Yankee Institute

10/16/2026

Connecticut workers pay into paid leave every payday. Last fiscal year, the program paid $104 in benefits for every $100 collected from their checks.

It still has substantial reserves. But its own projections show nearly half gone by 2029.

Hartford made sure the money comes out of your paycheck. What’s the plan when the reserves stop covering the difference?

Last fiscal year, Connecticut Paid Leave paid out roughly $104 in benefits for every $100 collected from workers’ paychecks. Despite workers already contributing at the maximum rate allowed by law, its own annual report projects it will burn through nearly half its financial cushion by June 2029. ...

10/15/2026

Will Connecticut see higher taxes, new fines or new fees? “I sure as hell hope not,” Gov. Lamont told Chaz and AJ.

Taxpayers share the sentiment. But Hartford already charges us to earn, drive, work and transfer wealth. Surely a few of those charges deserve a second look — and perhaps a farewell.

Could we lose a few? Sure as hell hope so..

Connecticut taxpayers can hope their next bill won’t get any bigger. They’d also like to hear the governor say it won’t. Asked on WPLR’s Chaz and AJ show on Aug. 10 whether a third term would bring tax increases, new fines or new fees, Gov. Ned Lamont answered, “I sure…

10/15/2026

Your paycheck takes a hit. Your gas tank takes a hit. Even lunch comes with a little something for Hartford.

Where does Connecticut get its money? Our new Sources of Revenue flyer follows 370 entries in the state’s books — from taxes and fees to federal grants and more.

Which tax or fee would you eliminate first? Share the flyer and nominate one for retirement. 👇

https://www.yankeeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/YI-Revenue.pdf

10/09/2026

Lamont wanted Washington to explain the federal scholarship tax credit before Connecticut signed up. Treasury and the IRS delivered.

The scholarships could help eligible public- and private-school students pay for tutoring, books and tuition without taking a penny from Connecticut’s public-school budgets. The proposed regulations include audits and reporting requirements, too.

Now Lamont wants more assurances. What’s still missing?

Let’s not make “available in other states” the fine print on the help a Connecticut parent can’t afford and a child can’t afford to miss.

Gov. Ned Lamont wanted Washington to explain its new scholarship tax credit before Connecticut signed up. On Oct. 1, Washington delivered. Now Connecticut families deserve an answer about whether their children will get the same opportunity as students in participating states. “I just think it’s...

10/08/2026

Connecticut is writing its energy playbook for the next four years. On the table: the future of natural gas, a major push toward electrification, new demand from data centers, utility-rate changes and who pays for it all.

Advocacy groups are pushing to stop expanding natural gas and move more homes onto electric heat—even though natural gas still generates half of New England’s electricity.

Public comments are due Oct. 16. Here’s what is at stake and why ratepayers should weigh in.

Connecticut is beginning a process that could influence how residents heat their homes, power their cars and pay for energy for years. They already know expensive energy when they see it; the evidence arrives every month. Now they have a chance to say what should — and should not…

10/07/2026

💡 Connecticut’s electric bills are painful enough. DEEP wants tougher RGGI rules, which make power plants pay for carbon emissions - costs that can reach your bill.

Before approving them, lawmakers should demand the full accounting and put bill relief first.

Connecticut wants to tighten a program that can raise the cost of electricity. Before moving ahead, the state should answer a basic question: What are customers already paying for it? The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) decided Sept. 11 to advance tougher Regional Greenhouse...

10/06/2026

Offshore wind’s big payoff? Five bucks a month—by 2050.

And that’s not a lower electric bill. It’s the difference between two projected cost increases.

Always read the fine print.

Five dollars a month. That is the projected household advantage of a power mix that includes offshore wind in The Nature Conservancy’s new study of where offshore wind can compete in New England. But the word “save” needs an asterisk. The study does not predict that offshore wind will…

10/05/2026

Today marks the anniversary of Connecticut’s Oct. 5, 1991, anti-income-tax rally. Here’s to the people who showed up and made themselves heard.

Thirty-five years later, the rally is in the history books. The reason for it is still on your pay stub.

Were you there? Share your memories or photos below.

10/02/2026

Deep-fried Oreos are temporary. Paying less extra interest on Connecticut’s borrowing? Let’s make that a forever thing.

Connecticut has received eight credit-rating upgrades since 2018, according to the comptroller’s latest economic report. Paying down pension debt and improving fiscal discipline helped make the state a safer bet for lenders, reducing the extra interest they demand from Connecticut.

Overall interest rates have risen, but taxpayers would face even higher borrowing costs without that progress. Keeping the guardrails helps protect those gains.

The guardrails earned their spot in the Connecticut building. What else belongs there?
https://osc.ct.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/October-1-2026-Economic-Update.pdf

10/01/2026

Hartford’s AI law is still rolling out, and lawmakers are already talking about the next one.

Where would you draw the line: what AI use needs a rule, and what should government leave alone? 🤔

More provisions of Connecticut’s artificial intelligence (AI) law, Public Act 26-15, take effect today (Oct. 1), with broader workplace requirements scheduled to begin next year. While Connecticut is still implementing the law, legislators are already considering another round of AI regulations. L...