October 26, 2011
LEGISLATURE MAKES JOB GROWTH JOB ONE
Jobs Bill and Jackson Labs Approved by Legislature
State Representative Gregory Haddad (D-Mansfield, Chaplin), Vice-Chair of the Legislature’s Commerce Committee, hailed passage of a comprehensive jobs bill (HB 6801) designed to boost Connecticut’s ability to grow and retain jobs. In addition, the legislature approved the state’s commitment to Jackson Laboratory – an investment that unlocks the potential of thousands of jobs in the field of genomic medicine and the biosciences. Both measures were approved during the October 26th special session of the General Assembly.
The goal of the legislation is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth. Incentives for small business, expediting permitting, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training are all addressed in the bill.
“I am particularly excited about the establishment of Proof of Concept Centers which are traditionally located near research universities,” Haddad said. He added “the bill also would set up business innovation centers throughout the state that will help connect entrepreneurs with financial resources, business services, mentors and prospective employees.” A Mansfield entrepreneur, Danny Briere helped to shape the legislation on innovation centers and has also been selected to lead Start-up Connecticut which will engage entrepreneurs in state economic development planning.
One of the key components of the legislation is the Small Business Express Package which will make $50 million/year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.
“Small business is where most new jobs will be created,” Haddad said. “This new fund will provide much-needed resources to small businesses to provide affordable capitol to help them expand their operations and create jobs.”
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:
In addition, the legislature signed off on Jackson Laboratory’s plan to build a $1.1 billion research facility at the UConn 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.
“Bioscience is a fast growing high-tech industry and will fit well with our long term vision for the future of the UConn Health Center and the University of Connecticut as a whole,” Haddad said.
According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. DECD 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.