Governor continues to tease out his budget priorities
Environment and General Law Committees hold public hearings this week
News and notes from around the Capitol
News and notes from around the state
- Anticipation is growing for the Governor’s budget address next Wednesday as the Governor continues to roll out some of his initiatives in advance.
- Last week the Governor and his DEEP commissioner held a press conference announcing the Administration’s environmental priorities including an EPR proposal for packaging.
- This week, the Governor made more announcements.
- Gov. Lamont floated a plan to use $20 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding to contract with a company that buys medical debt. CTNewsJunkie’s Christine Stuart looks at the proposal here.
- Meanwhile, when it comes to taxes, the question state leaders are trying to answer this year isn’t whether to cut them. As CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf reports here, the larger issues are how deep to cut — and who should benefit.
- By this time next week, we will have a better idea of what the Governor will do, and we’ll report back to you, but we also have to keep in mind that the Governor only proposes his budget – it’s up to the Legislature to adopt or revise it.
Environment and General Law hold public hearings this week
- CRN was tracking activity in the Environment Committee this week, where they held a public hearing on a bill that would create a so-called EPR program for tires. You can go here to view that bill.
- The Environment Committee also held a bill dealing with the disposal of helium balloons. You can view that bill by going here.
- We will remain very much engaged on both of those bills in the Environment Committee and will keep you posted on progress.
- Also, the General Law Committee held a high-profile hearing yesterday on a bill that would allow for wine to be sold in grocery stores.
- The LOB was packed yesterday with both proponents and opponents of the bill.
- CTNewsJunkie highlights the issue here.
News and notes from the State Capitol
- State Comptroller Sean Scanlon released his first monthly financial and economic update and outlook since he took office last month, projecting a Fiscal Year 2023 General Fund surplus of $1.3 billion. Fairfield County Business Journal has the numbers here.
- Connecticut lawmakers will consider this session whether to eliminate a “subminimum wage” for tipped workers like servers and require all employers to pay their staff at least minimum wage. CTNewsJunkie reports the details here.
- Around one-third of all applications to the state’s Paid Leave program were rejected in its first year, and records show that missing or incomplete paperwork accounted for most denials. CT Mirror breaks down the data here.
- Connecticut returned $70.7 million in unclaimed property to state residents during the past year, but the program continued to accumulate many millions of dollars more. CT Mirror has the details here.
- Attorney General William Tong and Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas issued a warning this week against a new potential government imposter scam targeting Connecticut businesses. Fairfield County Business Journal has the information here.
- Concerns have been raised at the Capitol regarding response times of ambulances in parts of the state, and legislators are considering ways to improve the situation. CT Examiner reports on the issue here.
News and notes from around the state
- Eversource Energy announced this week that it will spend $74 million on tree trimming and removal this year, to lessen the chances of power outages in the wake of potentially powerful storms. Hartford Business Journal details the company’s plans here.
- Breeze Airways announced three new nonstop flights from Bradley International Airport – to Vero Beach, Raleigh-Durham and Phoenix – will launch this month as the startup airline continues to expand in Connecticut. Hartford Business Journal reports on the airline’s plans here.
- Looking forward to a bounce-back year, Bristol’s Lake Compounce is looking to hire more than 1,000 employees for its 2023 season, set to begin in late April. The oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States will begin its 177th year. New Haven BIZ reports on hiring plans here.
- State government has a new online service that allows manufacturers and suppliers to discover new business opportunities and connect with each other to manage supply chains. Hartford Business Journal reports on the launch of CONNEX here.