Economic Development & Urban Revitalization

Building an even stronger and more competitive economy in Connecticut will require maximizing our strengths and exploring new areas of growth. Our long-term economic vitality depends on increasing the state's attractiveness as a place to do business, for those already here and others to come. We must also diligently focus on our urban areas, which often lag statewide growth.

CBIA recommends:

• Promote job creation and retention in Connecticut by improving the state's attractiveness as a location for domestic and foreign investment, rather than by adopting protectionist measures.
  
• Expand medical research and related jobs and investment by encouraging stem-cell research in Connecticut.
  
• Continue to improve the access of small, midsize and minority-owned businesses to state economic development programs.
  
• Support the recommendations of the Governor's Council on Economic Competitiveness and Technology that help small and midsize manufacturers develop their workforces, increase jobs and use advanced technologies.
  
• Transform abandoned and contaminated spaces into productive business locations by revising state tax laws pertaining to brownfields redevelopment.
  
• Ensure that the state's telecommunications laws continue to encourage competition, benefiting consumers with greater choice and better service at more affordable prices.
  
• Encourage the implementation of the Connecticut State Scholars program in urban school districts statewide to better prepare more students for post-secondary education and employment.

CBIA Business & Economic Info Web site