Month: April 2016

Winfield Champions Senate Bill 379

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Winfield Champions Senate Bill 379

An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force Passes Unanimously

photo of Senator Winfield

Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) today praised the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 379, An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force.

Senator Winfield served as chairman of the task force, which was established by the legislature in 2015 to study and develop strategies to increase and improve the recruitment, preparation and retention of minority teachers.

The legislation was first passed by the Education Committee, on which Senator Winfield serves as Vice Chairman, and where he championed the bill—co-sponsored by twenty legislators.

“I am extremely pleased that this legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate. This comes down to improving both the education of our students and attracting more young people, particularly minority students, to the education profession,” said Sen. Winfield. “Our task force has learned something important in our effort to find out how we can encourage more minority students to become teachers—and what we learned is that the state doesn’t really have data on minority teacher recruitment. This bill will extend the term of the task force so that we can gather the data needed to advance our goal of ensuring that teachers in our classrooms more closely mirror the students in our schools and that we are attracting and selecting our teachers from a wide and diverse pool of qualified candidates.”

Senate Bill 379 delays the termination of the minority teacher recruitment task force; establishes the Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council within the Department of Education; and requires the Department of Education to conduct an annual survey of students regarding the effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs in the state.

Senator Winfield said the survey is a critical aspect of this legislation, while speaking in support of the bill on the Senate floor, prior to its passage.

“The only way we knew if students in minority recruitment programs were successful was by being told by the people running the programs that they were. We’ve decided to instate and utilize a survey to find out from those who are supposed to be benefitting from the program whether or not they found it to be useful or not,” said Sen. Winfield.

Following the vote, Senator Winfield applauded the Education Committee for its dedication to crafting and passing the legislation.

“This was a bipartisan effort, and I am proud that was reflected in the Senate’s bipartisan vote,” said Sen. Winfield.

Hartley Establishes Entrepreneur “Learner’s Permit” Program

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Hartley Establishes Entrepreneur “Learner’s Permit” Program

Encourages new entrepreneurs by minimizing the cost of forming a new business

This week both houses of the General Assembly gave unanimous approval to Senate Bill 303, which establishes an Entrepreneur Learner’s Permit pilot program. Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) brought this bill before the senate, introducing it as an important new tool to encourage Connecticut’s entrepreneur economy.

“Any time we can encourage Connecticut’s entrepreneurs to make the leap and form a new business, we are helping grow our economy and create new jobs,” said Senator Hartley. “Starting a new business is a daunting, intimidating process. This new program helps ease some of that burden, helping entrepreneurs make their business idea a reality. Technological innovation has become a pillar in the American economy, and this bill helps make Connecticut a more attractive place for those innovators and entrepreneurs.”

The Entrepreneur Lerner’s Permit will help first-time entrepreneurs establish their own information technology, biotechnology or green technology businesses. Connecticut Innovations (CI) will administer the program, reimbursing qualifying entrepreneurs for state fees associated with forming a business.

This bill directly addresses the unique needs of the entrepreneurial community, allowing them to minimize some of the expense of launching a new business. Specifically, CI will reimburse approved entrepreneurs for any state filing, permitting, or licensing fees associated with forming their business in Connecticut.

CI will review the effectiveness of the Entrepreneur Learner’s Permit pilot program by February 1, 2018. Following this review of the program’s economic impact on the state, the number of jobs it has helped create and businesses it has helped form, the Commerce Committee will determine whether the program should continue.

Now that Senate Bill 303 has received final legislative approval, it moves to the Governor’s Office and awaits his signature.

Hartley Leads Unanimous Senate Passage of Legislation to Protect Small Businesses From Onerous Regulations

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Hartley Leads Unanimous Senate Passage of Legislation to Protect Small Businesses From Onerous Regulations

Bill ensures that analysis of agency regulations include their impact on small businesses

Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) brought a bill before the Senate which will expand the information that is included in analyses of state regulations to better reflect their impact on small businesses. The bill received unanimous support in the Senate, and now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

“This bill will make Connecticut’s regulatory more transparent, and ensure that we know the impact that each proposed regulation would have on our small businesses,” said Senator Hartley, Senate Chair of the Commerce Committee. “Small business is one of Connecticut’s strongest engines for economic growth and job creation. It is critically important that we ensure the impact any regulation has on small businesses is known and minimized as much as possible.”

Senate Bill 302 expands the types of information that must be included in a regulatory flexibility analysis. Regulatory flexibility analyses are written to identify how an agency can accomplish the objectives of a proposed regulation while minimizing any adverse impact on small businesses.

