NORTH BRANFORD, CT—Today, State Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) toured the Pennsylvania Globe Gaslight Company (Penn Globe), a woman-owned small business, to talk about the importance of the public option and workforce development.
Penn Globe designs and manufactures energy saving and sustainable lighting for indoor and outdoor venues. Penn Globe uses LED, Induction, HID, CFL and natural gas light sources for its light fixtures.
“We need to be doing all we can to help Connecticut manufacturing companies such as Penn Globe continue their success stories,” said Sen. Cohen. “By providing resources and programming, such as a workforce pipeline, placing trained workers in perfect-fit jobs, or alleviating the burdens to a bottom line by creating lower-cost, better quality health insurance packages, we can ensure the growth of these valued businesses.”
To assist small businesses in achieving those goals, Sen. Cohen has proposed legislation to provide a public option for healthcare specifically to small business employees. Senate Bill No. 134, “AN ACT OPENING THE STATE EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN TO SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYEES,” advanced in the legislative process and will have formal language developed for it.
The Insurance and Real Estate Committee and Human Services Committee held a joint informational session this week with health insurance professionals to discuss best practices for implementing a public option. Sen. Cohen said this is legislation our state needs.
“I am thrilled to see committees working to advance these important legislative initiatives,” said Sen. Cohen. “We should be working together to make Connecticut an attractive destination for businesses. We get there by listening and having conversations with our existing companies.”