LCO 1 of 3
General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 250
February Session, 2024
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE GLOBAL ENTREPRENEUR IN
RESIDENCE PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Eligible institution" means (A) a public institution of higher 2
education within the state system of public higher education, as that 3
term is described in section 10a-1 of the general statutes, and (B) an 4
independent institution of higher education, as defined in section 10a-5
173 of the general statutes; 6
(2) "Person" means an individual, firm, partnership, association, 7
syndicate, company, trust, corporation, limited liability company, 8
nonprofit entity or any other legal entity; 9
(3) "Resident entrepreneur" means any candidate for the program 10
established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section who (A) is 11
employed in a specialty occupation on a part-time basis by a private 12
person, (B) is not a citizen of the United States, and (C) desires to move 13
to or remain in the state in nonimmigrant status while employed by such 14
private person; 15
(4) "Resident entrepreneur employer" means a private person that 16
employs a resident entrepreneur in a specialty occupation; and 17 Substitute Bill No. 250
LCO 2 of 3
(5) "Specialty occupation" has the same meaning as provided in 8 18
USC 1184(i), as amended from time to time. 19
(b) The Department of Economic and Community Development 20
shall, within available appropriations and in consultation with 21
Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, develop a three-year pilot 22
program, which shall be known as the Global Entrepreneur in Residence 23
Program, to facilitate the partnering of resident entrepreneur employers 24
and eligible institutions for the employment of resident entrepreneurs 25
by such eligible institutions. The department may collaborate with 26
resident entrepreneurs, eligible institutions and private persons to 27
develop the program. Eligible institutions and resident entrepreneur 28
employers may apply to participate in the program in the form and 29
manner prescribed by the department. Such program shall require that: 30
(1) The resident entrepreneur shall work at a designated space on the 31
premises of the eligible institution and on assignments that further a 32
research mission of the eligible institution, including, but not limited to, 33
assignments regarding the life sciences, quantum computing, climate 34
change, clean energy, entrepreneurship and innovation or human rights 35
and democracy; 36
(2) The resident entrepreneur shall work for the eligible institution 37
for not less than eight hours per week and for the resident entrepreneur 38
employer for not less than eight hours per week; 39
(3) The eligible institution and the resident entrepreneur employer 40
shall each pay the resident entrepreneur a salary for such resident 41
entrepreneur's services at a market rate consistent with rates for similar 42
services published by the United States Department of Labor; 43
(4) The resident entrepreneur employer shall pay a participation fee 44
to the eligible institution that is equal to the amount of the salary paid 45
by the eligible institution to the resident entrepreneur; and 46
(5) The resident entrepreneur employer shall apply to the United 47
States Citizenship and Immigration Services for a nonimmigrant visa in 48 Substitute Bill No. 250
LCO 3 of 3
accordance with 8 USC 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), as amended from time to 49
time, to facilitate the resident entrepreneur to move to the state. 50
(c) Not later than December 31, 2024, and annually thereafter, the 51
Department of Economic and Community Development shall submit, 52
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 53
a report on the pilot program to the joint standing committee of the 54
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce. 55
The report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) A description of 56
the progress in implementing the pilot program; (2) recommendations 57
for extending the duration or broadening the scope of the program; (3) 58
the number of resident entrepreneurs and resident entrepreneur 59
employers participating in the program; (4) the industries in which 60
resident entrepreneurs are engaged; and (5) a cost-benefit analysis of the 61
pilot program. 62
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
CE Joint Favorable Subst.