State Senator
Joan Hartley
Chief Deputy President Pro Tempore
An Independent Voice
- Representing
- Waterbury,
- Middlebury,
- Naugatuck
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.