HARTLEY APPOINTED

State Sen. Joan V. Hartley (D-Waterbury) has been appointed to a new legislative committee, the “Youth Futures Committee,” which is charged with finding ways to keep Connecticut’s youth in school, on track for higher education, and well-prepared for the workforce of  the 21st century.

   “I’m delighted to have been chosen,” said Sen. Hartley, who is co-chair of the General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee and who was appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn).

   “One of our goals is to increase high school graduation rates and college entrance and completion,” Sen. Hartley said. “That ought to be the goal for every student in Connecticut.  At a minimum, employees in the future are going to need an associate’s degree. That is absolutely essential for our economic future here in Connecticut, where jobs are growing increasingly technical.”

   The committee was created as a result of Public Act 182, which was signed into law June 6 after having been unanimously approved by the General Assembly. The 17-member committee is comprised of six legislators, one each appointed by the top House and Senate leaders, and the following state officials or their designees: the commissioners of education, children and families, public health, social services, mental health and addiction services, and labor; the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management; the state Office of Workforce Competitiveness director; the executive director of the Commission on Children; the executive director of the Court Support Services Division; and a representative of the Connecticut Youth Services Association chosen by its president.

   The committee must develop guidelines for delivering services to youth that incorporate best practices based on positive outcomes that the act enumerates; improve communication among state agencies that administer youth programs; assess existing resources, networks, and returns on investments to maximize the development of community-level services that help achieve the state’s youth policy goals and objectives; and collaborate with public and private partnerships to facilitate positive outcomes.

   The committee’s outcomes must include, at a minimum: improved school attendance, academic and technical proficiencies, and high school diploma and equivalency completion rates; increases in the percentage of youth enrolling in and completing postsecondary education and training programs; skill-building employment programs; full employment for youth not enrolled in school; stable and safe housing; access to quality mental and physical health providers; and opportunities to be engaged in public service and to develop leadership and mentoring skills.

   By January 1, 2008, the Office of Workforce Competitiveness  director must report to the legislature on the progress made in achieving these outcomes, including the progress each municipality has made in achieving them, total state expenditures dedicated to achieving them, and state programs that serve youth who are not in school.

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