House Republican Press Release

 

 

 

April 25, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

 

Williams: Democrats Deny Jobs Impact Statement

 

House Majority Instead Passes Toothless Economic Measure

 

HARTFORD- State Representative Sean Williams (R-Watertown) today offered an amendment to a Democrat-introduced jobs measure before the House of Representatives which would require that the General Assembly’s non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis prepare an economic impact statement on bills that would impact businesses in the state. 

 

The proposed impact statement would provide an estimate of the proposed change in income and employment in the state, the effects of the proposal on existing business or industrial entities, an estimate of the total employment and income resulting from a business if the proposal is intended to induce a new business or industry to locate in the state, and a brief statement of assumptions and data sources used to prepare the estimates or the reasons if no specific estimates are possible.  Representative Williams’ amendment was offered to Senate Bill 702, An Act Concerning Jobs for the 21st Century. 

 

“At the beginning of this session, all four legislative caucuses stated that job creation was a top priority for Connecticut,” said Representative Williams.  “This amendment would allow the legislature to take into account the impact on business and the economy that bills that are passed up here have.  Connecticut is at the bottom of the barrel in the nation in terms of economic growth, and when this legislature takes up bills that hurt business, we ought to have a statement that shows legislators the damage a measure can do if it is passed.”

 

The amendment failed on a mostly party-line vote.  The underlying bill was approved with very few measures to help Connecticut’s economy.

 

Williams noted that while the measure that was passed did no further damage to Connecticut businesses, it was an anemic first step toward addressing a serious problem.  He added that provisions such as eliminating a manufacturing and machinery tax over five years were doing much too little much too late.

 

“This bill was supposed to be about jobs for the 21st Century,” said Williams.  “But it looks like Democrats want to push our problems off to the 22nd Century.”