Legislators Compiling Data After Small Business Forum

On Sept. 12 in Tolland, House Republican legislators and officials from the state Department of Labor and Department of Economic and Community Development hosted a small business forum aimed at assisting local small business owners in north-central Connecticut.

Reps. Penny Bacchiochi (R-52), Timothy Ackert (R-8), Sam Belsito (R-53), and Chris Davis (R-57) sat on a panel to discuss small business efforts in the legislature and programs offered by state agencies.

The Small Business Forum was organized, in part, with leaders from state agencies, who encouraged local businesses to search apprenticeship programs, tax breaks and technical services.

During the forum, the legislators discussed initiatives like the Small Business Express Program, which helps small and mid-sized companies expand, and launches new products and services. The legislators also spoke about fighting to repeal certain legislation, such as the “business death tax,” which hurts entrepreneurial industries.

“We had a great discussion about what we can do – or shouldn’t be doing – to make our state more business-friendly,” Bacchiochi said. “I’m honored to represent so many small businesses in my district, because they make the local and state economy grow. These are the people who employ others, invest in our communities and drive state business in nearby states. What we heard from them and learned from them are ideas and topics we can take back to Hartford, where we will continue the conversation to better our state for people just like them.”

“There were great points raised during the forum today, great ideas on how to help grow Connecticut’s economy,” Ackert said. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and making it easier for them to do business should be a priority of this legislature. We have many hard working businesses in our community that are unfairly burdened currently and that needs to be fixed.”

“Our goal should be to make Connecticut a better state to business in,” Belsito said. “We have the ability to make operations easier for businesses and to help them create jobs through the business express program as well as other means.”

“We made some great progress today through our discussions to help ease the burden on small businesses,” Davis said. “We need to create more jobs and creating them through small business investment is a great opportunity. These local employers invest in the community and provide a great service to the local economy.”