Hartford Business.com is reporting that a recent survey released by Congressman Chris Murphy, D-5th District and Senator Blumenthal said 89% of respondents planned to increase or maintain their workforce this year but it is difficult due to a lack of skilled workers.

Click here to read the full article from HartfordBusiness.com.

Washington, DC - Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Chris Murphy (CT-5) introduced the Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area Study Act today, which is the first step towards designating the area as a National Heritage Area.

The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine if the area is suitable or not. Designating this area as a National Heritage Area will help to create more coordinated regional preservation and planning efforts aided by technical and planning assistance from the National Park Service.

"The Naugatuck Valley exemplifies the cultural strength of our country. The valley has a rich history with much to be proud of, from the legacy of a patchwork community of immigrants providing the industrial strength to get us through all of our nations wars, to the unique industrial-era and art-deco style buildings," said Lieberman. "I am pleased to introduce this legislation because our national heritage is embodied not just in our natural treasures, but on the cultural uniqueness of each part of our great nation."

Blumenthal said this region of Connecticut is a shining example of American history and deserves recognition as a National Heritage Area. Designation as a National Heritage Area will enable towns along the river to attract visitors who are eager to learn about this unique region.

"The fourteen communities that stretch along the Naugatuck River are steeped in agricultural, trade, architectural, and industrial history. A National Heritage Area designation would not only recognize its unique and historical significance, but would boost the local economy through cultural and historic tourism, and help Connecticut to preserve its history for generations to come," said DeLauro.

"The Naugatuck River corridor's rich history is equaled only by its natural beauty," Murphy said. "With some help from the National Park Service, we can help preserve both, while hopefully bringing much needed new tourism dollars to the region."

WASHINGTON, D. C. - Congressman Chris Murphy released the following statement after President Obama's State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night.

"President Obama came into the House chamber tonight, saw Republicans and Democrats sitting side by side, and chose to play the role of a uniter. In order to win the future, we've got to be hungry for the next great ideas to put people to work. Connecticut workers are leading the way when it comes to innovation, in fuel cell technology and defense innovation."

Murphy said that to make economic progress here we've got to stop sending jobs overseas. He said the best way to do that is close loopholes in our Buy American Laws.

"I would have liked to have heard the President talk more about how to promote American manufacturing in ways other than trade agreements," Murphy said.

"I'm pleasantly surprised that President Obama dedicated so much of his speech to education. The achievement gap in Connecticut's schools is the largest in the nation, and it is crippling our future economic growth - fixing it will be part of the cure our economy so desperately needs."

Congressman John Larson expressed similar statements in his statement released following the State of the Union Address.

"President Obama has called on Congress and our nation to move forward an agenda centered on out-educating, out-building, and out-performing the rest of the world. He said 'this is our time' and I couldn't agree more. We must build upon our successes and prepare our nation for a stronger foundation," said Larson. "It is time for us to create jobs and grow our economy here at home. It's time for us to work together so our concerns are that of the ironworker in East Hartford, the teacher in Bristol, and the small business owner in Torrington."

Congressman Chris Murphy will join other local and state officials and candidates at a Get Out The Vote Rally scheduled for this Saturday, October 30th at 12 p.m. noon at Torrington Democratic Headquarters, 40 East Main Street, Torrington.
The public is invited to attend.
For further information contact Torrington Democratic Town Committee Chairman Glenn McLeod at 860-482-2271.

U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy and his Republican challenger, Sam Caligiuri, will both appear at the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club meeting tomorrow, and CT-N will be there to tape it.

Register Citizen Managing Editor Emily M. Olson will be introducing the candidates.

The meeting will start at noon at La Cupola, 637 Bantam Road, Litchfield. Tickets are $20, which includes lunch. Rotarians and the general public are welcome.

A press release from the Sam Caligiuri campaign:

The Hartford Courant reports today that Democratic incumbent in the Fifth Congressional District race, Chris Murphy, has pulled his disgraceful ad tying Sam Caligiuri to former Waterbury Mayor Phil Giordano off the air.

“Pulling the Giordano ad off the air is proof that it has backfired on Murphy because it is deceitful. As reported at the time, Sam was an opponent of Giordano and not his “number two.” Furthermore, the agreement approved by the Board of Aldermen stripped Giordano of his power and was the only way the city could ensure that Giordano could never come back to office, which the City Charter at the time would have allowed had Giordano been released from prison. That’s why the agreement was hailed as a success by the residents at the time,” said Tiffany Romero Grossman, spokesman for the Caligiuri Campaign.

