State News

Senate Passes ATV Law

Today, the state Senate passed An Act Concerning the Penalty for Violations of a Municipal Ordinance Concerning the Operation of a Dirt Bike, All-Terrain Vehicle or Mini-Motorcycle (SB 463<https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB00463&which_year=2016 Under the bill, municipalities may regulate the operation and use of mini-motorcycles on public property and impose penalties on them up to the same limits applicable to dirt bike, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), and snowmobile ordinance violations. In addition, municipal officers and employees may issue citations without first providing a written warning to individuals who violate a mini-motorcycle ordinance. By law, the same is true for citations concerning a dirt bike or ATV ordinance. The bill also authorizes municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to enforce ordinances concerning mini-motorcycle, dirt…

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Will This Chase More Jobs From Connecticut?

#HARTFORD, CT – On Thursday, April 28th, advocates for fair wages in Connecticut presented an invoice for $486 million to a local Walmart on Flatbush Avenue. The invoice represented the annual cost of low-wage jobs to Connecticut taxpayers, who foot the bill when large corporations like Walmart pay wages so low that their employees must rely on public assistance to support their families. The advocates called for these companies either to pay fair wages to their workers or to contribute to the state's costs for public assistance to working families.   Paul Filson, Director of SEIU State Council, stated, “Every year, Connecticut taxpayers are stuck paying for the poverty-level wages of big corporations. It's time that the state recognized that…

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CT Congressional delegation thanks state leaders for LGBT stance

Cites moral, economic reasons   $WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Jim Himes (CT-4), joined by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), John Larson (CT-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), sent a letter to Governor Dan Malloy, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey thanking them for their actions in support of the LGBT community in Connecticut.   After North Carolina and Mississippi recently passed laws allowing for legal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, the sharp divide between states that are welcoming and inclusive toward LGBT individuals and those that are codifying discrimination has never been clearer.   “By enacting laws that openly discriminate against…

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Work At Home? There’s A Tax For That!

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Jim Himes (CT-04) and Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, introduced the Multistate Worker Tax Fairness Act. This bill will prevent the over-taxation of individuals who telework in one state for companies located in another.  Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are introducing companion legislation in the Senate. The number of Americans telecommuting and working from home at least part-time has increased with technological advancements. Unfortunately, a patchwork of conflicting state tax rules burdens workers and discourages telecommuting. “If you wake up every morning in Connecticut, and walk downstairs to your home office in Connecticut, it only makes sense that you should…

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School Funding Slashed For Many Schools In Area, Bridgeport Is Sparred

#Hartford Connecticut-- Looking to cut a $922 million state deficit Governor Malloy has revised the budget. Here are the cuts to Education Cost Sharing grants: Bridgeport- No cuts of the designated $182,266,724         Fairfield:  Receives $0, a cut of $3,590,008      Monroe: $6,262,588, a cut of $354,081 Shelton: $4,966,672, a cut of $1,233,138           Stratford: $20,845,788, a cut of $975,098             Trumbull: $3,093,693, a cut of $610,019 Westport: $0, a cut of $1,988,255          Wilton: $0, a cut of $1,557,195   There were no cuts to the Governor's Office or the Lieutenant Governor's budget. To see the full budget with cuts see: http://portal.ct.gov/uploadedFiles/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Governor/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2016/04-2016/2016.04.12%20Governor%20Malloy's%20Revised%20Budget.pdf School cuts begin on…

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GOV. MALLOY RELEASES UPDATED BUDGET PROPOSAL

#HARTFORD, CT – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released a revised, balanced budget proposal that addresses the entirety of the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis’s deficit projection by closing a projected $922 million deficit for FY2017.  Falling under the statutory spending cap, this is the only budget presented thus far that tackles the full scope of the challenge.  It includes no tax increases.   The proposal identifies and maintains funding for core services and:   Asks non-union employees, appointees, and elected officials in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to pay 20 percent for their health care benefits, creating a savings of as much as $5 million per fiscal year moving into the future Maintains funding for Community Residential Services…

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Governor Bans Another State for CT State Funded Travel

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is banning non-essential state-funded travel to Mississippi, following that state’s enactment of a discriminatory law that allows businesses and nonprofit groups to refuse service to people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.   The state-funded travel ban falls under Executive Order No. 45, signed last year after Indiana enacted similar legislation.   “Government should be in the practice of eliminating discrimination – not embracing it.  This law in Mississippi is an active attempt to discriminate against the LGBTQ community.  We, as a state, cannot stand for that,” Governor Malloy said.  “I am proud of Connecticut’s continued advancement of equality for all residents.  Our state prides itself on…

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#HARTFORD, CT - -Senator Ed Gomes (D-Bridgeport) continued his advocacy for reforming Connecticut’s policies around hiring applicants with a criminal record. Testifying in front of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, Sen. Gomes called for the passage of Senate Bill 467: An Act Concerning Municipal Implementation of Criminal Justice Reforms.   The bill is a set of hiring policies for private employers, designed to ensure that applicants with criminal records are evaluated on the merits of their qualifications, not on their criminal records.   “This is an important bill for those with a record to have an opportunity to receive a job,” said Sen. Gomes. “A felony conviction too often haunts a person their whole life preventing them from moving on…

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NEW NATIONAL REPORT MEASURING CRIME RATES SHOWS CONNECTICUT’S SMART APPROACH TO VIOLENT CRIME

#HARTFORD, CT – Governor Dannel P. Malloyy highlighted the release of a new report on national crime punishment rates by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which shows that Connecticut’s approach of focused deterrence, including prioritizing violent and predatory offenders for incarceration, is reducing crime.   The report introduces a new metric known as the punishment rate, which compares the number of people in prison to the rate of crime for Part I crimes, including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle thefts.  The report shows Connecticut ranks 13th nationally in the punishment rate – which is the highest of any state in New England – while its imprisonment rate ranks 34th.  That indicates that violent criminals are serving…

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