Keith Phaneuf

1 week ago | courant.com | Keith Phaneuf

Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly either eviscerated the budget caps that have generated unprecedented surpluses or barely adjusted them, leaving too little for education, human services and municipal aid. It depends on who’s talking. But while the reality lies somewhere in the middle, most officials agree on one thing: the discussion on Connecticut’s savings habits has just begun.

2 weeks ago | nancyonnorwalk.com | Ginny Monk |Keith Phaneuf |Audrey Cozzarin |Drew Todd

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.

3 weeks 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.

3 weeks 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 weeks 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.