“The Democrats attacked Sam the same way in 2006 during his first run for the State Senate. That attack was rejected then and it is being rejected now because it distorts what really happened. The real story here is that Murphy crossed the line and attacked Sam personally because he is desperate to avoid talking about his record of voting with Nancy Pelosi 98% of the time, including on spending trillions of dollars for disastrous legislation such as Cap and Trade, public option health care, and the failed stimulus package,” said Grossman.

Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) announced today that Congress will move ahead with legislation to provide Social Security recipients with a one-time $250 payment. The Social Security Administration is expected to announce on Friday there will be no automatic Cost-of-Living-Adjustment for 2011. That means that for the first time ever, 2011 will be the second consecutive year that Social Security retirees, veterans, and people with disabilities will see no increase in their monthly Social Security, SSI, VA Pension and Compensation, and Railroad Retirement benefits. This unprecedented situation is a result of economic conditions, not the result of Congressional or Presidential action or inaction.

“In this economy, seniors living on a fixed income are in a tough position,” said Murphy. “While the formula for calculating Social Security increases doesn’t recognize it, I listen to seniors every day who are hurting. That’s why we’re going to move quickly to pass this bill.

“Seniors who have worked hard all their lives shouldn't have to worry about their Social Security benefits. At a time when private retirement funds have taken a big hit, protecting Social Security is paramount. This measure was included in the budget, is fiscally responsible, and for Connecticut’s seniors, it’s absolutely essential.”

On Thursday, Murphy, along with members of the Connecticut House delegation, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi requesting that H.R. 5987 be scheduled for a vote. Congress will consider H.R. 5987 immediately upon return to Washington in November.

The COLA is automatically calculated using data on inflation published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). October 15 is the day BLS releases the final economic factor that the Social Security Administration uses to calculate the annual COLA. In 2009, Social Security recipients saw a 5.8% increase in their benefits, the largest since 1982, as a result of rising costs; but in 2010, they saw no COLA at all.

Social Security benefit levels are modest – only $14,000 a year for the average retiree. The median income for senior households is just $24,000, reflecting just how much Social Security means to most elderly Americans. Six in ten seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, and about a third of retirees have little other than Social Security on which to live.

Congressman Chris Murphy will debate his opponent Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury on Thursday, October 14th, from 7-8 p.m. at Wamogo High School, Litchfield. Thereafter, State Representative Craig Miner-66th District will debate his opponent Bill Zappone of Litchfield from 8:15-9:15 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.

Just released poll numbers show that Sam Caligiuri is well positioned to win in November's election.

Tuesday the Caligiuri Campaign released poll results showing that Republican Sam Caligiuri is a single point behind Chris Murphy. This amounts to a statistical tie. In a head-to-head match-up, 39% of respondents favored Caligiuri while 40% favored Murphy. This represents a huge gain for Caligiuri and a big loss for Murphy, as Murphy was leading 49% to 28% in an October 2009 poll by the same firm.

According to Adam Geller, whose company conducted the poll, when a candidate polls under 50% that "bodes poorly" for the incumbent. Geller said that this change in poll results shows that one incumbent is losing steam while the other is closing the gap.

"This is proof that Chris Murphy's support for Nancy Pelosi's far-left policies is catching up with him, and that my message and record of fiscal conservatisim is resonating. Voters in our District did not want Obamacare, but Chris Murphy wants to take that legislation even further and create a public option. Voters did not want the wall Street bailouts or the so-called stimulus package Murphy voted for, and they do not want the Cap and Trade bill he co-sponsered," said Caligiuri. "I am thrilled that the fiscally responsible policies I am promoting are giving them hope that we can reverse this course and get our economy growing again."

Other key date points from the poll show that:

• In the hard re-elect question, only 36% believe Chris Murphy has performed his job in Congress well enough to deserve re-election, while 45% think it's time for a new person.
• In an ominous sign for the party in power, only 29% of voters believe the country is heading in the right direction, while 63% believe things are off on the wrong track.
  
• The generic ballot favors Republicans, 41% - 38%. Among unaffiliated voters, the generic Republican leads 38% - 32%.
  
• In the "gas pedal/brake pedal" question, 54% prefer a Republican who will oppose Obama and Pelosi, and 36% prefer a Democrat who will support Obama and Pelosi.
  

