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Agenda for Job Creation and Prosperity "Reaching for the future, not retreating to the past" Connecticut is a state whose future can be as successful as its past. With our talented citizens, and a world class quality of life we still have tremendous promise to look forward to. As one of the most productive and technologically advanced economies in the world, it is no surprise that when growth slows and global markets are in decline, Connecticut feels it much worse than most. It is important to think both systematically and strategically about the best ways to compete for high quality jobs, create more of them, and to understand the complex factors that will make Connecticut competitive. And so, the Majority Leaders of the General Assembly decided last fall to look beyond current economic conditions and create a plan. The Majority Leaders reached out to a cross section of legislators, academics, economists, labor and business leaders, and venture capitalists. The aim of this diverse group was to create a "Roundtable" to engage in a dialogue between all sectors and parts of the Connecticut economy about best practices, common experiences and real world based solutions that work and are affordable in the current budget climate. The members of the Roundtable agreed on a few basic elements of a strategy:
They also emphasized that such immediate steps must be placed in the context of a long-range plan of common purpose, with a commitment to a positive direction for economic growth and an approach that reduces uncertainty for the creators of jobs. The agenda, created by the Roundtable, establishes a framework for actions that can be taken during the 2010 legislative session to facilitate both short and long term job growth in Connecticut. The Vision and the Plan1 We believe that all of Connecticut's residents would readily subscribe to the vision for the future of Connecticut outlined in Governor Rell's Economic Strategic Plan: "Connecticut will have a vibrant, diversified and resilient economy that provides the highest possible quality of life and access to opportunity for all."2 Others would refer to this overall vision as attaining prosperity for the state and its residents.3 It echoes the call for "security and prosperity for all" envisioned by FDR as the nation prepared for peace after World War II.4 In the Information Age, David Osborne and Peter Hutchinson say, the keys to economic success in every state are "education levels, quality of life, and connectivity (the need to reliably move information, goods, and people)."5 The Brookings Institution refers to the last factor as infrastructure, and to Osborne's list of needed assets, adds innovation.6 Accordingly, the Majority Leaders' Job Growth Roundtable recommends the following plan to jump-start job creation in Connecticut while also laying a foundation for long-term prosperity. The priority initiatives are grouped under the major headings of:
The members of the Majority Leaders' Roundtable believe that the adoption of the initiatives recommended in their agenda is the surest path toward providing a positive climate for economic development, creating quality jobs that can be sustained in a competitive world and ensuring that there will be skilled workers available to fill those jobs. We also believe that this agenda can be the foundation for a non-partisan, collaborative approach for attaining the security and prosperity that all of Connecticut's residents seek to achieve. In addition to these priorities for new initiatives, work should continue on other programs that have already been adopted by the General Assembly, including but not limited to, supporting the development of additional, affordable housing units near to transit and established population centers, fully funding PILOT for manufacturing machinery and equipment, and promoting policy coordination among state agencies. 1To paraphrase Saint-Exupery, "A vision without a plan is just a wish." 2Connecticut Economic Strategic Plan, (Department of Economic and Community Development, September 2009), p. 4. 3Blueprint for American Prosperity (Brookings Institution, 2007), located at http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Projects/blueprint/prospectus_bp.pdf 4In his State of the Union message in 1944, President Roosevelt articulated a "Second Bill of Rights" aimed at attaining "security and prosperity … for all regardless of station, race, or creed," including the rights "to a useful and remunerative job … to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation … to a decent home … to adequate medical care … to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment … and to a good education." 5Osborne and Hutchinson, The Price of Government (New York: Basic Books, 2004), p. 58. |
Members: Representative Denise Merrill Senator Martin Looney Senator Gary LeBeau Representative Chris Perone Representative Brendan Sharkey Representative Jeffrey Berger Representative Peggy Sayers Fred Carstensen Bill Cibes Richard Cole Karla Fox Elliot Ginsberg Theresa Hopkins-Staten Ed Marth Mike Meotti John Meyers, Consultant Matthew Nemerson David Pepin Bob Tessier Lyle Wray |