The Yankee Institute Announces Policy Agenda Goals for 2016

Overseeing insurance risk management, Peter Kamford serves as a senior vice president of W. R. Berkley Corporation. In his spare time, Peter Kamford supports community organizations such as the Yankee Institute for Public Policy, commonly referred to as the Yankee Institute.

A recent recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut’s Local Area Fund, the Yankee Institute researches public policy issues impacting the state and shares findings with its residents. In February, the organization revealed its policy agenda for 2016.

The agenda addresses numerous areas, including limitations on state borrowing, reformation or elimination of the united gift and estate tax, and improvement of budgeting. Additionally, the Yankee Institute will focus on policies impacting compensation accountability.

In respect to the latter, the organization seeks to eradicate the appearance of conflicts of interest. Namely, it works toward separation of lawmaker and employee benefits as well as those given collectively to state and unionized employees. The institute supports the use of lawmakers to set state employee benefits not covered in the existing collective bargaining agreement. The change would match the process that is currently used to set teachers’ benefits. Other areas stated in the agenda related to compensation accountability consist of general assembly voting on state employee contracts and amending regulations to be more favorable to taxpayers.