Hearings for jobs bill, UConn lab funds

Associated Press

Updated: Oct 20, 2011 8:06 PM

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH/AP) — Connecticut lawmakers are returning to the state Capitol to learn more about a bill that's supposed to help create jobs, as well as plans to borrow tens of millions of dollars for a new laboratory at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

The General Assembly's tax-writing committee on Thursday is holding an informational meeting on the $1.1 billion lab. It is proposed by The Jackson Laboratory, a genetic research institute.

Republicans and some Democrats are skeptical about the promise of thousands of jobs as a result of the Jackson Research Lab deal for the UConn Medical Center.

The price tag remains a big issue for some as the General Assembly moves closer to next week's Special Session aimed at creating jobs.

A representative of Jackson Labs told lawmakers today as he waved a picture of a container of Liptor and other well known drugs that these are the kinds of break throughs that may be possible if the state moves ahead with the nearly $300 million in funding for the bio-science building at the UConn Medical Center Complex in Farmington. The deal is a guarantee of 300 research jobs and the promise of thousands more.

Rep. Kathy Tallarita said, "The spin-off jobs and the indirect jobs, because those are the ones we're hoping will come. Do we have any data to support that those jobs were created in other locations?"

Michael Hyde said, "We are among the top ten employers in the State of Maine. The economic impact, the indirect jobs created by that number in the thousands."

"I want to say that I'm wildly excited about the deal, but I can't because of the price tag," said Sen. Scott Frantz.

Jackson Labs says that price includes bringing world renowned scientist Edison Liu to Connecticut from Singapore to be CEO.

"The presence of that kind of talent bores well for this operation and you're going to see first rate science happen in this facility," said Hyde.

But some lawmakers are still very skeptical.

Sen. Frantz said, "I'd say a price tag of closer to $30 million would make good economic development sense if you look at traditional parameters of dollars per job."

What's fueling that talk is the news that the Malloy Adminstration is about announce a deal to bring NBC Sports to Stamford at a cost of just $30 million for 440 permanent jobs.

Sources say the Malloy administration is hoping to announce the NBC deal before next week's Special Session, but that the Jackson Labs deal is a whole different animal, and worth ten times the price.

Under the deal, the state would provide a $192 million forgivable loan and $99 million in research funding.

Later in the day, the Commerce and Labor Committees held a forum on the bipartisan job creation bill, as well as the funding for the lab.

Lawmakers are meeting in special session Aug. 26 to vote on both bills.

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