Connecticut governor nixes pay for strikers, ‘missing middle’ housing regs

Connecticut residents have been spared punishing housing regulations and additional payments to organized labor after Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed two bills in late June. House Bill 5002 would have burdened local communities with mandates to provide a “fair share" of affordable and “middle" housing. The bill, which was initially supported by Lamont's administration, ran into heavy opposition from local leaders and community groups. “I think this, you know, crossed the line for a lot of folks, in particular, when it comes to dictating or suggesting the number of units you ought to have,” Lamont said in announcing the veto. The governor also blocked House Bill 8, which would have put Nutmeg State taxpayers on the hook for unemployment payments to workers who choose to go on strike. “Paying striking workers is a bridge too far and doesn’t help our cause,” Lamont said. Yankee Institute President Carol Platt Liebau praised the vetoes, noting that HB 8 would have “discouraged job creation, incentivized labor unrest, prolonged strikes, increased unemployment insurance rates for businesses, and driven up costs for essentials like food and construction.”

Wolf reintroduction program costs double original quote

Colorado’s grey wolf reintroduction project has turned out to cost twice as much as the figure proponents used to sell the project. Centennial State voters narrowly approved Proposition 114 in 2020, with a promise that the plan to bring these predatory animals into the state would cost roughly $800,000 per year. “However, according Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), that amount spent on the program over the last two years was actually $3 million,” writes the Independence Institute’s Sherri Peif. “The numbers came to light during an interim legislative committee hearing on Monday, where lawmakers got an earful on the rocky rollout of the wolf importation plan from ranchers, agricultural groups, as well as fellow elected officials.” Witnesses at a late June hearing told lawmakers of multiple recent losses of sheep and livestock in Colorado and neighboring states as the imported wolves live up to their reputation for being red in tooth and claw.

Texas seeks to ease housing crunch with reforms

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a set of bills aimed at expanding opportunities to build new housing in the Lone Star State. Senate Bill 840 will allow construction of townhomes, duplexes and smaller single-family homes in areas zoned for commercial or mixed usage. Senate Bill 2477 eliminates a set of mandates on parking, traffic and other matters for owners who want to convert unused office space into housing. House Bill 24 limits the power of activists to block development through protest petitions. And House Bill 15 loosens restrictions on minimum lot sizes and housing types. “Taken together, these reforms can be summed up by one idea: freedom builds faster.” writes the Goldwater Institute’s Jen Springman.

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