(a) The department is authorized to (1) promote and assist the formation of municipal or regional economic development commissions under sections 7-136 and 7-137, or any other provision of the general statutes or any special act; and (2) make available technical and financial assistance to any municipal or regional economic development commission, regional economic development corporation or a regional council of governments organized under sections 4-124i to 4-124p, inclusive. Such financial assistance may be provided to expand or establish the capacity for planning and implementation of regional economic development, including, but not limited to, business retention and recruitment, infrastructure enhancement, labor force development and financial credit availability. Financial assistance may be used for strategic economic development plans, establishment of regional economic databases, regional marketing for business retention and recruitment, coordination of economic development efforts with regional, local, state and federal agencies, surveys, land use studies, site development plans and for any other functions of economic development commissions as set forth in said sections 7-136 and 7-137 or any other provision of the general statutes or any special act.
(b) Such financial assistance, if any, shall be rendered upon such contractual arrangements as may be agreed upon by the department and the eligible applicant in accordance with their respective needs.
(c) Applications for financial assistance shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development at such times and on such forms as the commissioner may prescribe. Each such application shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) Documentation that the applicant has staff with expertise in regional economic development to prepare an effective plan to market its services through such entities as chambers of commerce, industry trade associations, banks, local development corporations, community-based organizations and industrial development agencies; (2) a description of the applicant including its organization, membership, staff and sources of other funds, if any; (3) identification of the geographic region to be served; and (4) a description of the means for coordinating financial assistance available under this section with financial assistance available from other public and private funding sources within the region.
(d) The commissioner shall approve financial assistance on the basis of: (1) The ability of the applicant to administer the financial assistance authorized under this section; (2) the extent of coordination with other publicly and privately supported financial assistance programs available within the region represented by the applicant; and (3) the degree of public and private support within the region for the applicant.
(November, 1955, S. N178; 1959, P.A. 448; 1961, P.A. 27; February, 1965, P.A. 492, S. 3; 1967, P.A. 522, S. 33; 1969, P.A. 628, S. 17; 1971, P.A. 67, S. 1; P.A. 73-599, S. 22; 73-616, S. 32; P.A. 92-150; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 13-247, S. 305.)
History: 1959 act added “or redefine” to Subdiv. (a) and changed planning “authorities” to planning “agencies” in Subdiv. (b); 1961 act added capital improvement programming, renewal and development to purposes, changed “local” to “municipal” and added development and industrial or redevelopment agencies to Subdivs. (b) and (c); 1965 act specified commission's power to receive and accept funds from any source; 1967 act deleted authority to insure proper utilization of zoning police powers and renewal of substandard, obsolescent or blighted areas, to promote and assist formation of municipal planning, zoning or redevelopment agencies or commissions and other duties and powers re such agencies, substituting for these general reference to “sound state or interregional” planning, deleted references to chapters 124, 126 and 130 and deleted commission's power to adopt regulations re qualifications of community planners; 1969 act deleted commission's duty “to insure the economic and orderly development of the state” through specified means, deleted authority to define or redefine “logical economic and planning regions of the state”, to provide assistance to regional agencies for regional plans of development and to prepare and recommend state-wide or interregional plans, deleted reference to chapter 127 and replaced references to regional planning or economic development agencies with references to municipal or regional economic development commissions; 1971 act included assistance to regional councils of elected officials in Subsec. (1)(b); P.A. 73-599 replaced Connecticut development commission with department of commerce, here referred to as “the department” (P.A. 77-614 replaced commerce department with department of economic development); P.A. 73-616 added reference to regional councils of elected officials in Subsec. (2) for consistency with change enacted in P.A. 73-599; P.A. 92-150 made technical changes replacing numeric Subsec. designations with alphabetical designations and amended Subsec. (a) by expanding agencies eligible for assistance, amended Subsec. (b) to make the commissioner solely responsible for determining contractual arrangements, and added Subsecs. (c) re applications and (d) establishing criteria for approval of financial assistance; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting references to regional planning agency and regional council of elected officials and making a conforming change, effective January 1, 2015.
See Sec. 8-154a et seq. re contracts for state financial assistance.
See Sec. 8-161 re assistance toward preparation of capital improvements program.
Cited. 150 C. 342.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Title 32 - Commerce and Economic and Community Development
Chapter 578 - Department of Economic and Community Development
Section 32-1a. - Short title: State Commerce Act.
