Connecticut workers receiving minimum wage will get a pay increase on New Year’s Day as the state’s minimum wage is slated to grow about 60 cents, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday. After Connecticut Senate Democrats led the state’s 2019 effort to impose an increase to the minimum wage, which spurred a five-year increase from […]| Capitol Dispatch
With concern continuing to grow nationally over announcements made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, states are working to align regional vaccine guidance. Following a number of decisions and announcements that drew public controversy, most recently the […]| Capitol Dispatch
Nearly two-thirds of Connecticut businesses expect their operations to be hurt by the tariff policies enacted by Republican President Donald Trump, according to a Wednesday survey from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. The group’s 2025 Survey of Connecticut Businesses found that 64% of respondent businesses expected to be negatively impacted by the new […]| Capitol Dispatch
Just a week after a shooting at Minnesota’s Annunciation Catholic Church killed two children and injured dozens of students and parishioners, Connecticut houses of worship are now worried that federal security grant funding is in jeopardy. Since 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided funding to nonprofit organizations that are at heightened […]| Capitol Dispatch
In the months since the second Trump administration began, Connecticut has already lost just under 4,000 jobs and more than $900 million in federal health support as a result of funding, policy and leadership decisions made by the administration, according to Science Impacts. Data compiled by Science Impacts, including comparing the proposed federal National […]| Capitol Dispatch
Crime rates continue to decrease in Connecticut’s capital city, according to a Sunday report from the Hartford Courant, which found significant declines in violent crimes like murder and aggravated assault. “Our shooting numbers are the lowest that we’ve seen on record,” Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam told the Courant following new statistics that revealed a […]| Capitol Dispatch
Senate President Martin Looney called on Connecticut utility regulators on Tuesday to require United Illuminating parent company Avangrid to honor its commitments to more than 200 retired utility workers whose benefits are slated to be reduced by the corporation. Looney, D-New Haven, wrote to the Public Utility Regulatory Authority chair urging the agency to […]| Capitol Dispatch
As the new school year begins and cooler temperatures start settling around Connecticut, respiratory virus season is right around the corner. While flu shots will be readily available this fall at clinics, pharmacies and doctor’s offices statewide, there are new rules regarding who can get the updated COVID shot this year – but don’t let […]| Capitol Dispatch
From the 40-hour work week to the end of child labor, unions have made invaluable contributions to American life. But it hasn’t been easy. As we reflect on Labor Day, it’s worth remembering how often Connecticut Republicans have sought to impede the labor movement. CT GOP: ‘No’ on Family Medical Leave In 2019, […]| Capitol Dispatch
Earlier this week, PosiGen, a Louisiana-based solar developer announced that they will be ceasing operations across the country, including three Connecticut-based offices in Danbury, Shelton and Wethersfield. Seventy-eight Connecticut workers are set to lose their jobs due to the closures, which PosiGen cited “significant financial difficulties” as the reason. Earlier this summer, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress…| Capitol Dispatch
Officials in at least one Connecticut town reconsidered their membership in a municipal lobby group after the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities advocated the defeat of housing legislation favored by the community, the Connecticut Post reported this week. Manchester’s reevaluation of its membership in CCM occurred after the municipal group encouraged Gov. Ned Lamont to veto H.B. 5002, a bill…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut's July jobs report from the Department of Labor confirmed that the state's employment market is still headed in a positive direction, as the state added 700 jobs in the middle of the summer. The growth outlined in July’s report accompanied modest revisions to June’s numbers, which were reduced by 200 and remained above 6,000 for the month. …| Capitol Dispatch
With Texas lawmakers voting to redistrict their congressional maps to favor Republicans and California responding to cancel out those gains, Connecticut is unlikely to join the fray due to the state's population distribution and longstanding districting standards. Although Connecticut's five congressional districts result from a bipartisan redistricting process, the state’s five seats have been held by Democrats since 2008. Senate…| Capitol Dispatch
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
Senate Democrats voted unanimously to extend Connecticut’s popular Paid Family and Medical Leave program to as many as 50,000 public and private school employees, such as paraeducators, library support staff, and custodial and food service workers. Senate Bill 1427 recently passed the Senate on a partisan 24-11 vote and now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. Under the…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut Democrats in May passed legislation to protect Connecticut’s current health standards amid increasing uncertainty in future decisions made by federal leaders. These concerns are grounded in recent recommendations and actions taken by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the confirmation of federal Health and Human Services Commissioner Robert F. Kennedy. They also…| 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
