The Capitol Beat: October 31, 2017

A little less than a week since the Legislature sent the Governor a $40 billion, bipartisan budget bill for FY 18-19 and some 120 days passed the deadline, the Governor today signed all but the appropriation line items for a hospital tax – a core piece of the budget. He said the provisions run afoul …
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The Capitol Beat: October 16, 2017

With little or no interaction and few signals from legislative leaders that a new budget proposal may be on the horizon for FY 18-19, Governor Malloy today offered his fourth proposal to pay the state’s bills and balance the budget during the biennium. The Governor’s new proposal would cut spending by a total of $144 …
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The Capitol Beat: June 7, 2017

What a difference an election year can make. After November’s election when, for the first time in nearly 40 years, Republicans gained enough seats to tie the Senate 18-18, and took eight seats in the House, creating a 79-72 four-vote swing margin, a new political dynamic took shape in the CT General Assembly. It’s a …
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The Capitol Beat: January 4, 2017

In with the New, In with the Old: 2017 Legislative Session Convenes The 2017 General Assembly session convened today, featuring the swearing in of new and veteran lawmakers in the state Senate and state House of Representatives and an austerity speech from Governor Dannel Malloy. The Governor addressed a joint session of the Legislature to …
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The Capitol Beat: December 16, 2016

Still No Announcements on Legislative Committee Makeup for 2017 With just two and a half weeks before the gavel sounds on January 4th convening the 2017 General Assembly session, there have been no formal announcements from legislative leaders on the makeup of committees. Historically, these announcements are made before the holidays, but decisions have been …
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The Capitol Beat: November 19, 2016

Economic Stability on Everyone’s Mind Inside and Outside the Capitol The Legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) today issued its annual fiscal report card for fiscal years 2017-2020. In the short-term, OFA is projecting a Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 deficit of $77.5 million. The adopted FY 17 budget anticipated a surplus of $22.7 million. …
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The Capitol Beat: November 8, 2016

Connecticut GOP Ties Up Senate 18-18, Narrows Margin in House Election day has come and gone, but its shockwaves are sure to be felt for some time on the national and state levels. As of 11 p.m., Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had prevailed in key Midwestern states, including Ohio,and was leading with 228 electoral …
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The Capitol Beat: October 28, 2016

OFA, Comptroller Hear Earful about Budget Dysfunction, ‘Dissonance’ On Wednesday, the Legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) fielded a battery of questions from a half dozen GOP lawmakers who wanted to know why there were discrepancies in the 2017 budget deficit numbers recently provided by the Governor’s budget office and OFA. Fast forward one …
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The Capitol Beat: October 10-14, 2016

Commission on Economic Competitiveness Hosts Panel on Revitalizing CT Cities Today’s panelists at the CEC meeting had some very interesting observations to share about how to revitalize Connecticut’s cities. Below is a highlight of some of their comments and a link to their presentations, which can be found under today’s date. Some highlights: CT’s job …
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The Capitol Beat: Fiscal Year 2016 In Review

Fiscal Woes Continue to Haunt State; Path Forward Becomes Ever More Difficult The state just can’t seem to make the numbers do what it wants them to: head toward a positive trajectory. A look back at the 2016 Fiscal Year (FY), which closed on June 30th, illustrates in stark relief how difficult budgeting and revenue …
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