Asnuntuck Manufacturing Program to Expand

State Representatives David Kiner (D-Enfield) and Kathleen Tallarita (D-Enfield) hailed the passage of a comprehensive jobs bill Wednesday that includes $2.2 million for the expansion of Asnuntuck Community College’s precision manufacturing program.

The goal of the legislation is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth through small-business incentives, less government red tape, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training.

“Our legislature, unlike many others in the country, was able to show the ability to create a bipartisan agenda to support small businesses, grow jobs and spur innovation,” Kiner said Wednesday during a special session of the General Assembly.

“Small business continues to be the engine that drives our economy,” Tallarita said. “Investing in the future of Connecticut’s small businesses is essential to our continued economic growth.”

The lawmakers also praised the legislature’s approval of Jackson Laboratory’s proposal to build a $1.1 billion genomic research facility at the University of Connecticut Medical Center inFarmington and the state funding required for the project.

“This investment in Jackson Laboratory’s plan for a $1.1 billion facility will help create thousands of jobs in the field of genomic medicine and the biosciences in Connecticut,” Kiner said.

A key part of the comprehensive jobs legislation is the Small Business Express Package, which will make $50 million a year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.

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.

In addition to the $2.2 million for expansion of Asnuntuck’s manufacturing program, the legislation authorizes $17.8 million for the establishment or enhancement of manufacturing technology programs in three community-technical colleges in the state. It does not specify which three colleges must be chosen, but requires the chosen colleges to demonstrate a commitment to precision manufacturing and an ability to establish or expand such programs through space and faculty.

Other components of the jobs bill include: 

• Consolidating and increasing the tax credit for new hires
• Creating investment incentives for angel investors in emerging technology
• Building innovation centers in key cities and investing in innovative ventures
• A second “First Five” program
• Cutting the business entity tax
• Streamlining the business permitting process
• Remediating old industrial sites/brownfields
• Computer upgrades to foster seamless communication between business and the state
• Workforce development, education and training
• Allowing the  Airport Authority to designate new Development Zones
• Investments in roads and bridges
• Replenishing the Manufacturing Assistance Act (MAA)
• Main Street commercial centers improvement initiative

The legislature also approved Jackson Laboratory’s plan for a $1.1 billion research facility at UConn. The State of Connecticutwill invest $291 million and Jackson Laboratory will raise the balance of $860 million for the project.

“Connecticut’s investment in bioscience today will pay dividends for years to come,” Kiner said.

According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. The department 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.