Legislative efforts are a key membership benefit that ManufactureCT provides through our Government Affairs Committee. This committee is represented by: Jim Gildea, Chair Marcy Minnick, Co-Chair Kathy Saint, Jill Mayer, Kris Lorch, and Melissa Biggs. Each of them would like to thank the entire membership for your advocacy during this past Legislative Session. Here are the results:

In response to a  membership survey sent out in November 2021, the GA committee decided to focus on four key issues:

1. Workforce Development:

• Expansion of Manufacturing Programs (Experiential Learning) in Public Schools
• Expansion of Manufacturing Programs (Precision Manufacturing, Mechatronics) in Technical High Schools

2. Energy: Electric Rates

3. Financial/Taxes: Expand R&D Tax Credits to S-Corps (currently available to C-Corps)

• Participated in Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) announcement that HCC has been awarded $1 million in federal funding to support the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center in Bridgeport.
• Participated in and spoke at a community project funding for the New Haven Public Schools Manufacturing Program that brought $2 million into the system.
• Representatives of the ManufactureCT GA Committee spoke at the May Connecticut Technical Education and Career System Board meeting to discuss enhancing the Mechatronics program in our CT technical high schools.

• Met with Head of Commercial Energy Efficiency to discuss some programs they have and how it might help some of our members. 
• Planned and Conducted a ManufactureCT Program Day wrapped around energy efficiency and potential Avangrid programs.

• Encouraged our members to provide testimony on SB 351: An Act Expanding Research and Development Tax Credits to Pass Through Entities.
• Government Affairs Committee Submitted Written Testimony on SB 351 and provided virtual testimony.
• Government Affairs Committee Submitted Written Testimony combining SB98: An Act Expanding the Manufacturing Apprenticeship Tax Credit to Pass Through Entities and HB5488 An Act Expanding Expanding Research and Development Tax Credits to Pass Through Entities.

You can learn more about this ongoing work by accessing the full report HERE or by visiting the Government Affairs page of our website.