CBIA to Legislature: reduce costs and create jobs, for cryin’ out loud

The 10,000-member Connecticut Business & Industry Council, so ignored by majority Democrats in recent years, has issued its 2011 legislative agenda at a crucial time, as Gov.-elect Dannel Malloy prepares to become the first Democratic governor in 20 years.

“Policymakers must understand that private-sector investment is the key to job creation and economic growth,” said John R. Rathgeber, CBIA president and CEO, in a statement accompanying the proposals. “Getting people back to work and moving our economy forward will provide the resources needed to solve Connecticut’s fiscal problems and allow the state to continue to provide critical services.”

“The success of the new administration and legislature should be measured by the performance of the Connecticut economy relative to the national and regional economies,” said Joseph F. Brennan, CBIA senior vice president of public policy. “Policymakers must be accountable to the people of Connecticut.”

 The asks the General Assembly to:

*      Create a new budget that cuts the size and cost of state government.

*      Approve tax policy that promotes “investment, innovation, and productivity.”

*      Close the state’s educational achievement gap.

*      Cut health costs while improving quality.

*      Improve Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure.

“The decisions won’t be easy, but policymakers need to take the right steps necessary to get people back to work,” said Rathgeber. “They need to put the welcome mat out for small businesses and large corporations to let them know they are wanted and needed in the state, and that their concerns about the state’s fiscal policy, business costs, and regulatory burdens-that make it harder to do business in Connecticut-will be addressed.”

 The CBIA’s 2011 Government Affairs Agenda: A Plan for Connecticut is available at http://www5.cbia.com/newsroom/