lockdowns before regaining momentum.

Read the full story

Election 2022: Connecticut Primary Elections Set for August 9

The Center Square

Connecticut’s primary election election day is eight days away.

Voters will turn out to the polls on Tuesday, August 9 to set the general election ballot in November for attorney general, and one U.S. Senate seat and five seats in the U.S. House.

The primary for the governor’s race has been canceled since only one candidate from each major party is running. Democratic incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont will face Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski in November’s general election.

Read the full story

U.S. Treasury Greenlights Connecticut’s ARPA Spending Initiative

Admin

A plan that would allocate federal funding to small businesses in Connecticut has been approved.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who is running unopposed on the state’s Aug. 9 primary, said the U.S. Treasury Department has greenlighted the state’s $119.5 million plan to assist small businesses in the state using American Rescue Plan Act funding. The funds will be placed into the State Small Business Credit Initiative.

Read the full story

Tong, Lamont Speak Out Against Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade Decision

The Center Square

Connecticut’s top law enforcement official said Friday he would sue to prevent a nationwide ban on abortions.

Attorney General William Tong said following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark decision that prevented states from banning abortions, that if Congress tries to invoke legislation that would ban abortions across the nation, he would be the first to take court action.

Read the full story

Connecticut Governor Signs Consumer Data Privacy Act into Law

The Center Square

Greater safeguards to personal data are the focus of legislation that has now become law in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced Public Act 22-15 has been signed. The legislation creates a comprehensive set of protections designed to help consumers by creating a stronger ability to safeguard personal data that is collected with online businesses.

Read the full story

Connecticut Request for Planning Regions to Be Used in Census Approved

The Center Square

Connecticut’s nine planning regions will now be used by the U.S. Census rather than traditional counties when the next decennial county rolls around, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced the state has received approval of a request sent to the U.S. Census Bureau that will allow each planning region, represented by a Council of Government, to be used for tabulating and disseminating census data. The planning regions will be used as a county equivalent.

Read the full story

Connecticut Governor Signs Bill Limiting Isolated Confinement in Prisons, Jails

The Center Square

A new law setting limitations on isolated confinement for incarcerated individuals will take effect in Connecticut on July 1, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor signed Public Act 22-18 into law on Tuesday. The new law sets criteria for the amount of time and the circumstances under which inmates at state prisons and jails can spend in isolation. The law also sets new requirements for when isolation can be used.

Read the full story

Connecticut Pro-Life Leaders: ‘Good News’ – Debate over Abortion Expansion Bill ‘Exposed Cracks in Abortion Industry’s Political Support’

Susan Berry, PhD

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) became the first governor Thursday to tout a bill affirming and expanding abortion rights following a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade and return decisions about abortion to the states.

But, leaders of the pro-life community in Connecticut say that, while “abortion will be legal for now” in the state, “the good news is that the debate over HB 5414, the Abortion Expansion Bill, has exposed cracks in the abortion industry’s political support in Connecticut.”

Read the full story

Republican Candidate for Connecticut Governor Won’t Commit to Banning Trans Athletes

Peter D'Abrosca

Connecticut’s Republican nominee for governor Tuesday would not commit to banning biologically male transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, instead choosing to tiptoe around the issue. 

“Connecticut law prohibits discrimination,” Bob Stefanowski reportedly said. “It’s incumbent upon the high school athletic conferences to seek out the voices of young female athletes, coaches and parents to come up with policies that ensure a level playing field and protect girls’ sports.”

Read the full story

Lead Poisoning Mitigation Legislation Proposed by Connecticut Governor

The Center Square

Getting the lead out is the focus of legislation proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday.

The governor announced the filing of a legislative proposal that would utilize $70 million for Home Remediation Projects throughout Connecticut, alleviating the lead poisoning risks in children and put the state in line with federal guidance. Dollars from the American Rescue Plant Act would be utilized to fund the program.

“For too long, Connecticut has failed to address the problem of lead poisoning in our children, a problem that impacts most deeply minority families and disadvantaged communities of our state,” Lamont said in the release.

Read the full story

School Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Systems Assistance in Connecticut Bill

The Center Square

Connecticut public schools would be able to pay for upgrades to heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in legislation proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont.

The first-term Democrat announced the proposed legislation that would create and fund a grant program that would need $90 million to get the project off the ground to help schools make the upgrades in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full story

Gov. Lamont Visits Connecticut High School to Check In After First ‘Mask Optional’ Day

Peter D'Abrosca
Ned Lamont shaking hands with students during school visit

Connecticut’s Democrat governor Monday made an awkward visit to meet and greet high school students after they finished their first day of classes wherein COVID-19 masks were optional. 

“I’m doing good, I wanted to see what this first day was like,” Governor Ned Lamont (D) told one Glastonbury High School student as they shook hands. 

Read the full story

Crime Task Forces, Bus System Among Issues Discussed at Connecticut Budget Appropriations Meeting

The Center Square

The efficacy of crime task forces, status of CTtransit bus lines and issuance of non-driver IDs were among the wide ranging issues Connecticut lawmakers dug into with state officials at a recent hearing looking into the back half of Gov. Ned Lamont’s biennium budget.

Members in both chambers of the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee held a hearing Feb. 18 with state officials serving on transportation, regulation and protection agencies.

Read the full story

Crime Task Forces, Bus System Among Issues Discussed at Connecticut Budget Appropriations Meeting

The Center Square

The efficacy of crime task forces, status of CTtransit bus lines and issuance of non-driver IDs were among the wide ranging issues Connecticut lawmakers dug into with state officials at a recent hearing looking into the back half of Gov. Ned Lamont’s biennium budget.

Members in both chambers of the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee held a hearing Feb. 18 with state officials serving on transportation, regulation and protection agencies.

James Rovella, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, addressed how Lamont’s fiscal year 2023 budget will assist with a number of initiatives, including several targeted task forces aimed at such issues as violent crimes and stolen vehicles.

Read the full story

Connecticut Governor Lamont Plans to Eliminate School Mask Requirement

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said he is backing a plan that would eliminate statewide requirements that masks be worn in child care facilities and public and private schools in the state.

The governor announced he is working with the departments of public health and education to determine whether masks will continue to be a requirement beyond the Feb. 28 deadline.

Read the full story