Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01555 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	LCO No. 7100 1 of 7
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1555
6	6	January Session, 2025
7	7	LCO No. 7100
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on FINANCE, REVENUE AND
11	11	BONDING
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13	13
14	14	Introduced by:
15	15	(FIN)
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20	20	AN ACT CONCERNING THE TEN -YEAR PLAN TO ERADICATE
21	21	CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN PARTICIPATING CONCENTRATED
22	22	POVERTY CENSUS TRACTS.
23	23	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
24	24	Assembly convened:
25	25
26	26	Section 1. Section 32-7z of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
27	27	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
28	28	(a) It is hereby declared that there exists concentrated poverty in the 3
29	29	state that exacts a critical toll on poor and nonpoor residents of 4
30	30	communities that house areas of concentrated poverty, which create 5
31	31	lifelong and persistent disadvantages across generations by lowering 6
32	32	the quality of educational and employment opportunities, limiting 7
33	33	health care access and diminishing health outcomes, increasing 8
34	34	exposure to crime, reducing available choices for affordable and 9
35	35	properly maintained housing and imposing obstacles to wealth-10
36	36	building and economic mobility. It is further declared that the 11
37	37	development and implementation of the ten-year plan under this 12
38	38	section to eradicate concentrated poverty in the state are necessary and 13
39	39	for the public benefit, as a matter of legislative determination. 14
40	40	Raised Bill No. 1555
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42	42
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44	44	LCO No. 7100 2 of 7
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46	46	(b) There is established an Office of Neighborhood Investment and 15
47	47	Community Engagement within the Department of Economic and 16
48	48	Community Development. Said office shall carry out the provisions of 17
49	49	this section, overseeing the implementation of the ten-year plan 18
50	50	developed pursuant to this subsection, monitoring the state's progress 19
51	51	in reducing concentrated poverty in the state and serving as the 20
52	52	facilitator to coordinate communication between the various parties and 21
53	53	disseminate information in a timely and efficient manner. 22
54	54	(c) (1) There is established a pilot program to implement the 23
55	55	provisions of the ten-year plan developed pursuant to this section for 24
56	56	participating concentrated poverty census tracts. Any concentrated 25
57	57	poverty census tract or group of tracts (A) that is located in any of the 26
58	58	four municipalities with the greatest number of concentrated poverty 27
59	59	census tracts, and (B) for which community members have established 28
60	60	a community development corporation pursuant to the provisions of 29
61	61	section 32-7s to assist the municipality in which such census tract or 30
62	62	group of tracts is located in carrying out the municipality's 31
63	63	responsibilities under this section and the ten-year plan developed for 32
64	64	such census tract or group of tracts, shall be eligible to apply to 33
65	65	participate in the program. Notwithstanding the provisions of 34
66	66	subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, any municipality in which a 35
67	67	concentrated poverty census tract or group of tracts is located and for 36
68	68	which a community development corporation has been established as 37
69	69	described under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, or any such 38
70	70	community development corporation, may apply to participate in the 39
71	71	program. The Commissioner of Economic and Community 40
72	72	Development shall issue a request for proposals for participation in the 41
73	73	pilot program and select the applicant with the highest score. As used 42
74	74	in this section, "concentrated poverty census tract" means a census tract 43
75	75	identified as a high poverty-low opportunity census tract, as of January 44
76	76	1, 2024, by the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to section 32-45
77	77	7x of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes. 46
78	78	(2) (A) (i) The Office of Neighborhood Investment and Community 47
79	79	Raised Bill No. 1555
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81	81
82	82
83	83	LCO No. 7100 3 of 7
84	84
85	85	Engagement shall develop a plan for the pilot participating 48
86	86	concentrated poverty census tract or group of tracts, as applicable, to 49
87	87	eradicate, over ten years, the levels of concentrated poverty in the 50
88	88	service area of the community development corporation, evidenced by 51
89	89	a reduction, to twenty per cent or lower, in the percentage of households 52
90	90	who reside in such concentrated poverty census tract or group of tracts 53
