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Labor Department doesn’t know which unions need to follow regulation
The Connecticut Department of Labor is charged with regulating unions, but it doesn’t even know what unions, if any, fall under an annual reporting requirement. In particular, a spokeswoman said department doesn’t know if the law applies to the union coalition that...
Invasion of privacy or needed transparency? Days remain to comment on healthcare database
Connecticut’s all-encompassing healthcare database is moving forward and looking for feedback. Residents have until Sept. 12 to submit comment on the proposed policies and procedures for the database that will collect information about every person who receives...
Law allows state education department to circumvent contracting rules
Connecticut’s Department of Education circumvented state contracting laws by giving money to a nonprofit with a specific purpose: to buy training and technology related to the state’s new teacher evaluation process. The Connecticut Association of Schools, a nonprofit...
Report: Connecticut pensions 25 percent funded
A new report from State Budget Solutions ranks Connecticut second-worst for pension funding, with only enough set aside to pay for 25 percent of what it owes employees and retirees. Only Illinois fares worse, with 24 percent funding, according to the nonprofit....
UConn bypasses bidding for urgent contract; winner’s prequalification expires during project
The University of Connecticut awarded a $6 million contract last year without competitive bidding to speed up repair work for fear of bricks falling from the Gant Building on the Storrs campus, but the company doing the project is no longer authorized to do state...
State employees making $5,000/week pay $28.50 to union
The Administrative and Residual union known as P-5 just increased dues. A memo from Comptroller Kevin Lembo includes 91 dues brackets for employees based on bi-weekly pay. The bottom bracket, for employees earning between 0 and $1,000, pays $26.99 every other week....
Mayor DeStefano helped create bank that hired him
A New Haven bank didn’t have to look far when searching for its next executive vice president, choosing board member and outgoing New Haven mayor John DeStefano to fill the position. DeStefano has served as an active board member at START since the bank opened in...
Conn. stem cell grants mostly help UConn and Yale
Connecticut has distributed nearly $80 million in stem cell research grants but only two private companies received funding in the program’s seven years, with most of the money going to the University of Connecticut Health Center and Yale University. In 2011...
Sharkey Letter Reveals Inherent Flaws in Political Process
Our honorable Speaker of the House, J. Brendan Sharkey, has once again exemplified the convoluted way of thinking that afflicts most of Connecticut’s public officials. In a letter to four video game companies, Sharkey called on game-makers to sever the tie between...
Health center employing Sen. Harp sees state funding decline
Although its funding has decreased in recent years, a New Haven nonprofit with a powerful state senator on its payroll continues to receive state dollars, according to the state’s transparency website. Toni Harp, a Democrat, is the chairwoman of the...