October 26, 2011
CREATING MORE JOBS IS NO. 1 JOB OF SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION
East Hartford Lawmakers Praise Employment, Jackson Lab Bills
State Representatives Henry Genga, Timothy Larson and Jason Rojas hailed the bipartisan passage of a comprehensive jobs bill Wednesday that is expected to boost Connecticut’s ability to grow and retain jobs.
The East Hartford lawmakers also praised the legislature for approving the state’s commitment to Jackson Laboratory – a critical investment in a $1.1 billion project that unlocks the potential of thousands of jobs in genomic medicine and the biosciences.
“We all worked together in a bipartisan manner and Connecticut is the winner,” Genga (D-East Hartford) said, referring to the comprehensive jobs bill.
“What we accomplished today can be used as a blueprint for success tomorrow,” Rojas said during the special session of General Assembly. “We need to keep looking for new ways to help companies, especially small business, grow and expand.”
Larson (D-East Hartford, South Windsor) said Connecticut’s legislature, unlike many others across the country, was able to create a bipartisan agenda to support small businesses, grow jobs and spur innovation. “The work we accomplished today will help put Connecticut back to work and usher our state into a new era of science, technology and job creation,” he said.
The lawmakers also lauded the legislature for approving Jackson Laboratory’s plan to build a $1.1 billion research facility at the University of Connecticut Health Center campus in Farmington. The State of Connecticut will invest $291 million and Jackson Laboratory will raise the balance of $860 million for the project.
According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. The department estimates more than 4,600 bioscience jobs would be generated through spin-off companies and another 2,000 would be added to local service and area retail stores. The project would yield more than 840 construction jobs as well.
“Connecticut’s investment in bioscience will pay dividends for generations,” Genga said.
“By approving this project, we are sending a clear message to everyone outside of Connecticut that this state is open for business and that we want to be a world leader in the field of bioscience,” Rojas said.
The goal of the comprehensive jobs bill is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth through small-business incentives, less government red tape, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training.
A key part of the legislation is the Small Business Express Package, which will make $50 million a year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.
“Small business continues to be the engine that drives our economy,” Larson said. “Investing in the future of Connecticut’s small businesses is essential to our continued economic growth.”
Another vital component is aligning programs at vo-tech schools, community colleges and universities with high demand job needs of employers, including the state’s manufacturing technology companies.
Other components of the jobs bill include: