Public Hearing Testimony of Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo
Department of Labor
Appropriations Committee
March 12, 2026
Good Afternoon Senator Osten, Representative Walker, Senator Somers, Representative Nuccio and members of the Appropriations Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding SB 401: AN ACT CONCERNING A BRIDGE PROGRAM TO ALLOW ACCESS TO FOOD, HOUSING AND HEALTH CARE BENEFITS. My name is Danté Bartolomeo and I am the Commissioner of the CT Department of Labor (CTDOL).
As you move forward with SB 401, CTDOL welcomes the opportunity to further discuss with the Appropriations Committee the employment services currently offered by our agency to veterans, homeless persons or persons at risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations to meet federal work requirements.
The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, amended by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), establishes a nationwide system of public employment offices, known as Employment Service (ES). WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market. WIOA serves a wide range of job seekers, including youth (ages 14-24), adults, and individuals with disabilities. Recipients of public assistance, individuals who are deficient in basic skills, or those who are low-income, veterans and their eligible spouses can receive priority for these services.
CTDOL’s ES unit administers the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) Program, which is a required partner program under WIOA. In adherence with JVSG, CTDOL Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) staff conduct outreach to employers to advocate for the hiring of veterans, and work with businesses, contractors, and employer organizations to develop career opportunities for veterans. Also, CTDOL Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists provide individualized career and training-related services to eligible veterans and eligible spouses experiencing employment barriers and to other
additional populations authorized by law.
Additionally, CTDOL administers Connecticut’s Jobs First Employment Services (JFES), a program that helps parents who are recipients of Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) gain the skills needed to obtain meaningful employment and become independent of assistance. The JFES program emphasizes a work-first approach focused on rapid employment, moving participants into jobs quickly via job search and short-term training rather than long-term education. Job search, unsubsidized and subsidized employment activities are combined with education and training. Based on the definition of “vulnerable persons” and the age criteria for JFES described in SB 401, it is not clear if this population would require supplemental employment services.
Therefore, further clarity is needed regarding any documentation, data capture, or tracking that would be required by CTDOL should SB 401 pass. Any state mandated programming duplicating the federally funded programs administered by CTDOL, or expanding upon that programming, would have considerable cost attributable to the state, as well as pose implementation challenges for our agency.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this written testimony regarding SB 401. My staff and I are reachable to further discuss SB 401 by directing any questions you may have to Marisa Morello, Legislative and Communications Project Manager at marisa.morello@ct.gov.
