Voices from the Capitol

A new report shows significant racial inequality in pay in Connecticut beyond the disparities that exist nationwide. According to the 2021 State of Working Connecticut report issued by Connecticut Voices for Children, the typical Black worker in the state was paid 68 cents for every dollar a typical...

Connecticut’s economic growth has been below the national average for the last 10 years, according to an analysis by the advocacy group Connecticut Voices for Children. “Since the Great Recession Connecticut’s economy has shrunk overall and underperformed the U.S. economic growth in nearly eve...

The COVID recession hit Connecticut’s economy harder than much of the rest of the United States, and it will take longer for the state to recover, according to a new report from policy think-tank Connecticut Voices for Children. The group’s annual “State of Working Connecticut” report foun...

By The Day Editorial Board In 2014, The Day published a series of stories that revealed the seriousness of the pension crisis confronting Connecticut. For decades state elected leaders had negotiated labor contracts with state workers committing Connecticut taxpayers to provide generous pension pay...

Connecticut Treasurer Shawn Wooden grew up in Hartford’s impoverished North End. “I know how the cycle of poverty helped push people back,” he said. That helped shape his push for his “passion project” for the past legislative session — CT Baby Bonds. The program, which Wooden calls firs...

While Connecticut wiped out $1.25 billion of its massive, long-term pension debt this month, it still has decades to go to cover the remainder — nearly $40 billion. But the one benefit will be felt right away. The supplemental payment frees up $110 million Connecticut now can spend annually on som...

Tamika Grace has barely caught her breath since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. A single mother of two young daughters, the 43-year-old Bridgeport woman has had to navigate a year of remote schooling, reduced work hours and unexpected expenses. Grace was temporarily laid off from her job in childcare due...

Gov. Ned Lamont blocked Rep. Sean Scanlon’s push this year for a major state income tax cut for Connecticut’s middle class. But Scanlon made sure — through the new state budget Lamont signed last week — that Lamont won’t be forgetting it any time soon. The two-year budget will force the ad...

A Connecticut child advocacy group wants a permanent expansion of the federal tax credit that gives direct payments to eligible low income parents. A report released early this year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Connecticut’s slow recovery from the Great Recession meant that low in...

The first-of-its-kind program directly addresses the racial wealth gap while investing in the state’s long-term economic growth. Press release from the Treasurer’s Office: June 18, 2021 Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden celebrates Connecticut making history by passing CT Baby B...