Connecticut has been approved to receive federal funding for new substance abuse treatments, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced the state will receive $30 million in annual Medicaid funding that will benefit residents who are struggling with substance abuse to provide them heightened treatment. Funding will also cover residential care services while increasing provider payment rates.
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An investment of federal funds will benefit schoolchildren throughout Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds will be invested in the Summer Enrichment Program. The funding will be sent to the Department of Education, which will disperse the funds to programs designed to help students continue to be connected to high-quality education programs when school is not in session.
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Middle and high school students in Connecticut will benefit from a new curriculum, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor, along with Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, announced a new statewide curriculum for math students around the state. The first phase features math instruction for students in grades 6 to 8 and financial literacy courses for students in grades 6 to 12.
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A review of Connecticut’s salary records published by the center-right Yankee Institute (YI) Thursday indicated that 2,927 state employees received higher salaries than the governor in 2021.
State statute confers a $150,000 yearly salary on Gov. Ned Lamont (D). Approximately 2,000 state employees earned higher pay than him through 2017. Over the next three years, that number rose by nearly 1,000.
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Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Connecticut) gathered at the Lyceum Center in Hartford with abortion advocates on Tuesday to promise abortion rights will continue in the state regardless of any forthcoming decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The right to choose is under attack in numerous states across America,” Lamont declared, flanked by representatives of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund. “We won’t let that happen in Connecticut.”
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Hillsdale College’s Blake Center for Faith and Freedom in Somers, Connecticut, has begun its academic programming that includes seminars, lectures, training sessions for K-12 teachers, and community events, according to information sent to The Connecticut Star.
Hillsdale spokeswoman Emily Stack Davis sent information about the start of the Blake Center’s spring offerings, noting that its programs “will focus on Christianity, Western Civilization, and America.”
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The Yankee Institute (YI), Connecticut’s premier economically conservative think tank, is exhorting state lawmakers to reject contracts that the Lamont administration negotiated with the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC).
YI began warning against the eventual fiscal consequences of the agreements after the public-employee labor coalition started publicizing their major features in mid-March. Later that month, the SEBAC’s 15 unions approved the agreements and, on April 1, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) requested that the Democrat-controlled General Assembly ratify the deals, characterizing them as “responsible and fair.”
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Unemployment is slowly recovering in Connecticut, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Labor.
In its latest Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims report, there was an increase in 18,000 initial claims filed throughout the country for the week ending April 9, with a total of 185,000 claims. The four-week moving average for the number of claims filed was set at 172,250, which was adjusted by 2,000 from the previous week’s number.
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced a slew of new judicial nominations, including one to fill a future vacancy on the state’s Supreme Court.
In total, Lamont nominated 13 individuals to the judicial branch, ranging from the Supreme Court seat to the Connecticut Superior Court.
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Progressives this week are pushing for Connecticut lawmakers to extend HUSKY Health, the state’s Medicaid program, to illegal-immigrant minors at an estimated cost of $1.9 million.
Last year, reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Constitution State enacted a measure to make illegal-alien children under the age of eight eligible for HUSKY, a policy that will take effect at the beginning of next year. But some say those between the ages of nine and 18 should not be left out of the program.
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While Connecticut’s gas tax holiday is saving residents at the pump, the savings just isn’t enough, one industry expert says.
Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, said the tax holiday that expires June 30 is viewed very highly from consumers.
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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.”
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Connecticut businesses are on the hook for $463 million in unemployment assistance the state owes to the federal government.
As the state’s businesses are facing higher taxes and additional assessments this fall, the state is eyeing a repayment of nearly half of the $900 million it borrowed, according to a report by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, to cover record unemployment claims throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Senators on the Connecticut General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee defeated legislation this week that would have permitted terminally ill adults to obtain substances to hasten their deaths.
