State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES 2023 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL: CUT INCOME TAX RATES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

Governor Calls for Connecticut’s First Income Tax Rate Reduction in Almost Thirty Years and the Largest Rate Reduction in State History (EAST HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in East Hartford to announce that the fiscal years 2024 and 2025 biennial state budget proposal that he will present to the General Assembly later this week calls for a broad-based reduction in income tax rates for middle-class workers in Connecticut. Currently, single (joint) filers pay a 3% state personal income tax on their first $10,000 ($20,000) of adjusted gross income and a 5% tax on income up to $50,000 ($100,000). Governor Lamont is proposing to permanently lower the 5% rate to 4.5% and the 3% rate…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT AND CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCE CONNECTICUT RECEIVING $18 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED AND RURAL HOMELESSNESS (NEW HAVEN, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Senator Chris Murphy today held a news conference in New Haven to announce that the State of Connecticut is receiving an $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities. The funds are being directed toward two state agencies – the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services – and will be distributed over a three-year period with the state receiving approximately $6 million annually. These funds will be…

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LEGISLATION TO LIMIT THE USE OF NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Thursday noted growing support for the Workforce Mobility Act, legislation to limit the use of non-compete agreements, which negatively impact almost one in every five American workers. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) co-sponsored the legislation, and U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-Calif.-52) and U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.-08) reintroduced the bill in the U.S House of Representatives. The Workforce Mobility Act would: Narrow the use of non-compete agreements to include only necessary instances of a dissolution of a partnership or the sale of a business; Charge the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Labor with enforcement, as well as making explicit a…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES 2023 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL: CANCEL MEDICAL DEBT FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in Hartford to announce a proposal he will introduce during the 2023 legislative session that will cancel overdue medical debts for thousands of Connecticut residents who are struggling to pay their bills. Based on a model that other governments throughout the United States have used recently, the governor’s proposal calls for the state to invest $20 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding it received from the American Rescue Plan Act and use those dollars to contract with a nonprofit organization that buys medical debt and eliminates it at a fraction of the original cost. The nonprofit will contact local hospitals and hospital systems directly, purchase entire portfolios of debt owed by…

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Increase To School Meal Programs

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) will join advocates to announce significant federal funding increases for both the Supplemental Nutritional Insurance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition programs, which include school meal programs, as growing numbers of Connecticut families face food insecurity this winter. The federal budget includes $154 billion for SNAP, an increase of $13.4 billion over last year, $28.5 billion for Child Nutrition Programs including historic funding allowing schools to serve healthy meals, and $6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Connecticut’s SNAP and child nutrition programs are expected to receive a boost of millions of dollars to support access to affordable and nutritious foods. According to Feeding America, nearly 400,000 people in…

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State EValuateCT Dashboard Highlighting Connecticut’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Market

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has launched a new digital tool that illustrates Connecticut’s electric vehicle (EV) market and EV infrastructure. It was developed in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CTDMV) and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP). EValuateCT is a comprehensive dashboard providing insights into the current state of vehicle electrification in Connecticut—including where public EV chargers are located throughout the state, what EV makes and models are most popular, in which communities EVs are registered, and more. “This new, innovative dashboard makes the data of Connecticut’s electric vehicle infrastructure accessible and serves as a valuable tool for residents, travelers, policymakers, and other stakeholders,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “I want to thank our partners at CTDMV and…

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Funds to Assist Renters Facing Eviction

Bridgeport, CT – Yesterday, Governor Ned Lamont and Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno announced the Eviction Prevention Fund that will assist renters who are on the verge of eviction because of past due rent. UniteCT and the Rent Bank have provided $12.5 million for the fund and plans to allot households up to $5,000 to cover the cost of rent that may be past due. To inquire for eligibility, renters must call the UniteCT Call Center at 1-844-864-8328 where they will be directed to speak with a local UniteCT Resource Center. Tenants will be able to complete the application and will also be granted access to mediators at Quinnipiac University’s Center on Dispute Resolution if a tenant requires but does not…

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TONG JOINS COALITION IN SUPPORT OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S STUDENT DEBT CANCELLATION PLAN

Attorney General William Tong has joined a national coalition of attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of the federal government in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Biden Administration’s targeted cancellation of student loan debt to address the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The amicus brief, filed Wednesday in the cases Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown, argues that U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has the authority under the HEROES Act to provide limited debt cancellation to prevent student loan borrowers from experiencing grave financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This press release was made possible by: Last year, the Biden Administration announced plans to grant…

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ACTION TO KEEP RENTERS IN THEIR HOMES

WASHINGTON—In the midst of historically high housing costs, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman Ed.D (D-N.Y.) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in sending a bicameral letter urging President Biden to pursue all possible strategies to address rent inflation, end corporate price gouging in the real estate sector, and ensure that renters and people experiencing homelessness across this country are stably housed this winter. “In the absence of robust investments in fair and affordable housing, it is clear that additional timely executive action is needed to address the urgent issue of historically high rental costs and housing instability. With this in mind, we urge your Administration to pursue all possible strategies to end…

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