skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As shutdown deadline nears, Senate Democrats say they won't vote for GOP-led bill; After USDA funding freeze, Colorado farmers brace for tariffs; NM protests against Musk's Tesla dealerships expand to Sandoval County; Local economic partnership helps MT town embrace new work sectors.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Senate Democrats refuse to support GOP budget bill. The EU and Canada respond to steel and aluminum tariffs and some groups work to counter Christian Nationalism, which they call a threat to democracy.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Many fear the Trump administration's effort to raise money fast could include sale of public lands, thousands of farmers wait for payouts frozen by the USDA, and a shortage has rural America's doctors coming out of retirement.

CT budget reserve could bolster much-needed social programs

play audio
Play

Monday, August 5, 2024   

Connecticut groups want Gov. Ned Lamont to use some of the state's budget reserve to fund social programs.

The state has amassed a more than $4 billion budget reserve in recent years.

But the governor is holding onto the money, saying the extra funds will be needed to bail the state out of any future economic trouble.

Norma Martinez-HoSang - director of the nonprofit Connecticut For All - said she understands that, but said the money could make a real difference.

"In Connecticut, we saw many families suffer from being underinsured or not insured at all," said Martinez-HoSang. "There've been a lot of people not able to afford their rent and even evictions. Our schools have been using ARPA funds since the pandemic - and now, those are ending at the end of the year."

Polls show using these funds to help shore up basic safety-net programs is widely popular with Connecticut voters.

Sixty-three percent say they want the budget reserves to be used for education, health and human services, and other priorities.

Only 8% want all surplus funding to be spent on paying down state employee pension debt. A 2024 report finds overall statewide pension debt is close to $37 billion.

Along with the budget reserve, Martinez-HoSang noted that policymakers could take other steps to make Connecticut life more affordable. One suggestion is to fix the state's 'regressive' tax system.

Studies show low and middle-income earners pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than wealthier residents.

Martinez-HoSang said the state's fiscal guardrails are "out of touch" with people's needs.

"We should find a way to work around them in 2025 - and get rid of them in a few years when they're up again, to be reestablished or to get rid of them," said Martinez-HoSang. "So, those fiscal guardrails are in the way of real investments that our community needs."

Other legislation to handle this issue should come up when the General Assembly reconvenes next year.

Martinez-HoSang said this should involve addressing the state's volatility cap.

This creates a limit on the amount of revenue used to balance the budget. While it's supposed to capture those funds, it has diverted nearly 10 billion dollars in recent years, which can be spent elsewhere.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
"In Utah, we've been consistently told that transitioning away from coal would devastate our rural communities, but this report reveals a different reality," said Luis Miranda, Utah-based Campaign Organizer for the Sierra Club. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…


Social Issues

play sound

New data show fewer than half of rural Gen Z'ers believe they can find a good job in their community, compared to nearly 70% of their urban peers…

Environment

play sound

As federal funding for climate initiatives faces steep cuts, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations are stepping into the breach, calling out the …


The U.S. solar industry employs more than 263,000 workers, with jobs in installation, manufacturing, and research continuing to grow. (rh2010/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan ranks 26th in the U.S. for total installed solar capacity, while global capacity rose 21% from 2023. However, there are industry concerns …

Social Issues

play sound

Educators are expressing outrage at the mass layoffs of half the U.S. Department of Education workforce. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said …

Social Issues

play sound

Republicans in Washington, D.C. remain focused on greatly reducing federal spending. However, a backlash is mounting in Congressional districts…

Social Issues

play sound

Maryland ranks second in the nation for charging children who have committed crimes as adults. But one expert says a more trauma-informed response in …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021