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March 2007 — Vol. 85, No. 2

CAPITOL REPORTER

State’s population loss signals need to

Create more economic opportunity

Shrinking 25- to 34-year-old age group bodes ill for employers

By Joseph Brennan

CBIA vice president for public policy

One of the most troubling reports we have seen recently concerns information from the U.S. Census Bureau on population growth, or lack of growth, in Connecticut. According to a recent Associated Press story, after a brief period of population growth, Connecticut is again losing residents to other states. The 25- to 34-year-old age group is one of the biggest areas of decline, and Connecticut is near the bottom of all states in population growth for this age group.

This has serious implications for the state and its business community. We are not going to be able to sustain a vibrant economy, nor our quality of life, if we don’t reverse this trend. We often hear that it is a Northeast phenomenon, as if there is nothing we can do about it. But we can.

One place we can start is at the legislature. Policy-makers must make providing greater economic opportunity a top priority. So far this session, though, we have not been seeing the same urgency we saw last year to make the state more economically competitive.

Legislators need to give more attention to reducing or controlling the cost of health care, rather than moving to a government-run, single-payer system. They must also try to hold the line on business costs such as workers’ compensation, rather than making Connecticut an even more expensive state in which to operate. And lawmakers need to help businesses here expand, rather than contract, to encourage more people to live and work here.

March and April will be hectic, with legislators hearing hundreds of bills at public hearings, followed by committee deadlines and up-or-down votes on bills. Employers all over the state must communicate with legislators and educate them on the impact their votes will have on their companies’ ability to operate in Connecticut.

Learn more about business-related bills being considered by state legislators by visiting the Government Issues & Politics section of CBIA's Web site. The site also lets you find out who your state legislators are and gives you an easy way to send them an e-mail message.

If you need more help contacting legislators, call 860-244-1900 and ask to speak to one of CBIA’s public affairs staff members.