Section 32-1b. - Department of Economic and Community Development established.
Section 32-1c. - Powers and duties of commissioner.
Section 32-1d. - Deputy commissioner, appointment and functions.
Section 32-1e. - Plan for support and promotion of industries using recycled materials.
Section 32-1n. - Reports re funding for economic and industry cluster initiatives.
Section 32-1o. - State economic strategic plan.
Section 32-1p. - Powers and duties re digital media and motion picture activities.
Section 32-1r. - Report on business tax credit and abatement programs.
Section 32-1s. - Powers and duties re culture and tourism.
Section 32-1v. - Small business hotline.
Section 32-2 and 32-2a. - Expenses; director. Bonding of commission members and employees.
Section 32-3. - Duties of department; Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated.
Section 32-4a. - Assistance to Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Incorporated.
Section 32-4b. - State Economic Development Advisory Board.
Section 32-4e. - “Economic cluster” defined.
Section 32-4g. - Economic cluster report by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.
Section 32-4h. - Economic cluster bond funds report.
Section 32-4i. - Learn Here, Live Here program.
Section 32-4j. - Connecticut first-time homebuyers account.
Section 32-4k. - Learn Here, Live Here program. Segregation of income taxes.
Section 32-4l. - First five plus program.
Section 32-4o. - Bond authorization for grants.
Section 32-4p. - Requests for proposals and competitive grant program re major projects.
Section 32-4r. - Youth Service Corps grant program.
Section 32-4s. - Local Youth Service Corps program requirements.
Section 32-5b. - Deadlines for approval or disapproval of applications for financial assistance.
Section 32-6. - Connecticut building at Eastern States Exposition.
Section 32-6h. - One-stop business licensing center.
Section 32-6i. - Connecticut Economic Information System Steering Committee.
Section 32-6j. - Assistance of Labor Commissioner in job-training activities.
Section 32-6k. - Impact statements submitted to the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board.
Section 32-6m. - Promotion of products produced in Connecticut.
Section 32-6n. - Electronic business portal.
Section 32-6u. - Connecticut antiques trail. Promotional program.
Section 32-6w. - Display of temporary signage or flags by business on Connecticut antiques trail.
Section 32-7e. - Regional Economic Development Assistance Revolving Fund.
Section 32-7f. - Economic development grants program.
Section 32-7g. - Small Business Express program.
Section 32-7h. - Small business express assistance account.
Section 32-7n. - Manufacturing Innovation Advisory Board.
Section 32-7p. - Technology Talent Advisory Committee. Membership. Duties. Pilot programs. Report.
Section 32-7q. - Minority Business Initiative Advisory Board. Duties. Membership.
Section 32-7r. - Regional economic development matching grant pilot program.
Section 32-8. - Administration of federal funds.
Section 32-8a. - Registry of electronic commerce and information technology intensive companies.
Section 32-8b. - Cooperative internship program.
Section 32-8c. - Connecticut Young Adult Conservation Corps program. Set-asides. Reports.
Section 32-9. - Right of local redevelopment agencies to contract with federal government.
Section 32-9aa and 32-9bb. - Loans for the repair of dams. Regulations.
Section 32-9c. - Transfer of powers and duties of the Connecticut Development Commission.
Section 32-9d. - Transfer of personnel and properties.
Section 32-9dd. - Transfer of remediated brownfields.
Section 32-9i. - Job incentive grant program for businesses in areas of high unemployment.
Section 32-9k. - Business facilities qualified for job incentive grants.
Section 32-9l. - Determination of grant amounts. Regulations.
Section 32-9n. - Office of Small Business Affairs.
Section 32-9o. - Industrial growth in areas of high unemployment. Legislative determination.
Section 32-9qq. - Business outreach center challenge grants. Eligibility of greenways projects.
Section 32-9tt. - Funding for businesses new to exporting.
Section 32-9u. - Use of North American Industrial Classification codes.
Section 32-9uu. - Program to increase entrepreneurial potential in the inner cities.
Section 32-9vv. - Connecticut Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Coalition.
Section 32-9w. - Evaluation of impact of development project on the environment. Procedure.
Section 32-9ww. - Fuel cell economic development plan. Reports.
Section 32-9xx. - Small Business Advisory Board.
Section 32-9yy. - Connecticut Credit Consortium. Small business assistance account.