91	91	and have incomes below the federal poverty level, as well as sustained 54
92	92	improvements in community infrastructure and other underlying 55
93	93	conditions that serve to prolong concentrated poverty and economic 56
94	94	inertia in such census tract or group of tracts. 57
95	95	(ii) In developing such plan, said office shall consult with the Office 58
96	96	of Community Economic Development Assistance established under 59
97	97	section 32-7s, the Department of Economic and Community 60
98	98	Development, the Office of Workforce Strategy established under 61
99	99	section 4-124w, the regional workforce development board, established 62
100	100	under section 31-3k, serving the participating concentrated poverty 63
101	101	census tract or group of tracts, the Office of Early Childhood, the 64
102	102	Department of Education, the Department of Housing, the Office of 65
103	103	Policy and Management, the applicable community development 66
104	104	corporations serving the participating concentrated poverty census tract 67
105	105	or group of tracts and the applicable municipal chief elected officials and 68
106	106	any other public or private entity the Commissioner of Economic and 69
107	107	Community Development deems relevant or necessary to achieving the 70
108	108	purposes of this subsection. 71
109	109	(B) The ten-year plan shall include, but need not be limited to, (i) 72
110	110	measurable steps to be taken for its implementation, the target date by 73
111	111	which each such step is to be completed and the state or municipal 74
112	112	official or state or municipal agency, department or division responsible 75
113	113	for each such step, (ii) minimum state-wide averages for educational 76
114	114	metrics, including, but not limited to, kindergarten-readiness, grade 77
115	115	level reading and mathematics and college-readiness or career-78
116	116	readiness, to be used as benchmarks for improvements in such 79
117	117	concentrated poverty census tract or group of tracts, as applicable, and 80
118	118	Raised Bill No. 1555
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120	120
121	121
122	122	LCO No. 7100 4 of 7
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124	124	(iii) the list of possible projects determined pursuant to subdivision (3) 81
125	125	of this subsection. 82
126	126	(C) On or before June 1, 2025, and again not later than September 1, 83
127	127	2025, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development 84
128	128	shall inform the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 85
129	129	having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, 86
130	130	in writing, of the progress made to date in the development of the ten-87
131	131	year plan. Not later than January 1, 2026, said commissioner shall 88
132	132	submit such plan to the General Assembly, in accordance with the 89
133	133	provisions of section 11-4a, and the Office of Neighborhood Investment 90
134	134	and Community Engagement shall immediately commence overseeing 91
135	135	the implementation of such plan. 92
136	136	(3) The Office of Neighborhood Investment and Community 93
137	137	Engagement shall, jointly with the chief elected official of each 94
138	138	applicable municipality and the community development corporation 95
139	139	established to assist such municipality, develop a list of possible projects 96
140	140	that will be included in the ten-year plan for the participating 97
141	141	concentrated poverty census tract or group of tracts, as applicable, 98
142	142	located in such municipality. Said office, official and corporation shall 99
143	143	(A) determine the types of projects they deem to be the most appropriate 100
144	144	and effective for such census tract or group of tracts to eradicate 101
145	145	concentrated poverty within such census tract or group of tracts, 102
146	146	including, but not limited to, capital projects, workforce development 103
147	147	programs, housing development, community and neighborhood 104
148	148	improvements and education initiatives to assist and support residents 105
149	149	in meeting and surpassing the educational metrics described in 106
150	150	subparagraph (B)(ii) of subdivision (2) of this subsection, and (B) take 107
151	151	into account the criteria for projects eligible for grants under sections 32-108
152	152	7s, 32-7x and 32-285a. 109
153	153	(4) Not later than February 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 110
154	154	Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall submit 111
155	155	a report to the General Assembly, the Office of Workforce Strategy, the 112
156	156	Raised Bill No. 1555
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159	159
160	160	LCO No. 7100 5 of 7
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162	162	Office of Early Childhood and the Office of Policy and Management, in 113
163	163	accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, that summarizes the 114
164	164	progress being made by the Office of Neighborhood Investment and 115
