CHAPTER 133a
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

      Sec. 8-240k. Community economic development program. Establishment of entity. (a) As used in this section and section 8-240l, "low and moderate income individuals" means individuals earning not more than the state median income, as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The state, acting by and through the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, in conjunction with other relevant state agencies and quasi-public agencies, as defined in section 1-20, shall establish a community economic development program in public investment communities, as defined in section 7-545, in targeted investment communities, as defined in section 32-222, and state-wide to assist low and moderate income individuals in establishing, maintaining and expanding businesses. The purpose of the program shall be to strengthen neighborhoods by maintaining or creating employment for neighborhood residents, generating tax revenues and stemming physical deterioration and the social problems resulting from deterioration by providing (1) access to credit, (2) facilitation of financing for community development activities, and (3) technical assistance.

      (b) The secretary shall establish an entity to accomplish the program. The entity may, without limitation, be owned and governed, in whole or in part, by parties other than the state, any agency of the state or any quasi-public agency.

      (P.A. 93-404, S. 1, 6; P.A. 03-93, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 93-404 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 03-93 amended Subsec. (a) to define "low and moderate income individuals", to expand the community economic development program to provide assistance to such individuals on a state-wide basis and to make a technical change.

      Sec. 8-240l. Board of directors. Duties. Goals. Establishment of affiliates. Provision of financial assistance. (a) The entity created pursuant to subsection (b) of section 8-240k shall be governed by a state-wide board of directors appointed as follows: Five members shall be representatives of relevant state agencies and quasi-public agencies, appointed by the Governor; one member shall be appointed by each investor who has committed an amount of money to the program established by subsection (a) of section 8-240k; and six members shall be persons of low or moderate income residing in public investment communities or targeted investment communities or representatives of nonprofit organizations the primary purpose of which is to serve low and moderate income, unemployed or underemployed residents of targeted neighborhoods, except that such members shall comprise not less than one third of the membership, one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, one by the majority leader of the Senate, one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives and one by the minority leader of the Senate. The board shall appoint the additional members.

      (b) The entity may: (1) Employ a staff and fix their duties, qualifications and compensation; (2) solicit, receive and accept aid or contributions including money, property, labor and other things of value from any source; (3) establish uniform underwriting standards and approval mechanisms for financing projects; (4) retain outside consultants and technical experts; and (5) do all acts and things necessary and convenient to carry out the purposes of sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive.

      (c) The purposes of the entity are to: (1) Coordinate, fund and implement investment and community development in targeted neighborhoods, including small for-profit enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and related residential properties; (2) provide funding to low and moderate income individuals to establish, maintain and expand businesses in the state; (3) provide access for borrowers to existing public and private lending and development programs and other funding sources, including, but not limited to, equity investment, loan guarantees and mortgage insurance; (4) provide technical assistance; and (5) preserve public dollars by leveraging private capital for community investment.

      (d) The goals of the entity shall be to promote the following in public investment communities, in targeted investment communities, and state-wide in areas in which low and moderate income individuals establish, maintain and expand businesses: (1) Job creation and skill development for the unemployed and underemployed and persons receiving public assistance; (2) leveraging of private and community investment; (3) community participation in decision-making; (4) the establishment of self-sustaining enterprises; (5) improvement of the physical environment of the community and the state; (6) promotion of affirmative action and equal employment opportunities and minority-owned businesses; and (7) coordination with the state plan of conservation and development adopted under chapter 297 and local, regional and state strategic economic development plans.

      (e) The entity may establish one or more local or state-wide affiliates to participate in implementation of the program established under subsection (a) of section 8-240k. Each affiliate shall be governed by a board of directors appointed by the entity. The board of the affiliate shall reflect the categories of membership as the membership of the board of directors of the entity.

      (f) Financial assistance shall be provided, in coordination with other sources of public or private funds, by the entity on a competitive basis, if feasible, to individuals, organizations, businesses, community development corporations, regional economic development corporations and any affiliate established under subsection (c) of this section. Not less than seventy per cent of the financial assistance available under sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive, shall be used for activities in targeted investment communities. The purposes for which such assistance may be used include, but are not limited to, direct small business and community revitalization loans, technical capacity training, loans to peer lending or borrowing groups, creation of business incubators, and development of commercial real estate for businesses owned or operated by or employing residents of public investment communities or targeted investment communities, or owned by low or moderate income individuals who are residents of the state. As used in this section, "financial assistance" means any and all forms of loans, extensions of credit, guarantees, equity investments or any other form of financing or refinancing to applicants for activities consistent with the purposes of sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive.

      (g) The entity shall provide not less than one million dollars for technical assistance from the funds authorized for the program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994. The entity shall establish a system for assuring that funds are available for technical assistance on a permanent basis.

      (P.A. 93-404, S. 2, 6; P.A. 03-93, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 93-404 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 03-93 amended Subsec. (c) to make a technical change in Subdiv. (1), add new Subdiv. (2) re funding by entity to low and moderate income individuals and redesignate existing Subdivs. (2) to (4) as Subdivs. (3) to (5), amended Subsec. (d) to expand goals of entity to state-wide in areas in which low and moderate income individuals establish, maintain and expand businesses, and amended Subsec. (f) to include businesses owned by low or moderate income individuals in businesses for which financial assistance from entity may be used for specified purposes and to make technical changes.

