02/28/2023
February 23, 2023 Labor and Public Employees Committee HB 6362
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
February 23, 2023
Good morning, Representative Sanchez, Senator Kushner, Representative Ackert, Senator Sampson, Representative Wilson, Senator Cabrera, and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding HB 6362: AN ACT CONCERNING ADVANCED ENERGY COMPANIES AND THE WORKFORCE. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) understands that the intent of HB 6362 is to ensure the state has the workforce necessary for the advanced energy and energy-efficiency manufacturing field. CTDOL appreciates the intent of this proposal and shares the belief that our state should continue to do everything it can to attract, train, and retain workers in the field of advanced energy and energy-efficiency manufacturing.
Section 2 of this proposal states that “…the Labor Department, in conjunction with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, to establish or expand funding for energy workforce training, apprenticeship and certification programs”. I would like to respectfully note that CTDOL does not have discretionary funding for these types of programs under the agency’s current funding construct, and thus, does not have funds available to establish this kind of program.
Section 3 of the bill requires CTDOL to “…to review and update economic development programs and tax policies in order to attract advanced energy and energy-efficiency manufacturing to the state.” Here again, I would respectfully point out that currently, there are no economic development programs under CTDOL’s jurisdiction.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and we look forward to continuing to work with you on supporting green jobs in our state.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer