HARTFORD — A plan to build on and expand the job-creating momentum of October’s landmark Jobs Bill was debated and passed in the state Senate on Friday.

Senate Bill 1, “An Act Concerning Jobs and the Economy,” expands state workforce and small business development programs, provide incentives to hire post-9/11 combat veterans, promotes Connecticut’s economic and cultural assets, and seeks to reward businesses that are willing to relocate jobs from overseas back to Connecticut, according to Sen.  Eric D. Coleman (D-Bloomfield).

The vote on Friday comes as reports show that Connecticut is experiencing its lowest unemployment rate in three years; since January, Connecticut has added 10,500 new jobs.

One of the hallmarks of the bipartisan October Jobs Bill was the Small Business Express program, which set aside $100 million in state loans and grants over two years for small manufacturers, especially those in precision manufacturing, business services, green and sustainable technology, and bioscience and information technology.

So far, more than 500 small businesses in Connecticut have applied for Small Business Express assistance; 38 loans totaling $32 million have already been approved, creating 193 new jobs and retaining 213 jobs in Connecticut, according to state officials.

Senate Bill 1

Expands the existing Small Business Express Program to an estimated 3,600 additional state businesses. Under current law, a business qualifies for Express loans and grants if it employs 50 or fewer people; Senate Bill 1 raises that employee ceiling to 100 employees.

Establish the Unemployed Armed Forces Member STEP-UP (Subsidized Training and Employment Program) with grants to subsidize a businesses’ cost of hiring unemployed veterans during their first 180 days (about six months) on the job. The bill authorizes $10 million in bonds for the program, with $5 million available upon passage and the balance available in Fiscal Year 2014.

Creates the “Connecticut Made” and “Connecticut Treasures” programs to promote products made in Connecticut and promote the state’s cultural, educational and historic attractions. Part of the bill provides for the design planning, and implementation of a multiyear, state-wide marketing and advertising plan that includes television and radio advertisements showcasing Connecticut-made products and the advantages they offer.

Seek to relocate overseas jobs to Connecticut by allowing the state Department of Economic and Community Development to give a preference under the “First Five Plus” program to companies that will relocate jobs from overseas to Connecticut; assistance includes loans, tax incentives and other forms of economic development that create jobs and invest capital within a certain timeframe.

According to the State Labor Department, Connecticut’s private sector has now recovered 46,600, or 42.3%, of the private jobs lost in the recessionary downturn which officially lasted from March 2008 to February 2010.

Over the past year, the largest private-sector job gains have been in the education, health services, transportation, public utilities, and professional and business service sectors. The largest number of job cuts has been in the government sector, which lost 4,800 jobs in the past year.

HARTFORD — There’s a new program to match war veterans with jobs.

So said Congressman John B. Larson, who will join CT Department of Labor Commissioner Glen Marshall, Elliot Ginsberg of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), Commissioner Linda Schwartz of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and Congressman Larson’s First Congressional District Veterans Advisory Board in announcing the Connecticut Veterans Job Match.

The announcement will be on Friday , 10 a.m. at  Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The announcement will take place at Rentschler Field at 10:00 a.m. – 30 minutes before the kickoff of the Heroes for Hire Job Fair.

Officials said the new program looks to build on the success of the recently-launched Connecticut Manufacturing Job Match Initiative to focus on helping veterans find work in manufacturing and trade industries.

The Manufacturing Job Match, launched last November, identifies unemployed individuals with experience and interest in manufacturing and looks to match them with local businesses that are looking to hire in the field.

Organizers said the Veterans Job Match, launched to coincide with tomorrow’s Heroes for Hire Job Fair at Rentschler Field, will target unemployed veterans, identify their skills and match them with local businesses who are hiring. Those veterans who may not yet possess the requisite skills needed by local businesses will be connected with further training and education opportunities.

Also joining the group tomorrow morning will be representatives from the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor.

HARTFORD – Connecticut’s Spanish American Merchants Association has received a $150,000 grant over three years from First Niagara to help support its Empresario Computer Training Program to low and moderate income businesses and start-up enterprises at SAMA’s offices in Hartford, New Haven, and Willimantic.

The training program includes classes on several Microsoft software programs and the Quickbooks accounting software program.

“Many small business owners lack the training necessary to incorporate technology into their day-to-day business operations,” SAMA Board of Directors President Angel Sierra said. “First Niagara’s support for our Empresario Computer Training Program will allow us to provide our members with intensive training and technical assistance, so that they can start a new business, or continue to grow their existing business.”

The Empresario Computer Training Program was established in 1999 and is one component of the Empresario Development Center which focuses on providing small business owners, their family members and employees, as well as entrepreneurs and start-ups, with education in management, financial literacy, human resources, technology, health and safety.