Democrats at the state, local and federal level rallied Monday behind a group of Avon residents, who formed a tenants union in an effort to negotiate safer living conditions from their out-of-state, corporate landlord. Members of the new Avon Place Tenant Union staged a mid-morning press conference to detail a litany of complaints about the management of the roughly 180-unit…| Capitol Dispatch
The long-term impact of anti-abortion restrictions on regional health care is becoming more apparent, including through a significant new policy change that could harm members of the armed forces. A recent anti-abortion decision from the Veterans Affairs Department, rolls back a 2022 policy, enacted under President Joe Biden, which offered abortion services to military veterans who needed to terminate a…| Capitol Dispatch
As Connecticut officials celebrated the passage of a comprehensive policy to bring down prescription drug prices, Republican President Donald Trump made news for repeating widely mocked claims about his record on pharmaceutical costs. Newsweek reported Monday that Trump had continued to promote the mathematically impossible assertion that his administration had reduced prescription drug prices by more than 100%. The news…| Capitol Dispatch
State officials and advocates for Connecticut patients gathered in a crowded Hartford pharmacy last week to celebrate a new state law, intended to reduce the cost of prescription medication through a series of recommendations from a coalition of experts, legislators and providers. The Wednesday event at Arrow Pharmacy served to mark the signing of House Bill 7192, a wide-ranging proposal…| Capitol Dispatch
While President Donald Trump says the Aug. 1 return of his reciprocal tariffs on trade partners is good news, the average American is positioned to see their costs rise for a variety of everyday goods once they take effect. With recent news indicating that tariffs on goods from the European Union will rise from 1.2% to 15%, the direct impact…| Capitol Dispatch
Democrats accounted for 20 of the 21 Connecticut legislators recognized this year as environmental or climate champions based on the bills they introduced, advanced and passed during the 2025 session, according to the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters legislative scorecard. The annual scorecard from the CTLCV reviews bills that would have significantly impacted Connecticut's environment in both positive and negative…| Capitol Dispatch
Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation are pushing back against an apparent Trump administration plan to close a community based clinic for United States military veterans in Stamford, according to a Thursday report from CT Insider. Although the Republican administration has not yet publicized any plans to shutter the Stamford VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic, Veterans Council Commander Stephen Fischer told…| Capitol Dispatch
The impacts of the Trump administration's federal budget are already being felt in hospitals across the country, with worries that it will cause significant damage to America's rural communities in the years to come. NBC News reported that some hospitals in rural regions, such as Kansas, are already reviewing the services they provide and determining whether they will need to…| Capitol Dispatch
As consumers absorb tariff-driven price hikes, which a new report estimates will cost households an average of $2,000, Connecticut Democrats are advancing legislation intended to prevent companies from exploiting costly trade policies to inflate prices. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and state Attorney General William Tong discussed some of those efforts during a Monday press conference at Hartford’s The Grocery on…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut’s public school system ranked second-best in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub study that evaluated school systems across all 50 states. In what WalletHub described as a "comprehensive" approach, its study accounted for school performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials. In earning its second-place rating, WalletHub said, Connecticut reported high ACT test scores, ranking second-best in…| Capitol Dispatch
As Connecticut lawmakers voted last year to expand the state’s paid sick leave policy to nearly all workers, state officials in Missouri overturned a similar law even after it passed with strong support from voters. In 2024, Connecticut expanded its existing law requiring employers with more than 50 employees in retail and service positions to provide staff with up to…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut has joined a coalition of states suing the Trump administration over its decision to freeze billions in federal education funding, including $53 million already budgeted for school districts across the state. At a press conference last week, Attorney General William Tong announced the lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Education from withholding funds approved by Congress and expected…| Capitol Dispatch
In the Connecticut Department of Labor's preliminary report on June employment data, the state reached its highest total of workers since March 2008, a 16-year high when combining the public and private sector. Connecticut has added about 1,100 jobs this year, enough to bring public and private employment to 1,718,700, a total not seen since before the financial recession of…| Capitol Dispatch
CNBC has released its annual rankings of the top states in the nation, with Connecticut landing in the top 10 for several key categories, including fifth place for both quality of life and education, and eighth for workforce strength. CNBC described its methodology as weighing ten major categories impacting life in different states and assigning an overall score that is…| Capitol Dispatch
