As the Insurance Department held a public hearing Aug. 18 to hear responses to proposed rate increases for more than 200,000 Connecticut health insurance policy holders, Senate Democrats were among the voices decrying the rate hikes. Insurers in Connecticut submitted rate proposals for individual and small group insurance – plans accessible through the Affordable Care Act – that would increase…| Capitol Dispatch
Democratic lawmakers stood Wednesday in solidarity with their colleague, Rep. Corey Paris, who was targeted for harassment and threats after a federal law enforcement agency endorsed a suggestion that he should be prosecuted for a social media post. More than 30 lawmakers and state officials gathered in the first floor of the Legislative Office Building to support Paris, a Stamford…| Capitol Dispatch
Fatal car crashes on Connecticut roads declined by 27% in the first seven months of 2025 when compared to statistics over the same period last year, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection announced Monday. As of last week, there had been 143 traffic-related deaths on state roads this year, according to the University of Connecticut’s Crash Data Repository.…| Capitol Dispatch
For the third time in 2025, electric rates in Connecticut fell after state regulators gave final approval to state borrowing that will deliver new savings for ratepayers including a 28% reduction in the public benefits charge. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority unanimously approved new reductions in the public benefits charges of consumer bills, finalizing steps taken by legislation to shift…| Capitol Dispatch
The U.S. Justice Department has reached a proposed settlement with one of the nation’s largest landlords to stop using anti-competitive tenant practices; that's the same goal as a recent housing bill that was vetoed by Gov. Ned Lamont but which is now being re-negotiated. The DOJ announced on Aug. 8 that it had filed a proposed settlement to resolve its…| Capitol Dispatch
The bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures elected Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff as its vice president during an annual summit held earlier this month in Boston. The one-year term puts Duff on track to become the group’s president in 2027. The NCSL serves more than 7,000 state lawmakers and 30,000 legislative staff across the nation. The group elected…| Capitol Dispatch
As Republican-backed tariff policies drive up the price of consumer goods, Connecticut residents will get a slight cost reprieve beginning Sunday when the state launches its annual sales tax holiday on clothing and footwear priced at less than $100. The sales tax-free week will run through next Saturday, Aug. 23, and exempts most clothing and shoes under the $100 cost…| Capitol Dispatch
The closing of Sacred Heart University's multicultural, sexuality and gender equity centers in Fairfield this month is just the latest of dozens of campus community centers appealing to certain demographics of students being mandated to close under new federal guidelines. CT Insider reported Aug. 11 that Sacred Heart's centers will close, with university President John J. Petillo saying in a…| Capitol Dispatch
At least twice in the last month, Connecticut grocery store chain owner Stew Leonard Jr. has appeared on national television to discuss how the Trump administration’s tariff policies were driving up the cost of essential goods. Leonard Jr. operates Stew Leonard’s grocery stores in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. He has already sent newsletters to shoppers informing them of…| Capitol Dispatch
