Connecticut lawmakers on the last night of the legislative session approved a bill that scrubs “minority” from the state’s economic development lexicon, replacing it with language aimed at “historically underserved communities,” according to reporting distributed by the Associated Press.
The measure, Senate Bill 307, sped through the Senate and House after debate over whether renaming the target of certain programs would preserve their function or change who qualifies. The bill removed racial references from state economic development programs, prompting disagreement among members who said the existing wording reflected long-standing efforts to reach businesses that have faced discrimination.
During the Senate debate, Sen. Gary Winfield of New Haven—one of the bill’s Black sponsors and an opponent of the concept—said, “I don’t like the fact that we even have this bill,” and said he also “don’t like the fact that minoritized populations are disappearing out of our statutes.” He also warned that he believed they were “disappearing off our web sites” while remaining in the real world, even as lawmakers altered the statute language.
Sen. Doug McCrory of Hartford, also Black, delivered sharper criticism as the bill moved forward. McCrory said, “I’m sick and tired of always having to compromise, to make other people happy. I’m sick of it,” and he said the pattern had been going on “since people have been brought to these shores.” Reporting on the debate described McCrory as yelling during the remarks.
While both senators voted for the bill, legislative supporters and other members framed it as an effort to keep programs’ missions intact while complying with a broader shift away from race- and gender-based policies. The reporting said the bill was a reaction to the Trump administration’s hostility to policies based on race or gender, and also to efforts to erase or downplay references to Black historical figures in museums or at Arlington National Cemetery.
Gov. Ned Lamont did not enter the chamber during the floor activity, the reporting said. Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk met the governor outside, delivering a brief message that it was “Not a good time” as McCrory spoke, before Lamont left.
In the House, Rep. Antonio Felipe of Bridgeport—the chair of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus—took a more approving tone when the bill was called for a vote. Felipe said leaders were removing the “minority” word and said the programs would not be based on race or gender, while still “recogniz[ing] the diversity in our communities.”
Felipe said he was grateful that the Department of Economic and Community Development and Commerce Committee leaders added language as they removed the word “minority.” Rep. Stephen Meskers of Greenwich, who co-chaired the Commerce Committee, said he believed Felipe’s comments and the unanimous votes in both chambers reflected a “good-faith effort to come together and achieve the best result.”
Winfield, who participated in negotiations that produced improvements to the bill, said the change still represented a loss to minority-owned businesses. He said it “fundamentally is a different thing,” explaining that the DECD would no longer “provide loans to eligible small businesses that are owned by one or more members of a minority.”
Under the bill’s revised approach, the reporting said, the DECD would instead provide loans based on certain census metrics and other data points, with the “minority business revolving loan” description replaced in practice by a new framing such as a “Connecticut opportunity fund.”