      Sec. 8-240m. Financial assistance. (a) The state, acting by and through the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, may provide financial assistance, including, without limitation financial assistance in the form of grants, loans and the purchase of capital stock, for the program established pursuant to subsection (a) of section 8-240k, upon the execution of a financial assistance agreement containing such terms and conditions as the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall deem necessary and appropriate to fulfill the purposes of sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 4-66c, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development may provide such financial assistance from the proceeds of bonds authorized for the Department of Economic and Community Development pursuant to said section 4-66c.

      (b) The Connecticut Development Authority may provide financial assistance, including, without limitation, financial assistance in the form of grants, loans and the purchase of capital stock, for the program established pursuant to subsection (a) of section 8-240k, upon the execution of a financial assistance agreement containing such terms and conditions as the Connecticut Development Authority shall deem necessary and appropriate to fulfill the purposes of sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive.

      (c) The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority may provide financial assistance, including, without limitation, financial assistance in the form of grants, loans and the purchase of capital stock, for the program established pursuant to subsection (a) of section 8-240k, upon the execution of a financial assistance agreement containing such terms and conditions as the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall deem necessary and appropriate to fulfill the purposes of sections 8-240k to 8-240n, inclusive.

      (P.A. 93-404, S. 3, 6; P.A. 95-250, S. 19, 42; 95-309, S. 11, 12.)

      History: P.A. 93-404 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 deleted former Subsec. (a) re provision of financial assistance by the Commissioner of Housing, relettering the Subsecs. accordingly, and replaced references to the Commissioner of Economic Development with the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 95-309 changed effective date of P.A. 95-250 but did not affect this section.

      Sec. 8-240n. Annual report. On or before the second Wednesday after the convening of each regular session of the General Assembly, beginning with the 1995 regular session, the entity created pursuant to subsection (b) of section 8-240k shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to local economic development which sets forth for the year ending the preceding December thirtieth, (1) plans to address the goals of the entity established in subsection (b) of section 8-240k; (2) activities in achieving the goals for the preceding year; and (3) a strategy for the upcoming year to achieve the goals, including adoption of specific targets. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, an annual financial statement, the name and address of each recipient of financial assistance and certification by the recipient that all applicable laws and labor regulations and fair trade practices were complied with, and the number of jobs and the types of employment provided to the unemployed, underemployed and persons receiving public assistance.

      (P.A. 93-404, S. 5, 6.)

      History: P.A. 93-404 effective July 1, 1993.

      Sec. 8-240o. Definitions. As used in sections 8-240p to 8-240s, inclusive, and 32-235:

      (1) "Community Economic Development Fund" means the entity established pursuant to subsection (b) of section 8-240k to accomplish the community economic development program;

      (2) "Microenterprise" means any business, new or existing, with ten or fewer employees and annual gross revenues of less than five hundred thousand dollars, including home-based and owner-operated businesses;

      (3) "Program" means the microloan program for microenterprises established in section 8-240p.

      (P.A. 06-166, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 06-166 effective July 1, 2006.

      Sec. 8-240p. Pilot microloan program for microenterprises. There is established a pilot microloan program for microenterprises under which the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall make a grant to the Community Economic Development Fund. Said fund shall use said grant to support the growth and development of microenterprises.

      (P.A. 06-166, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 06-166 effective July 1, 2006.

      Sec. 8-240q. Eligible activities for grants under pilot microloan program for microenterprises. The grants provided under section 8-240p shall be used to:

      (1) Identify appropriate microloan applicants state-wide;

      (2) Evaluate the need for a prospective microloan applicant's business in the community in which the microenterprise is or would be located;

      (3) Evaluate community support for a prospective microloan applicant's business in the community in which the microenterprise is or would be located;

      (4) Work in conjunction with other community-based nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies and with the Community Economic Development Fund to assist prospective microloan applicants in preparing and finalizing business plans;

      (5) Assist prospective microloan applicants in identifying and accessing other appropriate business resources, including those providing business management training;

      (6) Track client data, level of service and outcome of services provided; and

      (7) Promote microenterprises and coordinate the delivery of services by microenterprise support organizations to microenterprises.

      (P.A. 06-166, S. 3.)

      History: P.A. 06-166 effective July 1, 2006.

      Sec. 8-240r. Criteria for grants to microloan generating organizations. The Community Economic Development Fund shall consider the following criteria in making a grant to a microloan generating organization:

      (1) Sources and sufficiency of operating funds for the microloan generating organization;

      (2) The ability of the microloan generating organization to provide the services required under section 8-240q; and

      (3) The proven ability of the microloan generating organization to identify and prepare successful applicants to economic assistance programs similar to the program established in section 8-240q.

      (P.A. 06-166, S. 4.)

      History: P.A. 06-166 effective July 1, 2006.

      Sec. 8-240s. Report. Not later than June 30, 2007, the Community Economic Development Fund shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a, on the status and results of sections 8-240o to 8-240q, inclusive, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to economic development.

      (P.A. 06-166, S. 5.)

      History: P.A. 06-166 effective July 1, 2006.