Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 23, 2023 7 On The Record | Q&A State Sen. Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) co-chairs the Commerce Committee, which is responsible for raising and deciding on business-related legislation. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Boosting advanced manufacturing, workforce development key 2023 priorities for lawmakers By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com I n order for Connecticut's advanced manufacturing industry to remain competitive, it must accelerate the use of 3D printing, broadly adopt big data and analytics, and embrace digital technologies such as Internet of Things, automa- tion and extended reality. And those efforts must be embraced by manufacturers of all sizes. Those are the conclusions and recommendations of a recently published report from the state's Manufacturing Technology Working Group, which was created by the state legislature in 2021 to develop a road map for in-state manufacturers to adopt Industry 4.0 technology. Industry 4.0 refers to the ongoing direction of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technol- ogies and it's seen as the future of the industry, particularly for the types of high-skilled manufacturing work that Connecticut competes for. "Some believe that the changes in workforce due to the adoption of Industry 4.0 will be monumental, much like the change to domestic work in the early 20th century," the report said. "It is foundational that Connecticut has the workforce of the future to support a robust Industry 4.0 manufacturing ecosystem. … We need to recognize that the gaps in preparation of all partic- ipants in the workforce will deter successful adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies." The nearly 40-page report created by the working group — made up of policymakers, industry consul- tants and companies — could lead to new policy proposals this legislative session that support advanced manufacturing in the state, according to state Sen. Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury), who co-chairs the legislature's Commerce Committee. Hartley — a longtime state lawmaker who was reelected in November after running unopposed for her 15th District seat — recently spoke with the Hartford Business Journal about the Commerce Committee's priorities for the 2023 legislative session. She said she's bullish on Connecticut's economic prospects given the state's newfound fiscal stability, and the fact that the pandemic made the state a more attractive place to live. A big focus for the Commerce Committee, which primarily deals with bills that impact businesses and economic and workforce devel- opment, will be trying to capitalize on the state's post-pandemic momentum, Hartley said. Here's what else she had to say. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. Q. Do you envision the Commerce Committee proposing bills this legislative session based off the recommendations and conclu- sions of the Manufacturing Tech- nology Working Group's recently released report? A. I think very much we've got to keep this moving forward. The first step is to have the informa- tional hearing, to get everybody acquainted with the report's findings, and then focus on the big picture and determine the next steps. This is not going to be a study that just sits on the shelf. That's not what this is about at all. Q. What are the Commerce Committee's other main priorities for the 2023 legislative session? A. The Commerce Committee is all things business and we are focused on everything from the smallest micro businesses to our big guys in the aerospace and defense industry. We've got our pain points in Connecticut, led by high energy costs, and we recognize that, but we also have our strengths like our skilled workforce, which we need to maintain. There are some silver linings coming out of the pandemic and we have started and want to continue to capitalize on them. The pandemic really changed the world of work and business for everyone. You can now live in Madison or Old Lyme and work in New York or California, and that's caused people living in some of our neighboring states to give Connecticut a real good second look. I've seen it in my own community. I represent Waterbury, Middlebury and Naugatuck and the influx of metro New York folks and families has been exponential. So, I think part of the job of the Commerce Committee is to try to capitalize on that. You've got a great quality of life here. We've got a strong educational infrastructure. Q. The Transfer Act has been a major pain point in Connecticut. It's been blamed for stifling property transactions and redevelopment opportunities. Policymakers and regulators have been designing a new, less burdensome "release- based" system to govern environ- mental cleanup and replace the Transfer Act. Where are we in that process? A. We've been working on reforming the Transfer Act for 24-plus months and we're now at the point where we're close to posting the new regulations. That's going to be a big change in the commercial and industrial sector for the state of Connecticut, because it's going to take that bull's-eye off our back. Right now it's just us and New Jersey that have lived under the Transfer Act, which forces property owners to prove the nega- tive when it comes to determining if hazardous wastes have been spilled on a property. (The Hartford Business Journal reported in November that the new Transfer Act regulations are likely to be released this year and then put in force in 2024.) JOAN HARTLEY State Senator, Co-Chair of the Commerce Committee 15th District (Waterbury, Middlebury and Naugatuck) Education: Bachelor's degree in sociology and education, Elms College; Master's degree in polit- ical science, Trinity College

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