Reports & Publications

Fixed costs are an increasing portion of the Connecticut state budget, and are expenditures the State is obligated to make. In fiscal year 2019, over half ($9.72 billion) of Connecticut's total General Fund expenditures were categorized as "fixed costs." As the State's fixed costs are increasing, the amount of money available for the discretionary — or non-fixed — portion of Connecticut's General Fund is shrinking. This infographic details the items that make up Connecticut's fixed costs, and how they have grown over the years.

Public Act 19-117, which implements Connecticut’s state biennial budget for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, contains several changes to the Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). This document details these changes and analyzes the projected impact of the changes on the TRS and the State of Connecticut.

Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed biennial state budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 contains several changes to the Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). The purpose of this explainer document is to detail Governor Lamont’s proposed changes to the TRS and to analyze the projected impact of these changes on the system and the State of Connecticut. This resource also includes the actuarial projections, from Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management, for the governor's proposed changes to the TRS.

As a supplement to the Connecticut School Finance Project’s January 2018 report, Factors Contributing to Health of State Employee Pension Funds, this policy briefing analyzes the health of Connecticut’s Municipal Employee Retirement System (MERS), examines the factors contributing to the system’s relatively healthy current funding level, and discusses the features of the system that differentiate it from other public pension systems, such as Connecticut’s State Employees Retirement System (SERS).

Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed biennial state budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 contains municipal contributions to the Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), which has traditionally been funded by the State of Connecticut and contributions from teachers. This document details how these municipal contributions to the TRS are calculated, and provides example calculations of the FY 2020 municipal contribution. A model of these calculations from the State of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management is also available, as well as interactive visualizations detailing the different components of the proposed municipal contributions.