Hugh McQuaid
ctnewsjunkie
Connecticut, United States
Contact Hugh
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Hugh:
Committee Green Lights Lowering Blood Alcohol Limit for Drunk Driving to .05
Connecticut would reduce the blood alcohol threshold for drunk driving from .08 to .05 under a bill advanced last week on a divided vote of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. → Read More
Connecticut Considers Raising the Legal Age to Marry to 18 — No Exceptions
Child advocates and a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushed Monday for passage of legislation to close a loophole in state law allowing for 16- and 17-year-olds to marry, arguing that Connecticut risks becoming a destination for adults seeking to marry minors. → Read More
Lamont Looks to Expand Birth Centers as Hospitals Move to Close Maternity Wards
With a handful of Connecticut hospitals seeking state approval to discontinue labor and delivery services, Gov. Ned Lamont promoted a bill on Monday intended to expand maternal health care options by licensing birth centers and certifying doulas. → Read More
Public Health Committee Green Lights Aid-In-Dying Proposal
For the third time in as many years, the legislature’s Public Health Committee on Friday advanced a bill that would give terminally-ill adults an option to end their own lives with doctor-prescribed medication. → Read More
Committee Weighs Pro-Labor Agenda
Citing persistent workforce shortages, labor proponents made a case Thursday that Connecticut had entered a workers’ market that should facilitate the passage of policies like predictable scheduling requirements and an expansion of the state’s paid sick days program. → Read More
Republicans and Truckers Push to Repeal Highway Use Tax
A group of Connecticut business owners and House Republicans sought Wednesday to build support for repealing a recently implemented highway use tax in advance of a public hearing which they petitioned onto the legislative agenda. → Read More
Victims’ Families Call for Changes to Connecticut’s Commutation Process
Surviving family members of murder victims made an emotional call Tuesday for Connecticut to slow the commutation of prison sentences and reevaluate eligibility changes in response to a dramatic increase in the number of commutations. → Read More
Lawmakers Hear Arguments for Mandatory Voting
A former Connecticut secretary of the state made a case during a Monday public hearing for a controversial proposal that would mandate that qualified voters cast ballots in elections. → Read More
Lawmakers Hear Testimony To Restrict and Ease Firearm Access
Members of the public wait to testify before the Judiciary Committee The legislature’s Judiciary Committee was inundated Monday in public testimony as → Read More
Towns Try Again to Shift Legal Notices to Their Websites
Municipal leaders in Connecticut resumed on Friday a near-annual push to repeal a long-standing requirement that they publish legal notices in local newspapers and instead allow such notifications to be made on municipal websites. → Read More
Children’s Committee Advances Warning Labels for Cannabis Products
Seeking to curb a spike in kids accidentally ingesting cannabis products, the legislature’s Committee on Children advanced a proposal Thursday that would require warning labels for products containing the substance as well as labels for prescription drugs. → Read More
Human Services Panel Scales Back Then Passes Proposal to Extend Medicaid to Young Immigrants
A proposal to extend Medicaid coverage to young Connecticut immigrants cleared the Human Services Committee Thursday after it was scaled back during more than two hours of closed door negotiations. → Read More
Connecticut Considers Decriminalizing Psychedelic Mushrooms
Connecticut lawmakers are considering a proposal to decriminalize small amounts of psilocybin, a psychedelic substance and the most common form of “magic mushrooms.” → Read More
State Lawmakers Hear a Defense of Connecticut Witch Trial Victims
Beverly Kahn testifies remotely on a resolution to exonerate Connecticut witch trial victims Beverly Kahn didn’t hesitate when a Connecticut state → Read More
Lawmakers Weigh Bill to Reconsider Pre-Legalization Cannabis Convictions
Connecticut would consider easing the sentences of people convicted of cannabis crimes under a bill debated Wednesday in the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which would also direct state prosecutors to drop ongoing cases related to recently-legalized cannabis charges. → Read More
Committee Advances Ongoing Free School Meal Proposal
The legislature’s Committee on Children advanced a proposal Tuesday that would provide Connecticut students with free school meals on an ongoing basis. The bill aims to make permanent a temporary initiative extended by state policymakers earlier this month. → Read More
Lawmakers Mull Medicaid Funding for Community Health Workers
Connecticut legislators considered expanding Medicaid coverage on Tuesday to include sustainable funding for community health workers -- public outreach liaisons who help residents navigate a range of health care and social services. → Read More
Lamont Appoints Bryan Cafferelli, Legal Counsel to Senate GOP, as DCP Head
Bryan Cafferelli, current legal counsel for the state Senate’s Republican Caucus, received Gov. Ned Lamont’s nomination to lead the Department of Consumer Protection, the governor’s office announced in a Monday press release. → Read More
Legislators Hear Emotional Testimonies on Right to Die Proposal
State legislators heard emotional public feedback Monday on a recurring proposal that would see Connecticut join 10 other states which allow terminally-ill patients to end their own lives with the assistance of a doctor. → Read More
Library Content Scrutinized During Legislative Hearing
Republican legislators quizzed librarians on the availability of potentially controversial books and pornography during a Friday hearing on a wide-ranging bill to improve health services for kids, which included a provision designed to support libraries that carry books banned elsewhere. → Read More