WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees - AFL-CIO) issued the following statement by President Lee Saunders: Today, the House voted with bipartisan support to pass H.R. 748, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019, sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut), which repeals the burdensome 40% tax on employer sponsored high-quality worker and retiree health benefits. "We applaud the House on voting to repeal this regress  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The American Road and Transportation Builders Association issued the following news release: American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Chairman Bob Alger today called on Congress to increase investment in the transit Capital Investment Program (CIG) but said it is best achieved in the broader context of legislation that provides a permanent revenue solution for the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Alger, chairman of Connecticut-based Lane Construction   more

HAMDEN, Connecticut, July 18 -- The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute issued the following news release: California has a housing crisis, 78 percent of Golden State voters, both renters and homeowners, say in a Quinnipiac University Poll released today. Every listed party, gender, racial, regional and age group, including 75 percent of homeowners and 84 percent of those who rent their home, agree there is a housing crisis, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 18 -- The Connecticut Business and Industry Association issued the following news release: Connecticut's mounting job losses raise serious concerns for economic growth prospects, the state's largest business organization said today. The state has lost 4,600 jobs (-0.3%) since January, which CBIA economic adviser Pete Gioia called a "troubling pattern." "The U.S. has added jobs at a 0.7% rate over the same period, while our neighboring states are all seeing positive  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, July 18 -- Educators for Excellence issued the following news release: Educators for Excellence-Connecticut (E4E-Connecticut), a teacher-led organization, congratulates Meriden Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Miguel Cardona, on his appointment as the state's new education commissioner. "Our state needs an education commissioner dedicated to providing our students with a quality education and our teachers with the tools and resources we need to do our job successful  more

NORWALK, Connecticut, July 17 -- The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued the following news release: * * * - Board also authorizes staff to plan CECL workshops around the United States * * * The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) staff today issued a second question-and-answer (Q&A) document that addresses more than a dozen frequently asked questions related to Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments--Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit L  more

HAMDEN, Connecticut, July 17 -- The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute issued the following news release: Native daughter Kamala Harris comes from behind to win the support of 23 percent of California Democrats and voters leaning Democratic, with 21 percent for former Vice President Joe Biden, leaving the Democratic primary too close to call, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released today. Also in the running are Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 18 percent and Sen. Elizabeth War  more

NEWTOWN, Connecticut, July 16 -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation issued the following news release: The National Shooting Sports Foundation(R) (NSSF(R)), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that Aero Precision has agreed to sponsor a Gearbox Giveaway as part of the National Shooting Sports Month(R) celebration. Based in Tacoma, Washington, Aero Precision is a maker of parts and accessories, primarily for the modern sporting rifle (MSR) and handgun mar  more

NEWTOWN, Connecticut, July 15 -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation issued the following news release: The National Shooting Sports Foundation(R) (NSSF(R)) this year marks the 20th anniversary of its Project ChildSafe(R) program, which has increased awareness of safe firearms handling and storage practices among millions of gun owners, helped reduce accidental firearms deaths to historic lows and become an indispensable firearms safety education resource for partners in every state and the  more

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut, July 17 -- Save the Children issued the following news release: Save the Children welcomes the decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak has been raging in the country for nearly a year. It is time to prevent the virus from spreading any further and to do that, the international community must urgently scale up its response and su  more

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut, July 15 -- Save the Children issued the following news release: * * * - More than half have high-risk pregnancies due to anemia, sexually transmitted diseases and a history of complications during labor * * * Hundreds of at-risk, heavily pregnant Venezuelan women have sought treatment at Save the Children's Emergency Health Unit clinic on the Colombia border. Since it opened at the start of April, 792 Venezuelan women have travelled to the clinic to receive pre- and   more

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut, July 17 -- Save the Children issued the following news release: More than a week of heavy monsoon rains in South Asia has led to major flooding in three countries, affecting 3.2 million children. With the monsoon season only just beginning, Save the Children is concerned more bad weather could result in a major humanitarian crisis leading to further death, injury, mass displacement and the potential spread of waterborne diseases. More than 150 people are known to have   more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following statement by General President Jim Hoffa on the passage of legislation offered by Reps. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, and Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, that would repeal the 40 percent excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans included in the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the 'Cadillac Tax': WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following statement by Gene  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, July 18 -- The United Steelworkers issued the following news release: United Steelworkers (USW) District 4 Director Del Vitale, who took office on July 15, today named staff representative David M. Wasiura as the new assistant to the director. Before becoming director on July 15, Vitale served as assistant to his predecessor, John Shinn, who this week left that post to become the union's new International Secretary-Treasurer. District 4 includes Connecticut, Delaware  more