Each computer training session lasts ten weeks and allows a maximum enrollment of 20 students, with students receiving approximately 30 total hours of training upon graduation. The Empresario Computer Training Program is offered twice a year in each of SAMA’s offices.

For more information on SAMA and the Empresario Computer Training Program, please visit www.samact.org.

By Keith M. Phaneuf

HARTFORD — The fate of a proposed 50-cent increase in Connecticut’s minimum wage still hung in political limbo Friday, even though the legislature’s budget-writing panel added its endorsement to the idea.

While the Democratic-controlled Appropriations Committee approved the wage hike bill by a vote of 29-20, largely along party lines, lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle acknowledged that the issue may not be settled until just before the 2012 session ends May 9.

The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.

“It doesn’t do an awful lot, but it does a little bit of something, and people in this state deserve a little something,” said Sen. Edith G. Prague, D-Columbia, co-chairwoman of the Labor and Public Employees Committee as well as a member of the Appropriations panel. “Hopefully it will help some people living in desperate poverty. It’s not going to break the bank. … I really think this is something we owe to the workers of the state of Connecticut.”

The state minimum wage of $8.25 per hour would rise to $8.75 next January, and then to $9.25 Jan. 1, 2014. Each January after that, the wage would rise in proportion to the Consumer Price Index, one of the primary measures of inflation.

Democratic lawmakers argued that the increase not only would assist young, part-time workers saving for school and some of Connecticut’s poorest working households, but also would provide a modest economic boost. That’s because many of those who work for minimum wage are able to save little or none of their earnings, they said.

“They will be spending it because they have to spend it … for rent or for food,” said Sen. Edwin Gomes, D-Bridgeport. “You are looking at a consumer who is going to spend every dime because he can’t do anything else.”

Democrats also argued that minors and other young workers earning minimum wage are doing more than saving for college. “They have to bring home money to help their families, and it’s not just in the Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven areas,” said Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. “It’s kids all over this state who are looking for help, who are looking for employment.”

But Republican legislators argued that raising the minimum wage while businesses are still recovering from the last recession is a ticket to higher unemployment. Rather than boost overall salary accounts, businesses will reduce hours and jobs to pay for the minimum wage hike, they argued.

“A lot of people are going to lose their jobs because of this,” said Rep. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton. “A lot of people are going to lose their jobs because of this.”

The ranking GOP senator on the panel, Robert Kane of Watertown, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to freeze the minimum wage for seasonal employees and for workers age 22 and younger, arguing this group is particularly vulnerable to job cuts.

“The reality of the situation is this population has 25 percent unemployment,” Kane said. “We’re not looking to hinder anyone. We’re going to help people get employment.”

Lobbyists for several key business groups opposed to the increase said they think many lawmakers are reluctant to boost the minimum wage now.

“Our sense is there are members in both chambers, both caucuses, who understand this is not the right time to increase the minimum wage, particularly for small retailers,” said Tim Phelan, president of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association.

The executive director of the Connecticut Restaurants Association, Nicole Griffin, said, “Our members are still trying to recover and are just starting to see an upswing.”

And Connecticut Business and Industry Association assistant counsel Kia Murrell said boosting the minimum wage can have a ripple effect that reaches businesses that already pay more. “When you raise the floor, businesses find you have to bump up middle-tier workers as well,” she said.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, also has been cautious about a minimum wage increase at this time.

Malloy spokesman Andrew Doba noted that the governor is “a longtime supporter of the minimum wage,” but also said that “given the current business climate, the governor wants to ensure that any new legislation won’t harm our growing recovery.”

Connecticut created more than 17,000 private sector jobs last year, Doba said, adding that “it’s progress we need to continue. (The governor) looks forward to watching the debate on this issue as it proceeds through the legislature.”

First published at CTmirror.org

NEW HAVEN, CT – UIL Holdings Corporation is reminding customers to claim the full tax benefit of any improvements they made in 2011 to make their homes more energy efficient.

The Nonbusiness Energy Efficiency Property Credit and Residential Energy Efficiency Property Credit allow homeowners to recover some of the costs of improvements they made to improve their home energy efficiency.

These tax credits cover a range of improvements including installation of energy-efficient windows and insulation, high-efficiency heaters, wind turbines and fuel cells.

The federal tax credits can be claimed on IRS Form 5695. Tuesday, April 17 is the deadline for filing 2011 federal and state tax returns.

Not all efficiency improvements qualify for tax credits. Additional information is available on the IRS.gov website, as well as the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund’s website at CTenergyInfo.com/tax_incentives.htm.