Once passed, this bill will require that all regulatory flexibility analyses include the proposed regulation’s scope, the types of businesses it may affect and the number of small businesses subject to the proposed regulation. Additionally, the analyses will detail whether and to what extent the regulatory agency communicated with small businesses or small business organizations in developing the proposed regulation. The bill also requires that analyses include whether a proposed regulation will require small businesses to increase the number of reports they produce, pay additional taxes, purchase any products, hire new employees or take on any other potentially burdensome requirements.

Slossberg and Winfield Welcome West Haven Students from Seth Haley School to the Senate Chamber

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Slossberg and Winfield Welcome West Haven Students from Seth Haley School to the Senate Chamber

Fourth grade students from Seth Haley School had a field trip to the State Capitol

photo slossberg and winfield

A group of 4th grade students from Seth Haley Elementary School were greeted in the Senate Chamber today by Senator Gayle Slossberg and Senator Gary Winfield, both of whom represent the students’ home town of West Haven. Students were told about the work being done in General Assembly, including several bills suggested by students like them.

“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome these young learners into the chamber and hear their thoughts on state government,” said Senator Slossberg. “It was students just like these who helped me come up with the law that allows 17-year-olds to vote in Connecticut’s primaries. The voices of children are a valuable part of our state, and I am glad we were able to host them in the Senate today.”

“Visiting with students is the best reminder of why we do what we do—which is to concentrate our efforts on bettering the State that these young people will inherit and eventually lead,” said Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven). “I enjoyed our time with students from West Haven at the Capitol today. These bright young scholars were engaged and excited to visit the Senate Chamber and learn about how laws are made, and I hope they return again soon.”

Senate Approves of Bill to Expand Access to Financial Aid

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Senate Approves of Bill to Expand Access to Financial Aid

Senators Looney & Winfield help lead passage of bill to allow undocumented students to receive institutional financial aid at state colleges

photo of Senator Looney with Dreamers

Immediately following the Senate passage of Senate Bill 147, Senators Gary Winfield, Martin Looney and Danté Bartolomeo gathered with members of Connecticut Students for a Dream to celebrate.

Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Sen. Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) today helped lead passage (21-13) of a bill that will expand higher education access by permitting students participating in the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and other undocumented immigrants to apply for financial aid at Connecticut state colleges and universities.

Senate Bill 147 will allow undocumented students access to institutional financial aid at Connecticut state colleges and universities. Undocumented students have been paying into the institutional aid pool for years. The bill will enable undocumented students to begin accessing some of the money that all students have already been putting in.

“Many of these students have lived in our state for virtually their entire lives; they are our neighbors and our children’s friends and classmates,” said Sen. Looney, a co-sponsor of the bill. “This is a smart investment in talented and hardworking Connecticut students who will be a significant part of Connecticut’s economic future. This bill represents the next step along this path towards equity.”

“Students who live in our state and attend our public colleges and universities should be allowed access to the same financial assistance that is available to any other Connecticut student, whether they have legal immigration status or not. When students pay tuition, they pay into the system and should be able to apply to get some of that money back,” said Sen. Winfield a co-sponsor of the bill. “We have heard from many students who have lived in this state for much of their lives but have been denied access to common programs, like financial aid, at the college they are paying tuition to attend. It doesn’t make sense to treat these scholars differently than their peers, and I believe that those who are bettering their lives through higher education should be able to participate in programs designed to help them meet that goal.”

The institutional financial aid grants are funded by set-asides from the tuition of all students, including undocumented students. The contributions made by these students already subsidize the education of others, and this bill allows them the opportunity to access the fund into which they pay.

State Senator Danté Bartolomeo (D-Meriden), who is Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee that conducted a public hearing on the bill, said 986 letters of support were entered into the record on behalf of the bill, indicating its strong, public support.

“Given the fact that these students—through their own tuition payments—are subsidizing all students with their institutional aid, it is only fair and just that they be able to have access to it too,” Sen. Bartolomeo said. “And remember that every one of these students has signed an affidavit that they are on a path to citizenship. This bill helps them to become contributing citizens and higher wage earners.”

College graduates are six times more likely to have a job and tend to earn a higher salary. They are less likely to commit crimes or seek government assistance. People with college degrees also pay more in taxes than those who don’t. Extending financial aid opportunities to undocumented students allows them to pursue better futures for themselves, and in turn contribute more to the State of Connecticut. This helps reduce the overall tax burden on all families.

Students who attain degrees from public universities and colleges in Connecticut are more likely to build careers here in Connecticut.

Now that Senate bill 147 has passed in the Senate, it will move on to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Legislation Wins Unanimous Committee Vote

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Innovation & Entrepreneurship Legislation Wins Unanimous Committee Vote

Senate Bill 1 will foster new vitality and growth in Connecticut’s economy, support startup companies in all sectors

In a first step toward a new direction in economic development for the State of Connecticut, legislation aimed at fostering the growth of new, innovative Connecticut businesses won bipartisan, unanimous approval Thursday in the General Assembly’s Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee.