Typically, members of both chambers vote in Connecticut’s legislative committees. Regarding the assisted-suicide bill, Rep. Craig Fishbein (R-Wallingford) moved to split the committee to take a vote from delegations from each chamber. When the committee’s nine senators voted, one Democrat, Mae Flexer (D-Windham) sided with the panel’s four Republicans, killing the bill, which had previously passed the Public Health Committee.
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U.S. Marine Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom War Veteran Robert F. Hyde says he wants to unseat Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal in order to return America’s “core values” to its citizens and “secure the nation’s liberties and freedoms.”
In an interview with The Connecticut Star, Hyde said he is seeing Americans’ constitutional rights being “undermined” in both Washington, DC, and his own state of Connecticut.
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced on Monday a new contract that was awarded to Griffin & Strong, P.C, a law and public policy consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia.
The contract will give the group almost $900,000 for an “independent disparity study relative to the State of Connecticut’s contracting practices and procedures.”
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In a podcast discussion with Motor Transport Association of Connecticut President Joe Sculley on Friday, Volvo Group North America spokesperson Dawn Fenton objected to the Constitution State following California’s carbon-emission regulations for trucks.
California is the only state possessing a waiver allowing it to establish its own emission controls which are stronger than those required by the federal Clean Air Act. Environmental progressives have backed the waiver, which former President Donald Trump rescinded and which President Joe Biden reactivated last month.
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Connecticut lawmakers are renewing their calls for immediate legislative public hearings on the state’s school construction financing program, according to a press release by the Connecticut Senate Republicans.
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The Connecticut General Assembly is in the early stages of reviewing a bill that has been touted as a mechanism of infusing state resources into underserved and low-income communities.
As written, Senate Bill 481 would require the investment of state funds into community banks, community credit unions and community development financial institutions.
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New data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reveals that Connecticut is no longer first place among states in terms of per-capita personal income.
The Constitution State’s per-capita individual income exceeded every other states’ since 1987. Last year, however, Massachusetts outranked Connecticut regarding individuals’ mean income. The latter state’s residents averaged a yearly income of $82,475 each, whereas the former’s average earner got $82,082 annually. (The national average was $63,444.)
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A total of 12 cities will be receiving funding through Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s new grant program.
The governor announced $45 million will be awarded through the Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant Program, which works to leverage $74 million in nonstate, private funding to prop up projects aimed at improving livability and vibrance of cities.
“Investing in our communities is a key part of our plan to accelerate long-lasting and equitable economic development in Connecticut,” Lamont said in a release. “This new grant program we launched will have wide-ranging impacts as we emerge stronger than ever from the pandemic, creating new jobs, improving the vibrancy and quality of life in our neighborhoods, and making all corners of the state even more attractive for investment and opportunity.”
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Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill announced the launch of a Multilingual Virtual Poll Worker system in a Tuesday press release. The system, according to Merrill, will “eliminate language and cultural barriers and make it easier for people to cast their ballots and make their voices heard.”
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Connecticut Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski announced Tuesday at Fairfield Town Hall that he has picked Deputy House Minority Leader Laura Devlin (R-Fairfield) as his running mate.
Stefanowski is challenging Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D) bid for reelection. A former chief executive officer of the Dollar Financial Group who previously worked for General Electric, the Republican candidate touted Devlin’s background as an entrepreneur before she became a legislator in 2015.
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In what has been an ongoing theme, a division of the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been working to crack down on crimes committed by mail.
This time, their focus has been on Connecticut.
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A teacher in the Plainville Community School District in Connecticut successfully exercised her First Amendment right to stop financial support for the activities of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA).
Christina Corvello invoked her rights under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME to end payment of dues to CEA despite union officials’ efforts to restrict her right to an “escape period,” i.e., a limited number of days several months in the future.
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As inflation soars to 40-year highs, Connecticut lawmakers are considering a package of bills that could bring changes to the manner property and income taxes are calculated in the future.
This legislative session, the General Assembly is considering House Bill 5487, which could increase thresholds for the state’s property tax credit and eliminate some of the eligibility restrictions that are in place.