165	165	Community Engagement in implementing the ten-year plan, the status 116
166	166	of any projects pending or undertaken for the participating concentrated 117
167	167	poverty census tract or group of tracts and any other information the 118
168	168	commissioner or the Office of Neighborhood Investment and 119
169	169	Community Engagement deems relevant or necessary. 120
170	170	(5) (A) Commencing with the calendar year 2027, not later than 121
171	171	March first of said year and annually thereafter for the next two years, 122
172	172	the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 123
173	173	cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding shall 124
174	174	hold an informational forum for the Commissioner of Economic and 125
175	175	Community Development to present the contents of the submitted 126
176	176	report and for other state officials, municipal officials, representatives of 127
177	177	community development corporations serving participating 128
178	178	concentrated poverty census tracts or groups of tracts and other 129
179	179	interested parties to provide oral and written comments on the 130
180	180	submitted report and the pilot program. 131
181	181	(B) Commencing with the calendar year 2030, said committee shall 132
182	182	hold such informational forum every two years. 133
183	183	(d) On and after the date the ten-year plan is submitted to the General 134
184	184	Assembly pursuant to subparagraph (C) of subdivision (2) of subsection 135
185	185	(c) of this section, each state agency shall give priority to projects 136
186	186	included in such ten-year plan with respect to any grants or funding 137
187	187	programs such agency awards or administers and for which such 138
188	188	projects may be eligible. 139
189	189	(e) Not later than January 1, 2029, the Commissioner of Economic and 140
190	190	Community Development shall submit a recommendation to the joint 141
191	191	standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 142
192	192	matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding of (1) whether the pilot 143
193	193	Raised Bill No. 1555
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195	195
196	196
197	197	LCO No. 7100 6 of 7
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199	199	program should be expanded to all concentrated poverty census tracts 144
200	200	or groups of tracts in the state for which a community development 145
201	201	corporation has been established as described under subparagraph (B) 146
202	202	of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section, and (2) any additional 147
203	203	or alternative criteria to be considered for expansion of the pilot 148
204	204	program to other economically disadvantaged census tracts that do not 149
205	205	fall within the definition of a concentrated poverty census tract. If the 150
206	206	commissioner recommends expansion under subdivision (1) of this 151
207	207	subsection, the commissioner and the Office of Neighborhood 152
208	208	Investment and Community Engagement shall immediately undertake 153
209	209	such expansion. 154
210	210	(f) On and after July 1, 2027, if any state or municipal official 155
211	211	responsible for carrying out a requirement or responsibility under the 156
212	212	provisions of this section or a ten-year plan fails to do so in a timely 157
213	213	manner, any community development corporation established as 158
214	214	described under subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of 159
215	215	this section that was (1) selected pursuant to the request for proposals 160
216	216	under subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section, (2) can 161
217	217	demonstrate good faith efforts to effectuate the ten-year plan, and (3) is 162
218	218	aggrieved by such failure may bring an action against such official in 163
219	219	the superior court for the judicial district in which such census tract or 164
220	220	group of tracts is located for a writ of mandamus to compel such official 165
221	221	to carry out such requirement or responsibility. 166
222	222	Sec. 2. Section 119 of public act 24-151 is repealed. (Effective from 167
223	223	passage) 168
224	224	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
225	225	sections:
226	226
227	227	Section 1 from passage 32-7z
228	228	Sec. 2 from passage Repealer section
229	229
230	230	Raised Bill No. 1555
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234	234	LCO No. 7100 7 of 7
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236	236	Statement of Purpose:
237	237	To (1) include additional departments and boards the Office of
238	238	Neighborhood Investment and Community Engagement shall consult
239	239	in developing the ten-year plan under section 32-7z of the general
240	240	statutes, (2) add an additional progress report required from the
241	241	Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, and (3)
242	242	eliminate a guidance document working group.
243	243
244	244	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
245	245	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
246	246	underlined.]
247	247