Tips:

• The tax credits only apply to improvements put into service in 2011.
• Be sure to locate and keep all receipts and manufacturer’s tax credit certifications. You don’t have to submit these with your tax returns, but will need them in case of an audit.
• The tax credits are available regardless of whether you itemize deductions on Schedule A.

WASHINGTON, DC — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that quick and easy solutions are available if they can’t file their returns or pay their taxes on time, and they can even request relief online.

The IRS says don’t panic. Tax-filing extensions are available to taxpayers who need more time to finish their returns. Remember, this is an extension of time to file; not an extension of time to pay. However, taxpayers who are having trouble paying what they owe usually qualify for payment plans and other relief. Last month, for example, the IRS, as part of its Fresh Start initiative announced penalty relief for unemployed taxpayers and self-employed individuals whose income has dropped.

Either way, taxpayers will avoid stiff penalties if they file either a regular income tax return or a request for a tax-filing extension by this year’s April 17 deadline. Taxpayers should file, even if they can’t pay the full amount due.

Here are further details on the options available.

More Time to File

People who haven’t finished filling out their return can get an automatic six-month extension. The fastest and easiest way to get the extra time is through the Free File link on IRS.gov . In a matter of minutes, anyone, regardless of income, can use this free service to electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension on Form 4868.

Filing this form gives taxpayers until Oct. 15 to file a return. To get the extension, taxpayers must estimate their tax liability on this form and should also pay any amount due.

By properly filing this form, a taxpayer will avoid the late-filing penalty, normally five percent per month based on the unpaid balance, that applies to returns filed after the deadline. In addition, any payment made with an extension request will reduce or eliminate interest and late-payment penalties that apply to payments made after April 17. The current interest rate three percent per year, compounded daily, and the late-payment penalty is normally 0.5 percent per month.

Besides Free File, taxpayers can choose to request an extension through a paid tax preparer, using tax-preparation software or by filing a paper Form 4868, available on IRS.gov. Of the 10.5 million extension forms received by the IRS last year, about 4 million were filed electronically.

Some taxpayers get more time to file without having to ask for it. These include:

• Taxpayers abroad. U.S. citizens and resident aliens who live and work abroad, as well as members of the military on duty outside the U.S., have until June 15 to file. Tax payments are still due April 17.

• Members of the military and others serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or other combat zone localities. Typically, taxpayers can wait until at least 180 days after they leave the combat zone to file returns and pay any taxes due. For details, see Extensions of Deadlines in Publication 3 , Armed Forces Tax Guide.

• People affected by certain tornadoes, severe storms, floods and other recent natural disasters. Currently, parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia are covered by federal disaster declarations, and affected individuals and businesses in these areas have until May 31 to file and pay.

Easy Ways to E-Pay

Taxpayers with a balance due IRS now have several quick and easy ways to electronically pay what they owe. They include:

• Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). This free service gives taxpayers a safe and convenient way to pay individual and business taxes by phone or online. To enroll or for more information, call 800-316-6541 or visit WWW.EFTPS.GOV.

• Electronic funds withdrawal. E-file and e-pay in a single step.

• Credit or debit card. Both paper and electronic filers can pay their taxes by phone or online through any of several authorized credit and debit card processors. Though the IRS does not charge a fee for this service, the card processors do. For taxpayers who itemize their deductions, these convenience fees can be claimed on Schedule A Line 23.
Taxpayers who choose to pay by check or money order should make the payment out to the “United States Treasury.” Write “2011 Form 1040,” name, address, daytime phone number and Social Security number on the front of the check or money order. To help insure that the payment is credited promptly, also enclose a Form 1040-V payment voucher.

More Time to Pay

Taxpayers who have finished their returns should file by the regular April 17 deadline, even if they can’t pay the full amount due. In many cases, those struggling with unpaid taxes qualify for one of several relief programs, including those recently expanded under the IRS “Fresh Start” initiative. These include the following:

• Most people can set up a payment agreement with the IRS on line in a matter of minutes. Those who owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest can use the Online Payment Agreement to set up a monthly payment agreement for up to six years. Taxpayers can choose this option even if they have not yet received a bill or notice from the IRS. Alternatively, taxpayers can request a payment agreement by filing Form 9465-FS. This form can be downloaded from IRS.gov and mailed along with a tax return, bill or notice.

• Most unemployed filers and self-employed individuals whose business income dropped substantially can apply for a six-month extension of time to pay. Eligible taxpayers will not be charged a late-payment penalty if they pay any tax, penalty and interest due by Oct. 15, 2012. Taxpayers qualify if they were unemployed for any 30-day period between Jan. 1, 2011 and April 17, 2012. Self-employed people qualify if their business income declined 25 percent or more in 2011, due to the economy. Income limits and other special rules apply. Apply using Form 1127-A.

