Hartford Foundation for Public Giving 2019 Session Legislative Update #1

As the General Assembly has reached the halfway point of the 2019 legislative session, here is an update on the testimony the Hartford Foundation has submitted to the legislature so far this year. While the Foundation considers a number of factors when deciding to testify on any given bill, one of the factors weighed most highly is our ability to bring forward lessons the Foundation has learned from our own investments in these areas.

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Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
2019 Session
Legislative Update #1

Banking

  • We submitted testimony regarding the need to ensure that economic growth efforts are inclusive and invest in urban areas as drivers of growth as part of H.B. 7075, An Act Concerning Economic Development (link to testimony).

Commerce

  • We submitted testimony regarding the need to ensure that economic growth efforts are inclusive and invest in urban areas as drivers of growth as part of S.B. 1031, An Act Concerning the Department of Economic and Community Development and Economic Development Issues (link to testimony) and H.B. 7304, An Act Concerning Economic Development  (link to testimony).

Education

  • We submitted testimony supporting increased payments to child care providers to increase the quality of care in S.B. 931, An Act Concerning Payments to Child Care Providers (link to testimony).
  • We submitted testimony about the need to invest in credentialing pathways for bilingual early childhood educators as part of S.B. 932, An Act Concerning the Staff Qualifications Requirement for Early Childhood Educators (link to testimony).
  • We submitted testimony supporting child care subsidies for parents in education and training programs in S.B. 934, An Act Expanding Eligibility in the Care 4 Kids Program to Parents Enrolled in Other Types of School (link to testimony).

Energy and Technology

  • We submitted testimony supporting the provision of high-definition community access television channels in H.B. 6419, An Act Concerning Providers of Community Access Channels and Levels of Service (link to testimony) and S.B. 677, An Act Concerning Providers of Telecommunications Services, Level of Technology for Stations and Upgrading of Equipment (link to testimony).

Finance, Revenue, Bonding

  • We submitted testimony supporting tax credits for businesses who donate to local nonprofits in H.B. 6274, An Act Increasing the Neighborhood Assistance Act and Annual Tax Credit Cap (link to testimony).

Higher Education

  • We submitted testimony sharing some workforce development issues that we recommend studying as part of S.B. 799, An Act Concerning Workforce Development (link to testimony).

Housing

  • We submitted testimony supporting limited criminal lookback periods for tenant background checks in S.B. 54, An Act Concerning a Landlord's Ability to Review Criminal Records Relating to a Prospective Tenant (link to testimony) and H.B. 5713, An Act Concerning Consideration of Criminal Convictions of a Prospective Tenant (link to testimony).
  • We submitted testimony supporting consolidating affordable housing data and reporting in H.B. 6892, An Act Concerning the State's Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development (link to testimony).

Labor

  • We submitted testimony supporting a grant program to fund minority-owned businesses in distressed municipalities to provide work-based employment programs in H.B. 7317, An Act Concerning Urban and Rural Workforce Development (link to testimony).

Planning & Development

  • We submitted testimony supporting state investment in municipal Census outreach in H.B. 6563, An Act Establishing A Grant Program To Assist Municipalities In Census Outreach Programs (link to testimony).