Hartford Courant - July 9, 2010

In a high-stakes, big-money battle, Republican gubernatorial front runner Tom Foley filed court papers Friday to block the payment of more than $2 million in public money to the campaign of Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and his running mate, Mark Boughton.

A judge did not grant an injunction in the case, and a hearing has been set for 2 p.m. Monday in civil court on Washington Street in Hartford.

The court filing prompted an angry response from the Fedele campaign, saying that Foley was trying to change the subject because he has been in the news lately for two arrests years ago.

"I think Mr. Foley's action today is baseless. It's a political ploy,'' Fedele spokesman Christopher Cooper told Capitol Watch. "He's looking to change the subject. If he can't win by campaigning, he'll try to win by suing. ... It's an instance in which Tom Foley shows he thinks he's above the law. It's nothing more than a delay tactic and a political tactic.''

Today we mourn the passing of beloved CCAG leader and longtime health care for all activist Nancy Benedict who died in the early morning hours today June 3, 2010. Nancy had been active with CCAG since the early 1990s, first serving on the steering committee of the Health Care For All Coalition, then later on the Connecticut Citizen Action Group Board of Directors. In recent years she held the position of Co-Chairperson. She is survived by her husband John Murphy who is CCAG's Political Director.

Nancy and husband John on the picket line, June 1 at Park Place Health Care, in solidarity with nursing home workers who are headed into the third month of an Unfair Labor Practices Strike.

Jodi Rell ignored you. She vetoed PA 10-97 (Senate Bill 493), our energy reform legislation. She turned a deaf ear to your thousands of calls, e-mails, faxes and letters calling for energy reform and sided with power producers, the utilities and Wall Street speculators who have driven our electricity prices to the second highest in the United States only to Hawaii.

New Britain Herald - May 24, 2010

HARTFORD — The sweeping financial reforms championed in Washington by U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd are designed to protect consumers, but also to spur the economy through building confidence in the banking industry, Dodd said Monday.

“Never, ever, again,” should American taxpayers be asked to bail out a financial institution, said Dodd. Without confidence in the financial industry, “the damage is incalculable.”

Hartford Business Journal - May 24, 2010

The May issue of Chief Executive Magazine contains the publication’s annual ‘Best & Worst States’ survey that asks CEOs to rank states on business conditions including job growth potential. Connecticut’s slip from 38th in 2009 to 45th in 2010 was the second biggest drop of any state.

The cost of electric power has a lot to do with it.

In no state in America, with the exception of Hawaii, do electric power companies charge more for electricity than in Connecticut. Rising unemployment was another reason for the state’s poor ranking.

A new energy bill just approved by state lawmakers after long debate aims to reduce the cost of electricity and create thousands of clean energy jobs. This important legislation is currently awaiting Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s signature of approval.

Tom Swan, Executive Director of Connecticut Citizen Action Group, announced today that CCAG has endorsed George Jepsen for Attorney General, Denise Merrill for Secretary of the State, and Kevin Lembo for State Comptroller.

Connecticut Mirror - Wednesday May 5, 2010

Mark Pazniokas
May 5, 2010

The House gave final legislative approval at 6:01 a.m. today to a bill that subsidizes solar power, encourages energy efficiency and exerts influence over a deregulated electric industry that has given Connecticut the nation's second-highest electric rates.

The most heavily lobbied bill of year was passed 20 to 14 in the Senate on Tuesday night and 81 to 40 in the House as the sun rose over the State Capitol today, the final day of the 2010 session.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has expressed opposition, but environmentalists urged her to sign a bill that encourages the consolidation of energy functions in one department, an idea proposed by Rell in 2007.

"This bill is an important first step in addressing a broken energy infrastructure, and a way for the state to move towards cleaner energy and a stronger economy," said Charles Rothenberger, a staff attorney for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

Re-posted from healthcare4every1.org.

SustiNet, Connecticut’s 2009 law and the new federal health care reform add up to peace of mind for families and businesses by providing health care that:

• Offers quality health care choices for us all
• Gives us more for our money
• Keeps us healthy and takes care of us when we’re sick

SustiNet (CT Public Act 09-148) positions our state to be a national leader in health care reform by taking a bold, comprehensive approach to controlling health care costs, improving quality and increasing access.

Combined with the new federal health care reform laws, Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872), SustiNet puts Connecticut in the front of the line to leverage more federal resources to boost the state’s economy and help us achieve quality, affordable health care we can count on.

Following the historic passage of national health care reform, Senator Chris Dodd came back to the state last week to thank supporters and to highlight the many good benefits included in the bill. Sen. Dodd was joined by Congressman John Larson and CCAG Executive Director Tom Swan. Christine Stuart from CT News Junkie reported on the event:

Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said it’s with mixed emotions that he says the past 15 to 18 months have been the most productive for Dodd, who after 36 years is not running for re-election. He challenged the audience at Capitol Community College to find a senator who has done more in their six years than Dodd has done in less than two.

Swan said he looked forward to working with Dodd in the future on a “public option,” which was not included in the final bill.

Click here to view video of Tom Swan's remarks on the CCAG YouTube channel. (Videos by Fletcher Fisher)

We beat the insurance companies, and now the Affordable Health Care for America Act is the law of the land:

With the stroke of President Obama’s pen, his health care overhaul — the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades — became law on Tuesday.

[...]

The landmark bill, passed by the House on Sunday night by a vote of 219-212, will provide coverage to an estimated 30 million people who currently lack it.

While some of the benefits of the reform legislation will be phased in over the next few years, there are some benefits of the bill that will take effect immediately:

• Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.
• Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
• Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.
• Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
• A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.
• Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.
• A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.

Read the rest of the benefits of the bill at this link.

Other news about the new national health care legislation:

• Congressman Jim Himes has issued a statement about the benefits to residents of Connecticut's 4th Congressional District
• Congressman Chris Murphy issued a statement about the benefits to residents of Connecticut's 5th Congressional District