Rep. Nuccio Introduces Proposal to Find Job Placements for Recent College Grads
HARTFORD — State Representative Tammy Nuccio (R-53), who represents the communities of Ashford, Tolland, and Willington, has introduced a proposal to tackle the trend of Connecticut’s college graduates leaving the state shortly after graduation. H.B. 5150, ‘An Act Establishing A State Hiring Program for Recent College Graduates,’ would create a program to prioritize young graduates for temporary, non-unionized state job vacancies.
Nuccio said that for her, the issue of post-graduate flight is personal. “I can empathize, as a mother of three college graduates,” said Rep. Nuccio. “I understand the perspective of the parents, who are eager for their students to get a college education, and observant college students who realize our state is simply too expensive to live in if they’re ever going to pay their student loans back.”
Nuccio has been approached by fellow residents that say high taxes and limited job opportunities in the private sector are causing young people to flee the state as soon as they graduate college. A recent study by United Van Lines has affirmed these concerns. Over 60% of their Connecticut customers were leaving — making the state fourth-to-last nationwide in inbound-versus-outbound moves — with many of them headed to lower tax climates in states like North Carolina, Texas, and Florida. However, Nuccio believes that her legislation could help put an end to the state’s ‘brain drain’ by providing a clearer path from the classroom to employment.
According to Nuccio’s proposal, the state would pay a portion of an employee’s salary directly to their student loan servicer, reducing owed college debt by up to $10,000 per year. According to Nuccio, the program would also help replenish the aging workforce in Connecticut and ease the state’s future pension obligations, where one in four workers are now aged 55 and older and many state employees are expected to retire in the coming years.
Nuccio concluded, “The most important asset this state should be investing in right now are young, educated people. This program is a step in the right direction in making sure recent college graduates have viable employment options. I ask that the Governor and my colleagues join me in supporting this bill and investing in the future of our students.”
H.B. 5150 has been referred to the Joint Committee on Commerce, where it awaits further action.