Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal | March 8, 2021 | HartfordBusiness.com J ust over a year ago, Connecticut's manufacturing industry appeared to have reached its apex of influence. Gov. Ned Lamont had recently appointed longtime manufacturing executive Colin Cooper as Connecticut's inaugural chief manufacturing officer, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were pushing bills early on during the 2020 legislative session to strengthen the industry. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ending the legislative session and putting most non-pandemic priorities on the backburner. But as the 2021 session gains full steam, there seems to be a bipartisan push to propose — and potentially pass — pro- manufacturing bills. In fact, policymakers, lobbyists and industry experts say they are seeing more bills favoring manufacturers — on anything from funding training initiatives to expanding industry tax breaks — than they have in recent memory, signaling broad-based recognition of the sector as a key workforce and economic development driver for the state going forward. "It's very encouraging to see not only the number of bills, but the range of legislators that are raising and proposing these bills," said Eric Brown, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association who focuses on manufacturing policy and outreach. "In the last two to three years … the number of [manufacturing- related] bills proposed has, it seems to me, increased." Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-Stamford) co-chairs the bipartisan Manufacturing Caucus and Commerce Committee, which is currently considering about 10 manufacturing-related bills this session. Among her biggest priorities is a proposal that would extend tax credits manufacturers can earn for hiring apprentices to pass-through entities. The bill would enable some smaller manufacturers to receive the same apprenticeship tax incentives as their larger counterparts, she said. Meanwhile, GOP state Senate leader Kevin Kelly of Stratford is sponsoring a bill that would create incentives for job-creating defense contractors. Kelly, whose district includes major defense contractor Sikorsky, said it makes sense for the state to incentivize job creation among defense contractors, which earn billions of dollars in federal contracts each year, and employ a large share of Connecticut's nearly 156,000 manufacturing employees. "One way to do [economic development] is to look at industries in which Connecticut does particularly well," Kelly said. "We have low hanging fruit here in Connecticut. ... We do very well with defense contracts." Politics have become a partisan blood sport in many ways, but Democrats and Republicans in state government appear to be largely on the same page when it comes to the manufacturing industry and its potential to provide decent- paying jobs and drive economic growth in the state. They also answer to constituents in and around the industry. "Every member of the legislature has manufacturers in their districts," Simmons said. "These manufacturers are such a vital part of our local economies." Simmons said she supports Kelly's bill in principle — but needs further details — and Kelly favors the idea of extending tax credits to pass- through manufacturers, but also said he must hear more about it. Another "Buy Connecticut" bill under consideration, which was also proposed by Kelly, would create incentives for defense companies that use the services on in-state subcontractors. Unified voice Many of the manufacturing-related proposals currently in the General Assembly are tied to workforce development, and Cooper, the state's manufacturing czar, said that Bipartisan Push State Democrats, GOP find common ground on pro-manufacturing proposals By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com Brian Montanari, president of Glastonbury aeroparts manufacturer HABCO Industries LLC, said he's pleased with various pro-manufacturing proposals being considered by state lawmakers, including job-growth incentives. Projected manufacturing worker deficit Demand for manufacturing employees is projected at 6,000 new workers per year due to the impact of retirements and new defense contracts. Existing training programs in Connecticut can produce 3,000 new employees per year, leaving a deficit of 3,000 people annually, according to the Governor's Workforce Council. Eric Brown Howard Reiter HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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