Connecticut House Bill HB05338

Connecticut 2018 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/1/18
• Refer: 3/1/18

Caption

An Act Concerning The Funding And Expansion Of Certain Certificate Programs.

Impact

The bill mandates that the Commissioner of Revenue Services is to segregate income taxes paid by graduates of qualifying certificate programs for supplemental funding purposes. This segregation will mean that an amount equal to 15% of the income tax liability per graduate will be placed into a dedicated account intended to support these educational initiatives. With a cap of one million dollars per calendar year, the funding mechanism aims to create an ongoing source of financial support for effective educational programs, thus potentially improving job placement rates.

Summary

House Bill 05338 aims to provide additional funding to certain qualifying certificate programs offered by public institutions of higher education in Connecticut. The bill establishes a supplemental funding grant program designed to support those programs that demonstrate a high employment rate for their graduates. Specifically, a qualifying certificate program must have at least 75% of its graduates employed in related fields within one year of graduation. The newly formed program will be administered by the Office of Higher Education.

Contention

While proponents of HB 05338 argue that the bill will address the need for enhanced educational funding and support workforce development initiatives, there may be concerns regarding the sustainability of the funding model. Critics could question whether the segregated tax funding is sufficient to meet the demands of all qualifying certificate programs or if the bill favors certain institutions over others. Furthermore, ongoing discussions may arise regarding the criteria used to define 'qualifying' programs, particularly how these standards are established and measured.