Substitute House Bill No. 5584
AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A SMALL BUSINESS HOTLINE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2017) Not later than October 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall establish and operate a state-wide small business hotline to provide prospective and existing small business owners with individualized information and guidance regarding business formation and development, networking resources and technical and financial assistance from the state and quasi-public agencies. The commissioner shall, within available appropriations, operate and staff such hotline during normal business hours. The commissioner may partner with a nonprofit organization to carry out the provisions of this section.
Sec. 2. (Effective October 1, 2017) Not later than January 1, 2019, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall submit a report on the small business hotline established pursuant to section 1 of this act, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce. Such report shall include a description of the services offered through the hotline, how the hotline is advertised to businesses, a summary of the most common types of assistance requested through the hotline and statistics concerning hotline call volume.
Approved July 7, 2017