From the Boston Herald: ”Hundreds of young people converged on Beacon Hill today to demand that funds for youth jobs programs in Massachusetts be kept intact despite the state’s budget problems.
Members of the Youth Jobs Coalition called on the Massachusetts Legislature to include money for summer jobs programs in a supplemental budget for the fiscal year ending July 1, and to support Gov. Deval Patrick’s request for $8.4 million for the next fiscal year.” To see the full article click here!
Testimony of Paul Moran, Jobs for Connecticut Now
In support of SB 1024 An Act Modernizing the State’s Telecommunications Laws
Energy & Technology Committee
Chairman Fonfara, Chairwoman Nardello:
My name is Paul Moran, Executive Director of Jobs for New England Now.
I am here today to testify in favor of SB 1024, An Act Modernizing the State’s Telecommunications Laws
Over the last two decades, the state of Connecticut has had 0% job growth. According to a report in the New Haven Register earlier this month, the state’s annual employment is expected to grow by less than 1% over the next five years…the worst rate of any state in the nation.
There have been several factors that have had a negative impact on the state’s job growth. One major impediment to economic and job growth is the state’s excessive, often redundant and lengthy regulatory process; a process that affects every business, not just the telecommunications industry.
President Obama recently said, “We must make sure we avoid excessive, inconsistent and redundant regulation” encourage the elimination of “rules that stifle job creation and make our companies less competitive.” We couldn’t agree more with the President.
The bill before you today, SB 1024 will do what the President is encouraging.
The telecommunications industry is critical to every business in this state. Consumers and businesses alike are dependent on fast, reliable and economic telecommunications services every day. This bill will eliminate outdated regulations that have not kept pace with the ever changing telecommunications world.
Specifically, the bill will:
Eliminate tariffs lowering the cost of services to consumers and freeing up cash that can be used to improve networks and hire new employees
Eliminate duplication in paper filings before the DPUC. Companies would file electronically. There is no need for dual filings. It is wasteful and burdensome to both DPUC and the companies.
Eliminate the need to audit telephone companies individually. The company is already audited annually in accordance with federal law. The DPUC may request any additional information regarding operations if necessary.
Passage of the Telecommunications Modernization Act will have no negative economic impact on consumers nor will it result in a loss of revenue to the state.
Governor Malloy has declared Connecticut open for business. We believe that his plan to streamline the state bureaucracy is a huge step forward. Now, those regulations being administered by the new bureaucracy need to be reformed and modernized to continue to keep Connecticut open.
Other states are in the process of revamping and modernizing their regulatory frameworks. Those states realize that such reform is necessary to encourage economic and job growth, Connecticut needs to do the same. This bill is a small but important step in that reform process.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today and I ask that you support SB 1024, the Telecommunications Modernization Act.
###
Testimony of Paul Moran, Jobs for Connecticut Now
In support of SB 1024 An Act Modernizing the State’s Telecommunications Laws
Energy & Technology Committee
Chairman Fonfara, Chairwoman Nardello:
My name is Paul Moran, Executive Director of Jobs for New England Now.
I am here today to testify in favor of SB 1024, An Act Modernizing the State’s Telecommunications Laws
Over the last two decades, the state of Connecticut has had 0% job growth. According to a report in the New Haven Register earlier this month, the state’s annual employment is expected to grow by less than 1% over the next five years…the worst rate of any state in the nation.
There have been several factors that have had a negative impact on the state’s job growth. One major impediment to economic and job growth is the state’s excessive, often redundant and lengthy regulatory process; a process that affects every business, not just the telecommunications industry.
President Obama recently said, “We must make sure we avoid excessive, inconsistent and redundant regulation” encourage the elimination of “rules that stifle job creation and make our companies less competitive.” We couldn’t agree more with the President.
The bill before you today, SB 1024 will do what the President is encouraging.
The telecommunications industry is critical to every business in this state. Consumers and businesses alike are dependent on fast, reliable and economic telecommunications services every day. This bill will eliminate outdated regulations that have not kept pace with the ever changing telecommunications world.
Specifically, the bill will:
Eliminate tariffs lowering the cost of services to consumers and freeing up cash that can be used to improve networks and hire new employees
Eliminate duplication in paper filings before the DPUC. Companies would file electronically. There is no need for dual filings. It is wasteful and burdensome to both DPUC and the companies.