Waterbury state Sen. Sam Caligiuri won the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District last night by a pretty comfortable margin - 40 percent to Justin Bernier's 31 percent and Mark Greenberg's 29 percent.

But in keeping with the geographic dynamics of the district over the past decade, that margin was by no means a consistent trend across the map.

In fact, Caligiuri placed first in 19 towns in the 5th District, while Bernier won 18 towns, and Greenberg won three (Danbury, Warren and Woodbury).

Bernier won Torrington and smaller towns throughout the Northwest Corner and down into New Milford, but the combined margin of victory in 11 of those towns, because population and Republican primary votes are relatively low, was 590.

He also beat Caligiuri by a combined margin of 978 votes in the Farmington Valley towns of Avon, Canton, Simsbury and Farmington and his hometown of Plainville.

But that was not enough to overcome Caligiuri's dominance in his home base of Waterbury.

He beat Bernier by a combined margin of 2,965 votes in Waterbury and the surrounding towns of Watertown, Wolcott, Southbury, Middlebury and Cheshire.

The two other major communities in the district, were basically a wash, with Caligiuri winning Meriden by a small margin, and Bernier winning New Britain by a small margin.

Caligiuri spoke during the primary campaign about the importance of geography in the general election.

He said that traditionally, the formula for Republican victory in this district is for the nominee to have a base of support that neutralizes the Democratic nominee's votes in one of the two major Democratic strongholds, Waterbury or New Britain.

Nancy Johnson used to win the district by neutralizing Democratic support in her base of New Britain.

Before her, John Rowland used to win by neutralizing his home base of Waterbury for the Democrats.

Caligiuri had argued that he would have similar support in Waterbury, which would be more important to victory in November than Bernier's base in the Farmington Valley, which would be expected to support a Republican regardless of where they are from.

Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy, seeking his third two-year term, is from Meriden.

On the map above, towns won by Bernier are colored in blue, towns won by Caligiuri are colored in red, and towns won by Greenberg are colored in green.

Plainville - Justin Bernier, Republican candidate for congressional district 5 today signed a pledge to oppose the "Cap and Trade" energy tax if elected to the House of Representatives in November. Bernier is the only candidate in the 5th district race to have signed the pledge.

Bernier signed the pledge before visiting the Plainville Electrical Products Company (PEPCO).

"PEPCO is the kind of company we ought to be encouraging and supporting in Connecticut," said Bernier. "This small business does high-end manufacturing that creates high-paying jobs in the energy industry --that's the future of America's economy. The Cap and Trade systems that Chris Murphy and Sam Caligiuri have supported hurt small businesses and families by raising the cost of energy even higher."

Murphy is a vocal supporter of the cap and trade bill -- he voted for the bill and publicly lobbied for it's final passage and implementation.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has scored the House plan as an $846 billion increase in federal revenue, a burden to be borne by taxpayers and consumers.

"Cap and Trade is a massive energy tax," Bernier said. "Americans will face hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes if Chris Murphy gets his way on cap and trade. The end result will be higher prices on anything that requires energy to make or deliver - that's just about everything. Americans will face higher prices for everyday items, including groceries, appliances, and furniture, clothes and shoes, and of course, electricity and natural gas."

"Cap and Trade will move manufacturing jobs to China and India, where emissions standards are far less stringent than in the United States," said Bernier.

Bernier has proposed lower taxes on energy investment, streamlining the regulation process for new power plants and renewable energy sources, and ending frivolous lawsuits that unnecessarily delay energy projects for decades.

It's far from scientific, of course, but our poll question of the day at RegisterCitizen.Com asks readers who they are supporting in the race for Connecticut's 5th District congressional seat.

So far, the runaway winner, for the Aug. 10 Republican primary, is ... UNDECIDED.

The Caligiuri Campaign announces that Sam Caligiuri, Republican candidate for Congress (CT-5), reported exceptional fund-raising success for the first quarter of 2010. From individual contributors, Sam Caligiuri raised more than all of his Republican competitors in the Fifth Congressional District combined, out-raising his nearest competitor by more than two to one:
Sam Caligiuri (R) $203,566
Justin Bernier (R) $98,167
Mark Greenberg (R) $77,149

After only four months in the race, Caligiuri ends the first quarter of 2010 with $204,320 cash on hand, and a fund-raising total for this quarter of $244,095.

Caligiuri beat Chris Murphy in individual contributions, illustrating the strength of his campaign and the frustration with Democratic incumbent Chris Murphy.