Also on the Legislature’s radar this session is House Bill 5489, which calls for inflation indexing the personal income tax, and House Bill 5490, which would establish a personal income tax deduction on rent paid, so long as the person’s primary residence is in Connecticut.
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Connecticut Republican legislators said on Saturday they want the state to challenge a part of the American Rescue Plan Act which limits states’ ability to cut taxes.
GOP senators and representatives are calling for tax reduction beyond the targeted relief backed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D). A major roadblock to greater decreases will be the COVID-relief bill President Joe Biden signed into law last year. The act included $195.3 billion in recovery funds for states and barred states accepting allocations from using them to “directly or indirectly offset a reduction in net tax revenue… or delay the imposition of any tax or tax increase.”
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The city of West Haven misspent roughly 80 percent of the money awarded to the local government through coronavirus pandemic relief funds (CRF), according to a new audit.
The review, published by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, showed that approximately $893,000 spent by the government “did not meet the CRF criteria.”
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Connecticut’s plan to reduce the pain at the gas pump for its residents took effect Friday.
HB 5501 passed the state legislature last week. It, like laws in many other states, provides for a gas tax holiday as prices at the pump continue to hover at near record levels.
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Connecticut Supreme Court Associate Justice Christine E. Keller announced this week her intention to retire and accept “senior status” with the court.
Her retirement takes effect on April 1, 2022. Gov. Ned Lamont (D), who appointed the justice two years ago, thanked the justice for her service on Thursday and announced he will nominate her successor during this session of the General Assembly.
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Jamie Petrone, a former Yale University School of Medicine employee, pleaded guilty Monday in Hartford federal court to fraud and tax offenses related to her theft of $40 million in computer and electronic hardware from the university, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced in a press release.
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A U.S. Senator from Connecticut is falsely scapegoating oil companies for skyrocketing gas prices nationwide.
“Oil companies are exploiting Russia’s war in Ukraine to drive up gas prices to obscene levels. It’s time to end this corporate profiteering,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said Thursday. “We need a Big Oil Windfall Profits tax to take excess profits & deliver them to Americans getting stuck with the bill.”
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Connecticut’s nine-month job growth streak came to an end with a reported loss of 1,700 private-sector jobs in January.
One industry expert said the loss is reflective of the state’s dealings with the economy in recent years.
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A Connecticut school nurse was suspended Monday over Facebook comments on a personal account, called “inappropriate” by the district superintendent, that warned parents school staff is hiding children’s supposed expressed gender identity issues from their parents.
Kathleen Cataford, 77, was suspended by Hartford Public Schools (HPS) after posting comments to her personal Facebook account, reportedly containing information about the number of pre-teen children who are claiming to have gender identity issues, including an 11-year-old “on puberty blockers,” and other children “identifying as non-binary.”
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Connecticut’s labor force is shrinking while the number of available jobs continues to rise, one labor expert said.
Chris DiPentima, who serves as president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said the state’s labor situation has entered crisis mode.
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Democrats in Connecticut’s state House of Representatives are offering legislation they say will facilitate affordable housing and “racial justice,” though opponents of the measures say they will merely hamper local control of development.
One bill would mandate that municipalities permit housing containing a minimum of 15 dwelling units per acre within half-mile radiuses of rail stations. At least 10 percent of the units in such areas would be required to meet the state’s definition of affordable housing, i.e. that it costs an occupant no more than one third of his or her annual income.
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A woke Connecticut business group that gives grants only to businesses run by women will receive a significant boost from Bank of America.
The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) will receive $100,000 from the banking giant for its “Equity Match Grant Program,” according to a Monday report.
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Connecticut leftists are promoting legislation that would let lawmakers request and receive copies of any residents’ tax return.
Advocates for the bill are basing their case on “fairness and equality,” insisting that access to individuals’ financial information will help them improve tax policy from a progressive standpoint, i.e. claim more revenue from higher-income earners.