Eliminate the need to audit telephone companies individually. The company is already audited annually in accordance with federal law. The DPUC may request any additional information regarding operations if necessary.
Passage of the Telecommunications Modernization Act will have no negative economic impact on consumers nor will it result in a loss of revenue to the state.
Governor Malloy has declared Connecticut open for business. We believe that his plan to streamline the state bureaucracy is a huge step forward. Now, those regulations being administered by the new bureaucracy need to be reformed and modernized to continue to keep Connecticut open.
Other states are in the process of revamping and modernizing their regulatory frameworks. Those states realize that such reform is necessary to encourage economic and job growth, Connecticut needs to do the same. This bill is a small but important step in that reform process.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today and I ask that you support SB 1024, the Telecommunications Modernization Act.
###
This afternoon, Jobs for New England Now Executive Director Paul Moran will testify before the Connecticut State Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee. The committee is holding a public hearing to discuss several bills, including one on modernizing the regulations currently imposed on telecom companies.
The importance of reducing unnecessary and burdensome regulations when trying to create a pro-business environment will certainly be a topic of discussion at the hearing. In his testimony, Moran will stress the importance of implementing policies that will spur growth in the state’s economy and create jobs. Fewer regulatory burdens enable businesses to invest more in Connecticut, bringing jobs along with economic growth. Modernizing some of the more outdated rules will benefit consumers and eliminate costly processes that waste time and resources, something we can all get behind.
From the Fairfield Patch: ”Saying he was a little bit nervous holding the first of 17 town hall meetings for his proposed 2012 – 2013 biennium state budget — not knowing how it would go or how he would be treated — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told an audience in Bridgeport’s City Hall Annex Monday night that dealing with the state’s $3.2 billion deficit is not going to be easy no matter how it’s handled.
To put it in perspective, Malloy said, the deficit amounts to an obligation for every man, woman and child in Connecticut to repay $892.” To see the full article click here!
From the Wilton-Bulletin: “Despite the financial alarm that has been sounded in Hartford, he said Connecticut “has not been doing all that badly.”
Compared to the rest of the country, he said, the recession here was about as bad as, not worse than, it was in the early 90s, when Connecticut lost 10% of its jobs and the nation lost 2%. “This time we lost 5% to 6%, just like the nation.” To see the full article click here!
From the Connecticut Post: “Johanna Czeszel, of Shelton, spends her days at the Shelton Senior Center, where she is a member and also volunteers. She heard about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy‘s budget proposal, and, as one of many residents on fixed income, was more than a little concerned. In particular, she’s upset over some of the proposed tax increases.
Malloy’s budget released last week proposes some of the most sweeping tax increases in state history, including new taxes on scores of now-exempt services and products, such as hair cuts, car washes, luxury goods and pet grooming. The proposal also calls for a boost in the state sales tax from the current 6 percent to 6.35 percent, a sliding scale of rates for personal income tax, and higher taxes on gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes.” To see the full article click here!
From the Connecticut Post: “Johanna Czeszel, of Shelton, spends her days at the Shelton Senior Center, where she is a member and also volunteers. She heard about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy‘s budget proposal, and, as one of many residents on fixed income, was more than a little concerned. In particular, she’s upset over some of the proposed tax increases.
Malloy’s budget released last week proposes some of the most sweeping tax increases in state history, including new taxes on scores of now-exempt services and products, such as hair cuts, car washes, luxury goods and pet grooming. The proposal also calls for a boost in the state sales tax from the current 6 percent to 6.35 percent, a sliding scale of rates for personal income tax, and higher taxes on gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes.” To see the full article click here!
From The Hartford Courant: “The apparent victory by Pratt & Whitney as sole provider of engines for the Joint Strike Fighter will mean long-term security for an estimated 4,250 Connecticut workers at the company and its local suppliers, Pratt said today.” To see the full article click here!
From The Hartford Courant: “The apparent victory by Pratt & Whitney as sole provider of engines for the Joint Strike Fighter will mean long-term security for an estimated 4,250 Connecticut workers at the company and its local suppliers, Pratt said today.” To see the full article click here!
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