State Senator Duff Calls For DMV To Replace AAA

#Norwalk, CT – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) today urged Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Michael Bzdyra to quickly find a new private vendor to perform driver’s license renewal services previously provided by AAA Northeast. Connecticut’s contract with AAA Northeast ended on January 1st.   “The DMV negotiated in good faith with AAA Northeast, even after the vendor attempted to renege on its existing contract in 2016 and resumed providing services only under the threat of a lawsuit,” wrote Senator Duff in a letter to the commissioner. “I find it difficult to understand why AAA Northeast was unable to reach an agreement with the state when the other AAA franchise in Connecticut, AAA Club Alliance, recently renewed its contract…

Read More

HARTFORD, CT) – Last week Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker  debuted the state’s new fleet of three tow-behind plows that are capable of clearing snow and ice from two full highway lanes in a single pass.  Towed in the rear of a truck, the plows measure 26 feet in length, essentially doubling the width of a single plow truck when in operation, and will boost the state’s overall handling of winter maintenance and snow-clearing operations on state roads.   “The people and businesses of Connecticut depend on an efficient transportation system, and these advanced snow plows will make a difference when it comes to clearing our highways following winter weather events,”…

Read More

“Affordable” Care Act Open Enrollment Ends January 31, 2017

#HARTFORD, CT)– Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Chair of the Board of Access Health CT (AHCT), the state’s health exchange, today released the following statement regarding open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA):   “I want to reassure Connecticut consumers that Access Health CT will continue to be a vital link, connecting them to high-quality, affordable health insurance. In Connecticut, we’ve seen more than 800,000 residents use the state healthcare exchange to find coverage. During this open enrollment period, just as we’ve done before, Access Health CT stands ready to assist consumers in finding and enrolling in the healthcare plan that best meets their needs. Our leadership on healthcare is well-established. If there are any changes in the federal ACA,…

Read More

State Launches Initiative For Homeless Ages 18 to 24

Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Evonne M. Klein today announced that the State of Connecticut is launching a new, first-of-its-kind initiative that will focus on building supportive housing for youths between the ages of 18 to 24 who are homeless.  November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and this funding comes at a time when Connecticut is focusing its efforts on expanding access to affordable housing opportunities for everyone.   A statewide count of youth homelessness conducted in 2015 estimated that 3,000 unaccompanied youth under the age of 25 are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut.  The creation of supportive housing specifically targeted for this demographic will help fill a meaningful gap in the housing continuum.…

Read More

New Rail Cars

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board today approved an order for at least 60, and up to a total of 94 additional new M8 rail cars that provide train service on Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line. The cars, the first of which are expected to enter service in three years, will allow the railroad to lengthen rush hour trains, retire its last 36 older M2 cars, increase safety, and have flexibility to increase train service in the years ahead to meet ridership increases. The cars will supplement the 405 M8 cars already in use on the New Haven Line and New Canaan Branch.   The order approved today consists of a base order of 60 cars and an option for…

Read More

$600k In Long Island Sound Grants

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) on Wednesday applauded over $600,000 in federal Long Island Sound Futures Fund grants to eleven community conservation projects throughout Connecticut. The projects will focus on coastal habitat restoration and improving water quality in the Long Island Sound and waterways that feed into the Sound. The federal funds are from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   “Our state relies on a healthy Long Island Sound. Whether it’s training student conservation workers, creating fish passages at dams, or restoring coastal…

Read More

Governor: Storms And Microgrids

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that Connecticut’s innovative and successful microgrid program will take another major step forward when the State Bond Commission meets Tuesday and is expected approve $30 million in funding for new projects that will strengthen the state’s resiliency against future weather events.   Microgrids can provide electricity to critical government facilities and town centers on a 24/7 basis.  They include a system to isolate the microgrid and provide power within its network even when there is a largescale outage, such as the ones the state experienced in recent years.  Power from a microgrid can be used for government services and businesses that are critical during extreme weather events – such as police, fire, and emergency…

Read More