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New Haven’s Director of Public Health has decided to run for Secretary of State, according to Sunday reports.
“Maritza currently serves as the Director of Health for the City of New Haven,” Bond’s campaign website says. “In this role, Maritza has been on the front lines of the fight against Covid, educating City residents on the importance of wearing masks, being socially distanced, and getting vaccinated.”
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A federal judge on Wednesday ruled to end federal oversight of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF).
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Using psychedelics to treat mental health disorders is the focus of a bill that passed out of the Public Health Committee, Senate Democrats said.
House Bill 5396, which addresses access to mental and behavioral health services and medications, moved out of committee on Monday. The bills are sponsored by state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, who serves a vice chairman of the committee.
House Bill 5275 also moved out of the committee; it addresses step therapy and prescription drugs for mental and behavioral health issues.
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Connecticut’s Democrat-controlled Senate this week sent sent legislation to expand absentee voting to Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D) desk.
The bill stops short of total no-excuse absentee voting—which the Connecticut Constitution prohibits—but significantly broadens the categories of those permitted to mail in their ballots. Not only will eligibility apply to those who are ill, disabled or serving actively in the Armed Forces, but it will also include those who are absent “from the town of such elector’s or person’s voting residence; [during all of the hours of voting].” (This component largely pertains to the many state residents who work in New York City.)
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Pro-life leader Christina Bennett told the crowd rallying at Connecticut’s first-ever March for Life event Wednesday that, in 1981, she was minutes away from being aborted in Hartford, Connecticut, when a janitor urged her mother to reconsider her decision, and her mother ended up choosing life.
Bennett received resounding cheers when she said of Hartford, “The place that could have been my graveyard is now my battleground.”
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Gov. Ned Lamont (D) this week signed legislation suspending Connecticut’s 25-cent-per gallon gasoline tax.
The gas-tax holiday passed both houses of the state legislature unanimously and will last through the end of June. Also to ease Nutmeggers’ economic woes in light of skyrocketing inflation, the state is also providing free bus service to residents throughout April.
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Democrat Incumbent U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes recently intimated to supporters in a Zoom call that her Black GOP opponent was only in the campaign because of his race.
Hayes also recently told supporters that if she loses her race in November, then Democrats all around the country are in trouble. Sources tell The Connecticut Star that Hayes is feeling the pressure in Connecticut’s highly competitive Fifth Congressional district contest.
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Several thousand Connecticut residents flooded the steps of the state Capitol building in Hartford Wednesday for the first-ever Connecticut March for Life pro-life rally and peaceful demonstration that celebrated life from the moment of conception to natural death.
“It’s just incredibly significant to have Connecticut’s first March for Life,” Jeanne Mancini, president of the national March for Life Defense and Education Fund, told The Connecticut Star.
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The Star News Network National Political Editor, Neil W. McCabe spoke with Larry Cirignano of The Children First Foundation about why a pro-life movement is stalled in Washington, D.C. yet seeing growth in the states.
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A $1.3 million business incubator is in the works, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Lamont announced the anticipated approval from the Connecticut State Bond Commission for the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s Thames River Innovation Center which will focus on job growth in the state.
The center, according to a release, will be located in New London and will give businesses and workers an innovation center and working space, in addition to the site being used for training, technical apprenticeships, and business development.
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Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) joined 17other state attorneys general in signing onto an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end the federal “remain in Mexico” immigration policy.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (D) has spearheaded the effort among liberal state prosecutors to persuade the high court to reverse the Trump-era policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The policy stipulates that asylum seekers generally must await their U.S. asylum hearings in Mexico. The Biden White House has criticized the protocols but the courts have prevented him from reversing it.
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Connecticut’s gas prices have slowly dipped down after reaching historic highs following the decision from President Joe Biden to ban the import of Russian oil.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), drivers are paying $4.337 per gallon at the pump, compared to $4.465 one week ago.
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