Politics & Government

Senate Passes UConn Health Center Plan

$864 million Bioscience Connecticut initiative lauded by Dems as visionary investment in economy.

Gov. Dannel Malloy's Bioscience Connecticut initiative, which would pour $864 million into the UConn Health Center in hopes of spurring economic development, passed the Senate Wednesday night, 24-11.

Democrats were largely supportive of the initiative, which would rebuild the health center and aims to make Connecticut a leader in the bioscience industry. Republicans Kevin Witkos of Canton and Toni Boucher of Wilton also voted for it, according to a CTMirror report.

Malloy praised the Senate for supporting the bill by approving $263 million in additional borrowing and urged the House to do the same.

“The state’s flagship public university and its Health Center must be looked at as more than just a school or just a hospital – we need to view them as economic drivers and ways in which we can leverage our education system into long-term, sustained economic growth,” Malloy said in a press release after the vote.

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The plan, called Bioscience Connecticut, would reportedly generate more than 16,000 permanent, high-quality jobs by 2037 and 3,000 construction jobs per year until 2018.

Malloy claims the project would keep the state’s top talent in Connecticut and help resolve an anticipated physician shortage and securing a place for UConn in the top tier of the country’s medical and dental schools. The plan would also solve the health center’s chronic financial problems, Malloy said and bolster the Hartford area by growing and attracting bioscience companies.

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Malloy’s plan includes $338 million in previously approved bonding, $254 million in new bonding, $203 million in private fundraising and $69 million from the health center.

Christopher Keating gives an exhaustive account of the discussion for courant.com's Capitol Watch here.


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