A group of Connecticut lawmakers last week held a press conference urging that gaming expansion now being considered by the legislature direct some of the revenues raised towards tuition relief for college students.
The state program that would benefit is Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT). Funding for the program is in jeopardy, according to the Board of
Regents for Higher Education, which funded it this year from reserves. The program, which 3,000 students have applied to for tuition assistance, lacks any long-term funding solution.
PACT was established in 2019. Lawmakers had expected to fund the program last year, but were overrun by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The gaming bill is being written by the Public Safety and Security Committee. Senator Cathy Osten, sponsor of the bill, urges allocating money from another source temporarily until the iLottery program can become a more permanent source.
Senator Osten told the CT Examiner, “Down in eastern Connecticut, Electric Boat is starving for more workers. This program will help train those people and get them into those good-paying, local jobs that support our economy.”
Osten, who is co-chairwoman of the legislature’s appropriations committee, said last week the legislature will be switching $13 million from a defunct program toward the program as a stopgap. She added, “iLottery dollars coming in will fully fund the PACT program.”
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff added, “Here in the state of Connecticut, we rely on our workforce to propel our economy. We don’t have natural gas fields or oil wells. Our natural resources are our people. Ensuring we have a well-educated workforce to meet the needs of the jobs of the 21st century and beyond is exactly why PACT is so important.”
Rep. Gary Turco, vice chairman of the higher education committee, said, “The consequences of us not doing this this year are dire for the state of Connecticut. We’re talking about thousands of young people who are going to be left behind.”
