Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last week announced that Connecticut "has been designated by the federal government as being the first state in the nation to have ended chronic homelessness among veterans."

Malloy last year announced several initiatives "aimed at combatting veteran homelessness with the goal of ending homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015.  The state has since made major investments in housing, becoming a national leader for its work,'

 according to a release.

 

Read stories about this issue and how New Haven organizations played a role in it.

 

Also in the release: "Ending chronic homelessness among veterans is a milestone for Connecticut in its efforts to end homelessness entirely among veterans by the end of the year.  Connecticut is one of just a handful of states designated for, and participating in, the Zero:2016 initiative, which aims to end all chronic homelessness by the end of next year.  Today’s announcement means that all known veterans experiencing chronic homelessness are either housed or are on an immediate path to permanent housing, and that the state will be able to rapidly place any veteran who newly experiences chronic homelessness on the path to permanent housing.  Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual with a disability who has been homeless for a period of at least one year or has experienced four separate episodes of homelessness in the past three years."

 

 

Senate President Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, released a statement Friday in response to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's Chief of staff. Mark Ojakian. being appointed as interim president of the Connecticut State College and University System

The statement is unedited here: 

“Mark Ojakian has the administrative and governmental skills necessary to effectively manage and advocate for the CSCU system and I enthusiastically support his appointment,” said Senator Looney. “During the 2011 SEBAC negotiations and throughout his tenure as Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mark has demonstrated an ability to collaborate with people representing a wide range of interests to achieve a positive outcome. I look forward to seeing him bring these skills to the academic world, working alongside faculty and students to further improve higher education in Connecticut.”

Speaker Sharkey

House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, "hailed this week’s positive economic news and urged Republicans to stop gleefully predicting economic doom," according to a release.

 

In the release, Sharkey noted "recent employment numbers indicate Connecticut’s economy is heading in the right direction."

 

Read more about the job numbers here.

 

Sharkey also said that " instead of celebrating, state Republican legislators seem bent on rooting for failure." He was referring to this statement posted on the website of Senate Minority leader Len Fasano , R-North Haven, about state discussions with General Electric.

“Instead of rooting for Connecticut’s failure, Republicans should applaud that Connecticut has its lowest unemployment rate since 2008, and that our economy is turning the corner,” Sharkey said in the statement. “Their cynical practice of seeking to score political points at Connecticut’s expense must stop.  I welcome their policy ideas but their drumbeat of negativity is only hurting our state and our economy.”

 

Read Fasano's statement on GE here (unattributed statement removed):

 

 

“According to news reports, this counter-offer from state government will be laden with economic incentives which have not been disclosed,” Fasano said.  “If these reports are true, then they contradict remarks made recently about GE by Democrat leadership in the Connecticut General Assembly.”

 

Sen. Len Fasano

“If Gov. Malloy is preparing a state taxpayer-funded counter-offer for GE to ensure that the company keeps jobs here in Connecticut, I wonder if he has taken these statements from leading Connecticut Democrat legislators into account?” Fasano said, in the statemnt.  “These lawmakers feel strongly that GE is not negatively impacted by the new state budget.  So why is Gov. Malloy prepping a taxpayer-funded aid package for GE less than two months after he signed the state budget into law?

 “When Gov. Malloy signed the budget into law, he said, ‘I'm very proud to pass the budget as amended.’  He signed the budget while Democrat leaders laughed and applauded.  These reports of the potential state tax subsidies to GE now make me question whether Gov. Malloy still considers his statement an accurate one. 

“If GE is bluffing about leaving Connecticut, then why would Gov. Malloy offer them a lot of state taxpayer money in hopes they will stay?”