NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new economic growth plan for Connecticut includes $100 million for a public-private student loan partnership, a new Port Authority for ports and airports, and an "Angel Investor Tax Credit" for individuals or firms that invest in areas such as biotechnology, Governor Jodi Rell said on Wednesday.
The Republican governor in a statement said her blueprint "outlines the smart, targeted investments we need to make in housing, our transportation system and work force development."
The full document can be viewed at: www.ct.gov/ecd
Though to a lesser extent than New York state, Connecticut relies on Wall Street for tax revenues and jobs and Rell said banks, brokerages and insurers had slashed tens of thousands of positions held by residents of her state, a downsizing she called "excruciating."
"The final shape of the financial industry is still unknown, but any economic plan for the future must anticipate and reflect these dramatic changes," Rell said.
To shield Connecticut's economy from the financial industry's volatility, she included new technology firms in digital or green areas in the new tax credit.
The nearly 550-page report's 60 recommendations include strengthening regionalism by getting cities and towns to work together instead of vying with each other for the same jobs.
The new port agency, for example, would run the ports of Bridgeport, New Haven and New London, and Bradley International Airport, Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, Waterbury/Oxford Airport and Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport.
Building a commuter rail line to connect New Haven with Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts was another recommendation.
(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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