Public Hearing Testimony of Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
March 3, 2026
Good morning, Senator Kushner, Representative Sanchez, Senator Sampson, Representative Weir and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding SB 346: AN ACT CONCERNING THE MODIFICATIONS TO THE GOVERNOR'S WORKFORCE COUNCIL. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
CTDOL is proud to serve on the Governor’s Workforce Council (GWC), which is Connecticut’s State Workforce Board. The GWC’s primary goal is to ensure that Connecticut maintains the most accessible, equitable, aligned and high-quality workforce in the country, ensuring our workforce remains agile to respond to the evolving needs of the 21st century economy.
We support SB 346, as this proposed language will update the membership of the Governor’s Workforce Council to be in compliance with the federal law (29 U.S. Code § 3111), that requires the membership of the State Workforce Boards to be comprised of a majority of members representing the business community. In addition to satisfying the requirement that the GWC be business-led, this bill will also ensure that the GWC includes all State officials with primary responsibility for the core Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs.
Ensuring compliance with federal law is a critical component for federal approval of the state’s biannual WIOA State Workforce Plan. Without this approval, CTDOL administered funds for WIOA Title I funded programs, which include employment and training services to Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Youth, and are operated by the state’s five Workforce Development Boards may be put at risk.
We thank our partners at the Office of Workforce Strategy for spearheading SB 346, and the Labor Committee for raising it. My staff and I are reachable to further discuss SB 346 by directing any questions you may have to Billy Taylor, Legislative and Administrative Advisor at william.b.taylor@ct.gov or 203-947-4136.
