SOME TAX SAVINGS ARE IN THE WORKS HERE IN CONNECTICUT.CLOTHING AND SHOES UNDER $100 WOULD BE PERMANENTLY EXEMPT FROM STATE SALES TAX UNDER A BIPARTISAN BILL ADVANCING TO THE STATE SENATE. THE PROPOSAL ALSO RAISES HOMEOWNER TAX CREDITS TO $400 AND ELIMINATES INCOME TAXES ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS, TOTALING OVER $57 MILLION IN RELIEF. RENTERS EARNING UNDER $50,000 COULD RECEIVE UP TO $1,000 IN TAX CREDITS. SCHOOL SUPPLIES LIKE BACKPACKS AND PAPER WOULD BE TAX-FREE, SAVING ABOUT $7 MILLION ANNUALLY. OVERALL, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR EXEMPTIONS WOULD PROVIDE ROUGHLY $175 MILLION IN YEARLY SAVINGS.
TO MARK DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH, AAA NORTHEAST IS URGING DRIVERS TO PUT AWAY THEIR PHONES AND HELP SAVE LIVES. IN 2023, 3,275 PEOPLE NATIONWIDE WERE KILLED IN TRAFFIC CRASHES INVOLVING A DISTRACTED DRIVER, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST DATA FROM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. WHILE THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES DECREASED SLIGHTLY BY 1% FROM 2022, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INJURED IN DISTRACTED DRIVING CRASHES INCREASED BY 12% BETWEEN 2022 AND 2023 FROM 289,310 TO 324,819. IN CONNECTICUT, FROM 2021 TO 2025, THERE WERE MORE THAN 26,000 CRASHES INVOLVING A DISTRACTED DRIVER, ACCORDING TO THE CONNECTICUT CRASH DATA REPOSITORY. OVER 7,800 OF THE CRASHES RESULTED IN INJURIES AND NEARLY 50 WERE FATAL. NHTSA REPORTS THAT CELLPHONE USE IS THE MOST PREVALENT FORM OF DISTRACTION. THE DANGERS OF TEXTING ARE ESPECIALLY ALARMING: SENDING OR READING A TEXT TAKES YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR 5 SECONDS. AT 55 MPH, THAT’S THE EQUIVALENT OF DRIVING THE LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED. AAA RESEARCH SHOWS THAT NEARLY ALL DRIVERS SURVEYED RECENTLY PERCEIVE TEXTING, EMAILING, READING AND SCROLLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ON A CELLPHONE AS DANGEROUS. HOWEVER, MANY RESPONDENTS STILL ENGAGED IN THE FOLLOWING BEHAVIORS IN THE PREVIOUS 30 DAYS.
WITH GASOLINE NOW OVER 4 DOLLARS PER GALLON NATIONALLY, AND JUST A FEW CENTS BELOW HERE IN CONNECTICUT, GOVERNOR NED LAMONT IS PURSUING A PROPOSED GAS TAX HOLIDAY TO EASE RISING FUEL COSTS. THE PROPOSAL APPEARED TO HAVE STALLED LAST WEEK BUT LAMONT’S ANNOUNCEMENT THURSDAY INDICATING HE’S PRESSING FORWARD FOLLOWED A LETTER FROM SENATE DEMOCRATS LATE WEDNESDAY URGING ACTION ON GAS TAX CUTS. SO, IT REMAINS ON THE TABLE, AS LONG AS THE LEGISLATURE COMES ON BOARD. THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A GALLON OF GAS IN CONNECTICUT IS $3.95 WHILE THE STATE GAS TAX IS 25 CENTS PER GALLON. THE GOVEROR SAYS SUSPENDING IT WOULD PROVIDE $500 MILLION IN RELIEF TO TAXPAYERS IN THE NEXT 6 WEEKS. BUT MICHAEL FOX, HEAD OF THE GASOLINE AND AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE DEALERS OF AMERICA, FEELS HALTING THE GAS TAX WON’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM LONG TERM, SUGGESTING A BETTER SOLUTION IS SUSPENDING THE GROSS RECEIPTS TAX, WHICH IS AN 8.1 PERCENT TAX ON PETROLEUM COMPANIES.
MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR PEDIATRIC DENTAL HAVEN’T MOVED IN NEARLY 20 YEARS, SO TORRINGTON BROOKER MEMORIAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRISTINA EMERY TESTIFIED BEFORE THE STATE LEGISLATURE’S HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE RECENTLY TO ENCOURAGE THE PASSAGE OF NEW FUNDING TO INCREASE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR CERTAIN PROVIDERS, INCLUDING BROOKER, A NON-PROFIT A ‘DENTAL SAFETY-NET’ CLINIC, WHICH CARES FOR CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. EMERY TOLD LAWMAKERS THE PEDIATRIC DENTAL CENTER OPERATED AT A LOSS OF $202,000, DUE TO THE LOW MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES. SHE ADDED THAT BROOKER HAS WORKED HARD TO INCREASE ACCESS, BY ADDING A BI-LINGUAL PEDIATRIC DENTIST SPECIALIZING IN DENTAL-RELATED FEAR, GROWING ITS RESIDENCY PROGRAM WITH THE UCONN DENTAL SCHOOL AND OPENING A NEW SCHOOL-BASE CLINIC AT HEAD START IN TORRINGTON.
TORRINGTON IS SEEKING $94 MILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR 6 PRIORITY PROJECTS UNDER ITS ‘FISCAL YEAR 2027 COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING’ REQUESTS. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR WILLIAM WALLACH TELLS CT-INSIDER THE PROPOSALS INCLUDE—$54-MILLION DOLLARS—WOULD UPGRADE THE CITY’S STORM SEWER SYSTEM, FOLLOWED BY $30-MILLION DOLLARS FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS. A $4.3-MILLION DOLLAR REQUEST WOULD HELP REDEVELOP THE FORMER NIDEC SITE, WHILE 2.5-MILLION WOULD FUND DEMOLITION OF THE FIRE-DAMAGED STONE CONTAINER-HENDEY BUILDING. THE CITY IS ALSO SEEKING $500,000 FOR AN AMERICAN-MADE POLICE DRONE TO REPLACE THE CHINESE-MADE DRONE RESTRICTED UNDER FEDERAL RULES, AND $220,000 DOLLARS FOR H-V-A-C UPGRADES AT THE FUESSENICH PARK VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE. NOT ALL REQUESTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED, AS EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS LIMITED TO SUBMITTING ONLY 20 PROJECTS.
GOVERNOR NED LAMONT SAYS THAT THE GOVERNORS OF ALL SIX NEW ENGLAND STATES ARE COMMITTED TO EXPLORING NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY PLANTS, WHILE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE SAFE, AFFORDABLE, AND RELIABLE OPERATION OF THE REGION’S EXISTING NUCLEAR FACILITIES. THE GOVERNORS SIGNING ON, INCLUDE LAMONT, GOVERNOR JANET MILLS OF MAINE, GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY OF MASSACHUSETTS, GOVERNOR KELLY AYOTTE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, GOVERNOR DAN MCKEE OF RHODE ISLAND, AND GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT OF VERMONT. A JOINT STATEMENT READS IN PART; “ADEQUATE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IS CRITICAL TO GROWING OUR ECONOMIES, PRESERVING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, POWERING OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES, AND STABILIZING CONSUMER PRICES AS DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY RISES ACROSS THE REGION,” THE GOVERNORS ARE DIRECTING THEIR RESPECTIVE STATE ENERGY OFFICES TO PURSUE NEW NUCLEAR GENERATION IN STATES AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE WILLING TO HOST SUCH RESOURCES. ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION IN NEW ENGLAND IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE MORE THAN 40% OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS, ACCORDING TO ISO NEW ENGLAND.
EASTER IS THIS SUNDAY, AND LIKE THE OTHER HOLIDAYS, RELIGIOUS OR NOT, IT HAS A COMMERCIAL COMPONENT. THE PERSONAL FINCIAL WEBSITE “WALLET HUB” PREDICTS AMERICANS WILL SPEND 25 BILLION ON EASTER, THREE AND HALF BILLION ON CANDY. ABOUT THAT CANDY; THE MOST EXPENSIVE CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNY COSTS 49-THOUSAND DOLLARS, AND THREE QUARTERS OF US EAT THE EARS FIRST. ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS THINK EASTER IS TOO EXPENSIVE, AND HALF OF US THINK THAT RATHER THAN CANDY, THE EASTER BUNNY SHOULD GIVE MONEY, LIKE THE TOOTH FAIRY.