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No one is complaining about the Republican state budget proposal because there isn’t one. That seems to be the point.
Unless something changes, Connecticut Republicans will have failed to propose any alternative state spending and revenue plan for three years in a row: 2019, 2020, and now again in 2021.
Republican leaders aren’t saying why they don’t offer an alternative budget proposal our inquiries went ignored but they have had plenty to say about the plans produced by the other side.
They have howled about the budget package passed by the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, with its more than $1 billion in proposed new taxes by 2023, falling almost exclusively on the state’s wealthiest.
The state health plan cut projected costs by $350 million since October by negotiating favorable contracts, managing care and clawing back savings due to lower utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced last week.
“By actively managing the plan on behalf of both members and taxpayers, we have shifted the health care dynamic towards high-quality care while holding down costs,” Lembo said in a statement. “We’re proving that you can bend the cost curve without pushing patients further away from the services they need to stay healthy.”
The state negotiated favorable contracts for Medicare Advantage and with CVS Health on prescription drugs, in addition to achieving savings with programs aimed at surgical avoidance, preventive care and treating chronic illnesses, Lembo said.
Analysis: COVID-19 hit hotel industry harder in CT
Keith M. Phaneuf, ctmirror.org
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The Hotel Sierra at 830 Bridgeport Ave. in Shelton photographed on 3/31/2010. Photo by Arnold Gold AG0357E
Connecticut ranks among the top third of states in terms of hospitality-sector employment loss stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new trade analysis.
The new report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which projects Connecticut hotel employment will still be down more than 5,900 jobs from pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, comes as Gov. Ned Lamont and legislators try to decide what type of state relief to give the hospitality sector.
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In Hartford, the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee recently voted 26-22 to endorse an act on revenue items to implement Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget recommendations, which include a proposal to increase taxes on the trucking industry in Connecticut. The proposal would institute a tax on trucks based on weight and mileage for both in-state and out-of-state trucks. Rates would range between 2.5 cents per mile for lighter vehicles and 17.5 cents per mile for heavier vehicles.
In April, the Chamber joined groups such as the Motor Transport Association, Connecticut Food Association, Energy Marketers Association, and Lumber Association signing onto a coalition letter opposing the weight-distance tax. The coalition believes this tax is intrusive for all businesses and, if signed into law, would increase the cost of doing business in our state. Ninety-eight percent of freight in Connecticut is transported by trucks. Inevitably, this tax increase will be passed onto consumers, result