Keith Phaneuf

2 days ago | ctmirror.org | Keith Phaneuf |Ginny Monk

The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a $9.7 billion bond package Wednesday to finance school construction, transportation upgrades and other capital projects for the next two fiscal years. The borrowing plan, which passed 35-1 in the Senate and 144-4 in the House, would expand non-education aid for cities and towns, increase affordable housing and combat homelessness, bolster security at places of worship and support construction and renovation of child care facilities.

2 days ago | ctmirror.org | Keith Phaneuf

Legislators on Wednesday asked Connecticut’s hospitals, which sued the state over escalating taxes 10 years ago, to trust them with their money one more time. House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said Wednesday that legislators, due to a lack of time, couldn’t shrink an approved $375 million hospital tax hike down to $285 million before the General Assembly’s mandatory adjournment deadline at midnight.

3 days ago | ctpublic.org | Keith Phaneuf

The Connecticut Senate gave final approval late Tuesday to a biennial budget that prioritizes children, dramatically scales back a pledged boost to health care providers who treat the poor and relies on accounting maneuvers to comply with the constitutional spending cap. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 25-11 along party lines to adopt the $55.8 billion two-year budget, which now heads to Gov. Ned Lamont for his expected signature.

3 days ago | ctmirror.org | Keith Phaneuf

The Senate gave final approval late Tuesday to a biennial budget that prioritizes children, dramatically scales back a pledged boost to health care providers who treat the poor and relies on accounting maneuvers to comply with the constitutional spending cap. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 25-11 along party lines to adopt the $55.8 billion two-year budget, which now heads to Gov. Ned Lamont for his expected signature.

3 days ago | ctmirror.org | Keith Phaneuf

Gov. Ned Lamont has asked legislators to scale back a $375 million hospital tax increase in the next state budget after industry officials raised concerns Tuesday morning. This creates a technical challenge for legislators who entered Tuesday halfway through their formal adoption of a $55.8 billion budget for the next two fiscal years. The House approved that plan minutes after midnight, but the Senate hadn’t begun its debate by early Tuesday afternoon.