"I was thrilled to have had such a successful fund-raising quarter, and exceptionally grateful to my many supporters. When you compare apples to apples, this outpouring of suport from individuals is overwhelming and their message is clear - my record and my message is resonating with voters, which makes me the strongest Republican candidate to take on Chris Murphy in November," said Caligiuri.

Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) released the following statement explaining his voting decision on the Health Insurance Reform legislation:

"The message from the people I represent is clear - health care costs and health insurance practices are out of control. We need to make changes to the current system to provide people access to affordable care, to cut costs for businesses, and to strengthen Medicare for seniors. The changes we need to make to our health care system will only come by transferring power away from the health insurance industry and to the consumers. The current health insurance reform legislation does this, and that's why I plan on voting in favor of its final passage."

Murphy explained that this legislation will close Medicare drug donut holes, lowers small business health costs, and insures those that don't have health care. This bill will extend the solvency of Medicare for another decade and cuts the national deficit by $140 billion.

Mark Greenberg, Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, will speak at the Torrington Rotary Club meeting at noon tomorrow (Tuesday, March 2) at the Torrington Elks Club.

The club has already heard from one of Greenberg's Republican primary opponents, Justin Bernier, who spoke last fall.

Greenberg will speak to more Rotarians on Thursday, this time at the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club.

Here's a bio provided by his campaign:

"As an independent businessman and entrepreneur, Mark Greenberg has dedicated his life to improving his community. He knows firsthand what it takes to create and sustain jobs, as he has done over the last 30 years, providing a livelihood for local families.

"After graduating from Cornell University, Mark founded two successful companies. His first company, Adirondack Mobile Telephone and Adirondack Radio Telephone, supplied mobile telecommunication service throughout upstate New York. It was also the official provider of pagers and mobile phones used during the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid New York.

"In 1980, Mark created MGRE, a firm that is now one of the largest real estate management firms based upon residential properties managed.
Mark invested in our communities by opening several local businesses including The Market, a food market specializing in natural fish, meat, and groceries and Goshen Hardware, an old-time hardware store servicing the northwest corner.

"Mark and his wife Linda founded The Simon Foundation, Inc, an animal rescue shelter, which has helped adopt more than 500 dogs to loving homes. The foundation is slated to open its new Bloomfield, Connecticut rescue facility in December 2009.

"Mark and Linda live with their four young children in Northwest Connecticut."

The worst-kept secret (in that basically they issued a press release about it without saying it) is now official.

Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham has endorsed state Sen. Sam Caligiuri for the Republican nomination to challenge 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy.

Waterbury State Sen. Sam Caligiuri has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to make a "major announcement."

It will be held at Borgeson Universal in Torrington, and it is being held "with Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham."

Hmmm, we wonder what the announcement could be about?

Sounds like Bingham will join a growing list of party establishment figures endorsing Caligiuri's bid to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Murphy.

A meet and greet with Mark Greenberg, a Republican candidate for the 5th District congressional seat currently held by Rep. Chris Murphy, will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Cuisine with Jill Nicolson, 184 South Main St., Torrington.

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres (by Jill, of course) and beverages will be served.

Northwest Connecticut residents are seeing and hearing more about Greenberg than some of the other candidates in the race perhaps due to Greenberg's deep ties to the area.

He opened The Market and Goshen Hardware in Goshen and Hemlock Kennels.

RSVP to Ken Nowell at 860-482-8068 or email Juliana Simone at jsimone@greenberg2010.com.

A new poll is out showing that 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy would trounce U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman if he challenged him in 2012.

The same poll, however, shows that Gov. M. Jodi Rell would handily beat both of them if she were to jump into the race.

Murphy, presently gearing up for a re-election campaign to his seat in the 5th District, has made it clear that he is interested in running for the Senate in two years.

On the heels of state Sen. Sam Caligiuri's switch from the U.S. Senate race to the race for the Republican nomination for the 5th District U.S. House seat currently held by Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy, the Hartford Courant reports today that former U.S. Ambassador Tom Foley is also considering dropping out of the Senate race.

After Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's surprise announcement that she won't seek re-election, Foley is considering moving over to the race for governor.

The Courant describes him as an immediate frontrunner, in part due to the tremendous personal fortune and fundraising prowess he could bring to the race. Other Republicans who've expressed an interest in running for governor include House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, state Sen. John McKinney and Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele.