Rep. Duff Applauds Small Business Hotline Bill

From the Connecticut General Assembly: State Rep. Will Duff (R-2) strongly supported a proposal in the House of Representatives which creates a small business hotline.

The legislation, HB-5584, An Act Concerning The Creation Of A Small Business Hotline would requires the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to establish and operate a hotline that provides individualized information and guidance to entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state on how to start and develop a business.

Additionally, DECD must submit a report on the hotline's operation to the legislature’s Commerce Committee by January 1, 2019. The report must describe the hotline's services, summarize the most common types of assistance entrepreneurs and small businesses request, and provide statistics on the hotline's call volume.

“Many businesses are not aware of all the many resources available to them this hotline could prove valuable. With two-thirds of all new jobs created by small businesses, it is crucial to have a hotline that can help identify heavily used services for our small business owners,” said Rep. Will Duff, who is a small business owner himself. “I happily support this bill on Connecticut Women’s Business Day at the State Capitol today”

During the Commerce committee public hearing on the bill, both the Connecticut Homebuilders Association and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association submitted testimony in favor of the hotline.

Photo courtesy of the Connecticut General Assembly