In an effort to better promote new business formation and growth across all sectors of the state’s economy, the bill calls for a reorganization of the state’s economic development resources to support startup companies and foster a wide-ranging supportive ecosystem in which new ventures can thrive.

“Connecticut needs an enhanced commitment to economic development, one which focuses on the cultivation of a supportive environment for new Connecticut startup businesses, as much as it continues to nurture existing companies and attract others from out-of-state,” said Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven). “Connecticut has a long and proud tradition of innovation. This legislation will help ensure that every Connecticut innovator with a promising idea has the opportunity and the resources necessary for success. It will also help provide a multitude of new business and employment opportunities for our state’s young people, which is essential to our economic future.”

“Economic policy that encourages and incentivizes new startup companies to germinate right here in Connecticut must be an integral part of our growth strategy, and this bipartisan legislation is an important part of the equation,” said Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden). “Tying in our colleges, universities, and technical schools with new businesses is also critical, so our young people will have more economic opportunity and want to stay in Connecticut and contribute to our communities.”

“Connecticut has all the ingredients necessary to be a strong leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, not only within the United States but globally. This bill will focus resources to create the environment necessary for innovators, entrepreneurs and new Connecticut businesses to thrive,” said Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford), Finance Committee co-chairman.

“Far too often, Connecticut has just viewed economic development and job growth by ’check writing’. This creates synergy and optimism for new ideas and job growth clustered around innovative districts—it is a game changer,” said Rep. Jeffery Berger (D-Waterbury), Finance Committee co-chairman. “As House Chair of the Finance Committee, I am very pleased to have played a major role in this legislation. I look forward to seeing the positive progress of this integrated approach to fostering business in the state”

“There’s no greater priority for Connecticut than growing and retaining high-quality jobs,” said Senate Majority leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “This bill leverages Connecticut’s economic advantages and will make it easier for entrepreneurs to create jobs and establish high growth businesses.”

The legislation, Senate Bill 1, aims at the creation of a comprehensive ecosystem supportive of Connecticut startup businesses of all kinds, and across all sectors. The bill’s initiatives seek to harness Connecticut’s considerable economic strengths—a highly educated and productive workforce, top-tier universities, existing businesses and other institutions—and leverage them for the formation and growth of new companies. Its measures include:

Focusing the State as Partner

  • Creates ImpaCT, a new entity within Connecticut Innovations charged with fostering startups and developing the state’s entrepreneurship community.
  • Establishes a private-sector panel of repeat-entrepreneurs and business experts to lead ImpaCT.
  • Maintains and increases state support through Connecticut Innovations for investment in early stage and high-growth companies.

Innovation Districts & Innovation Places

  • Establishes an open competition, judged by ImpaCT, to designate “Innovation Districts”: dense neighborhoods where innovators and entrepreneurs will work, live and play in close proximity.
  • Leverages the presence of key anchor institutions like universities, hospitals and major businesses to support neighborhood entrepreneurs in these districts.
  • Provides state support to winning Innovation Districts in support of their plans for development and growth.
  • The Brookings Institute has documented the success achieved through innovation districts in Boston, Pittsburg, St. Louis, Barcelona, Spain and beyond.
  • Also makes funds available for “Innovation Places”—Innovation Districts on a smaller scale.

Cultivating Private Investors & Supporting Startups

  • Leverages private venture capital through “StartupCT” to establish six competitive new funds to invest in pre-seed and early-stage companies.
  • Extends the successful Angel Investor Tax Credit program for another three years.
  • Introduces “AccelerateCT” to support business accelerators, which take startup businesses with growth potential and provide them space, business support services and advice, access to capital equipment and other resources.

Engaging Our Colleges & Universities

  • Provides $1 million in support of new entrepreneur-oriented staff and programming at UConn, provided that the UConn Foundation raises $1 million in matching funds.
  • Coordinates existing resources at Connecticut’s public and private colleges, and establishes new resources to provide services in support of entrepreneurs at all of the state’s higher education institutions, including technology transfer and more.

Job Skills & Training Opportunities

  • Creates the Innovation Talent Fund in support of programming which increases tech talent in the state, with an initial focus on software developers.
  • Expands existing night classes at CT tech schools to help both students and non-students study the trades and learn other valuable work skills.

In recognition of a difficult fiscal climate, Senate Bill 1 is funded entirely through reallocation of existing state resources, with the sole exception of the $3 million per year Angel Investor Tax Credit.