Despite a Friday federal court ruling, striking down a Biden-era rule that barred lenders from considering medical debt when evaluating credit applications, Connecticut residents remain protected under a 2024 state law that prohibits the practice. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan means Americans who suffered medical issues and had to take on debt will face additional hurdles when…| Capitol Dispatch
While Connecticut laws continue to protect the rights of residents to access reproductive care in response to changes in federal law, other states have adopted stringent abortion policies which, according to reports, are increasingly putting women in harm's way. In Texas, where abortions are banned after a fetal heartbeat is detected – and where the only exceptions are when a…| Capitol Dispatch
As the massive, 1,100-page federal budget's impacts on Connecticut continue to be revealed, there's one common thread about its changes to Connecticut – they're expected to wreak havoc on health care access and services. State officials have been speaking out about the changes, which are likely to be implemented over the next decade. According to CT News Junkie, state officials…| Capitol Dispatch
A new report hints at why Connecticut towns and cities have been slow to approve affordable housing plans: the people weighing such projects are often older white male homeowners who are not representative of the diversity of people and housing options in the towns they serve. The report, by the Centers for Housing Opportunity, examined the makeup of 105 different…| Capitol Dispatch
A state-backed legal aid initiative helped Connecticut domestic violence survivors obtain protective orders at more than double the rate of self-represented applicants nationwide, according to a new report from the Connecticut Bar Foundation. The findings were part of an annual update on the impact of the TRO Legal Aid program, a state-funded initiative that provides assistance to lower income residents…| Capitol Dispatch
Residents looking for something to do this summer don’t need to go to New York City or Boston to have a fun, exciting time – Connecticut has plenty of landmarks, nationally-renowned attractions and more for everyone to explore, from date nights to family getaways. Best Trails If you're itching to get outdoors, AllTrails' hundreds of thousands of reviewers have identified…| Capitol Dispatch
Congressional Republicans have passed the Trump administration’s federal budget into law, setting in motion sweeping changes that will affect Connecticut residents, from tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy to deep reductions in federally funded services like Medicaid and food assistance. Lower Taxes For Businesses, The Wealthy NBC News reported after the bill won passage in the U.S. Senate that…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut’s recently approved two-year state budget will support dental care for children in the Torrington area by directing $200,000 to Brooker Memorial’s pediatric dental program, an investment that officials say is increasingly vital as federal threats to Medicaid loom. The funding, championed by Sen. Paul Honig, D-Harwinton, includes $100,000 in both fiscal year 2026 and ‘27 to help Brooker meet…| Capitol Dispatch
This summer is bringing millions of dollars of investments to Connecticut's roads and airports, providing new resources for infrastructure projects statewide. In late June, Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the latest release of state funding through the Transportation Rural Improvement Program. This $10 million initiative is designed to support rural communities that are ineligible for…| Capitol Dispatch
Just one month after Connecticut Democrats approved legislation to reduce utility bills, Republicans in the U.S. Senate passed a sweeping proposal that will raise the cost of electricity by suppressing growth in the energy sector. In a narrow vote Tuesday, Republicans in the U.S. Senate passed a budget package, which, according to the Associated Press, slashes health care coverage for…| Capitol Dispatch
Connecticut's newest laws took effect Monday, reducing electric bills, cracking down on street takeovers and emergency price-gouging, and increasing investments in child care, birthing centers, and health care workers. Though the laws passed during Connecticut's legislative session are often signed into law by the governor shortly after they are passed, their effective dates can vary and many took effect on…| Capitol Dispatch
Certain health insurance policies will be required to cover biomarker testing to diagnose and treat diseases like cancer under a bill passed unanimously Wednesday by the Connecticut Senate. The Senate’s action follows a similar unanimous vote by the House earlier this month and sends the legislation to the desk of Gov. Ned Lamont. Wednesday’s debate was led by Sen. Jan…| Capitol Dispatch
While Connecticut is known for its accepting nature, other states seem to be considering less welcoming policies including a new bill introduced by Ohio Republicans in the Columbus statehouse. Ohio's House Bill 262, cosponsored by more than two dozen Republican lawmakers, would declare the 35 to 42-day period between Mother's Day and Father's Day as "Natural Family Month." On top…| Capitol Dispatch
In an effort to address the growing impact of artificial intelligence on society, the Connecticut Senate voted last week to pass legislation to establish comprehensive guidelines for AI usage across the state. Senate Bill 2, a priority proposal from Senate Democrats, was approved on an overwhelming, 32 - 4 vote on Wednesday and will head to the House for consideration…| Capitol Dispatch
Idaho makes a teacher take down an "Everyone is Welcome" sign, because they either don't want everyone to feel welcome, or they just hate millennials. Also, Henry has some updates from the state Senate session.| Capitol Dispatch
