GE Isn’t the Only One Skipping Town
General Electric’s decision to move its corporate head-quarters from Fairfield to Boston, sent shock waves through the Connecticut political class. But it isn’t just corporations and billionaires that...
View ArticleDECD Commissioner Pushes for Extension of Malloy’s First Five Program
In the face of declining tax revenues and weak job reports, state lawmakers have to decide whether or not to continue to fund Governor Malloy's controversial First Five Plus program, which is scheduled...
View ArticleConnecticut economic competitiveness study reveals more bad news
Connecticut is losing better-paying jobs and replacing them with low-paying jobs, according to a study released by the Commission on Economic Competitiveness. The commission had previously attempted to...
View ArticleRetirement mandate could hurt Connecticut’s workers, financial sector
A proposal to create a government-run retirement plan for private employees would ultimately hurt the very people it aims to help, according to testimony from Kim Chamberlain of the Securities Industry...
View ArticleIs Spectra Energy New England’s last chance for lower energy prices?
Plans to bring more natural gas to New England to lower the region's high energy prices face trouble. Two separate pipeline plans would have brought more natural gas, a relatively clean and low-cost...
View ArticleFive ways to turn Connecticut around
Connecticut suffers from an approach to public policy that’s laser-focused on today’s urgent problems, while leaving tomorrow’s important challenges unaddressed. With lawmakers yet again cobbling...
View ArticleSlides from economic forum highlight long-term unemployment, poverty among...
Photographs taken at the Governor’s 2016 Economic Forum in February highlight a number of troubling statistics. - Poverty among minority groups is rising faster than others. - The decline in...
View ArticleImmigrant family flees Connecticut’s tax burden
Bledar Iljazi came to the United States as a child in 1986 when his family decided they could no longer live under the government of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Now the entire family - twelve...
View ArticleCT budget revisions only a pause in the wrong direction
The General Assembly passed a budget last week that stops driving Connecticut backward. The question is: will we take the next step and start driving forward? Last year, lawmakers passed the...
View ArticleJ.P. Morgan report highlights Connecticut’s debt problem
This year we’ve tried to shine a light on Connecticut’s bonded debt, as well as our pension and retiree healthcare liabilities. When all of this debt is combined, Connecticut is one of the most...
View ArticleHartford bankruptcy would not be a death sentence
When people think of a major city declaring bankruptcy the city of Detroit often comes to mind with its sky-high crime rates and areas of urban wasteland. But as more and more cities like Hartford find...
View ArticleMaking Connecticut an attractive place to work again
Connecticut’s workforce – the number of people of working age in the state – is projected to shrink by 9.3 percent over the next 30 years, according to population projections released by the...
View ArticleConnecticut billionaire moves to Florida; could add $30 million to the deficit
Billionaire and hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones has left Connecticut and moved to Florida according to a report in Bloomberg News. Jones, the head of Tudor Investment Corp., opened an office in...
View ArticleSince income tax passage, Hartford area last for job growth
Hartford area employment has only increased by 1.1 percent in the past 25 years, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, leaving Connecticut’s capitol region last in the nation. The...
View ArticleUnion targets Connecticut as battleground in “Fight for $15”
Connecticut is one of the epicenters of the $70 million campaign to pressure states and municipalities to raise the minimum wage to $15, despite the damaging effects that a steep minimum wage increase...
View ArticleStudy finds Connecticut’s paid sick leave hurts young workers the most
A new study from the Employment Policies Institute shows that Connecticut’s 2012 paid sick leave law resulted in reduced benefits and less hours for young and low-wage workers. The study, conducted by...
View ArticleConnecticut employers often give up on unemployment appeals
Connecticut businesses drop unemployment appeals or fail to show up for hearings 40 percent of the time, according to state figures, driving the low success rate for employer appeals found in a recent...
View ArticleConnecticut business survey faults taxes, regulations as barriers to growth
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association and BlumShapiro released Friday their annual survey of businesses in Connecticut, showing state taxes and regulations are the biggest roadblocks to...
View ArticleConnecticut Department of Labor audits youth sports leagues
Over the past three years, the Connecticut Department of Labor has audited 95 youth sports leagues, limiting the programs they can offer or increasing the cost to families. The DOL audits focus on...
View ArticleEmployers are afraid to hire in Connecticut
Joe volunteers to run a youth soccer club. He wants kids outside and on the field. But the Connecticut Department of Labor is getting in the way. The Department of Labor has audited Joe’s nonprofit in...
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