Substitute Bill No. 395 Summary

• Adds new duties to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development including assignment of adequate staff to provide technical assistance to businesses in exporting, manufacturing, and cluster-based initiatives, effective July 1, 2010.

• Requires the Commissioner to serve on the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board and the Energy Conservation Management Board, and directs development of a marketing campaign promoting Connecticut as a place of innovation and implementation of a knowledge corridor agreement with Massachusetts for the biomedical device industry.

• Adds "promotion of export activities" as a business development project category, including sponsorship of exportation programs, assistance accessing federal Department of Commerce services, and provision of marketing materials and website improvements for exporters.

• Clarifies that "business support services" include activities that support exporting or economic base businesses, and expands the definition of "economic base business" to include businesses that export products or services beyond the state's boundaries.

• Changes the Commissioner's authority to "shall" (instead of "is authorized to") apply for and accept federal funds, and requires annual reporting on federal funding activities.