• Some struggling taxpayers may qualify for an offer-in-compromise. This is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. Generally, an offer will not be accepted if the IRS believes the liability can be paid in full as a lump sum or through a payment agreement. The IRS looks at the taxpayer’s income and assets to make a determination regarding the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

Details on all filing and payment options are on IRS.gov.

By Keith M. Phaneuf

HARTFORD — On an 86-62 vote, the House of Representatives gave final legislative approval Wednesday night to a bill repealing the death penalty for future crimes, leaving Connecticut one step away from becoming the 17th state to abolish capital punishment.

The bill, which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has pledged to sign, advanced after a 9 1/2-hour debate focused largely on a provision that still mandates capital punishment for Connecticut’s 11 death row inmates.

The bill passed with votes from 78 of 99 Democrats and eight of 52 Republicans. Senate Democrats passed the bill 20-16 last week, with two Democrats joining all 14 Republicans in opposition.

In place of the existing crime of capital felony, the bill creates a new crime of murder with special circumstances, punishable by life in prison without chance of release.

“Despite having the death penalty in oiur society here in Connecticut for several hundred years … it certainly hasn’t eradicated evil from our society,” said House Majority Leader J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden. “If we as human beings created laws that reciprocate the evil that’s perpetrated on society, are they really protecting us? … Our laws more project our better selves.”

Though Connecticut imposes the death sentence on only the most horrific of crimes, Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford, noted that there have been nearly 290 post-conviction exonerations of death row inmates in the United States since the late 1970s.

“I am torn in two,” he said, “but it is my innate feeling that government makes mistakes.”

“We must always be aware that government makes mistakes and the death penalty is irreversible,” said Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford. Recounting the tale of Kenneth Ireland Jr., Mushinksy noted how the resident of her town served 21 years in prison until DNA evidence cleared him in 2009 of a wrongful murder conviction.

Individuals sentenced under the new law would be provided with no more than two hours of activity per day and permitted no contact during social visits, Fox said. They also would be housed separately from others, escorted on all movements, transferred to a new cell every 90 days and subjected to at least two searches per week.

Minority Republicans focused much of their opposition to a controversial legal assertion first offered by Malloy during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign: that Connecticut could repeal capital punishment for future crimes without lifting that penalty for those already on death row.

Only New Mexico has a similar law.

Amid that 2010 campaign, Steven Hayes, one of the two suspects in the 2007 Cheshire murder of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, would be convicted of the crime. His accomplice, Joshua Komisarjevsky, was convicted last October. Both have been sentenced to death.

“This bill hangs together on a peculiar bargain made between morality and politics,” said Rep. John Hetherington, R-New Canaan.

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, who supports Connecticut’s death penalty, recalled several past debates when repeal advocates cited moral objections, fears of wrongful convictions, or even the lengthy, numerous appeals that make actual imposition of the death penalty very rare.

“They were principled debate that were felt with all our heart and soul,” he said. “And I’m sorry to say that today is different.”

Cafero said it is “illogical” and “impossible” to legislate an end to capital punishment — except for 11 people. “How can you say that? How can you justify that?”

“You either support the death penalty and taking somebody’s life or you don’t,” said Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Woodbridge. “You can’t support it for these guys, but not for these guys.”

Fox said that should a court rule that Connecticut cannot impose the death penalty on those convicted prior to this legislation’s enactment, then those on death row would have their sentences converted to life imprisonment under high security without the chance of parole.

Before Wednesday’s House debate, Cafero handed out portions of the transcript from the Oct. 5, 2010, forum between Malloy and GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Foley, a televised event in Hartford that happened the same day that Hayes was convicted.

Foley pledged to veto any repeal, arguing that otherwise Hayes and Komisarjevsky would escape execution. But Malloy — already on record as favoring repeal — said he’d ensure that such a change wouldn’t affect those already sentenced to death.

“What I’ve said is any legislation that I would sign would be prospective, it would be out into the future,” Malloy said. “I’ve guaranteed that it would be drafted in such a way as to guarantee that these two individuals — if we ever had a workable death penalty — would be put to death, if that’s the sentence of the jury.”

Cafero also charged the Democratic governor’s administration with “misleading” legislators into believing that a similar forward-looking death penalty repeal statute, adopted in 2009 in New Mexico, had survived a constitutional challenge there. Fox acknowledged during the debate that a challenge on grounds that the prospective system is unconstitutional still is pending in that state.

Malloy’s senior adviser, Roy Occhiogrosso, said Wednesday that the administration hasn’t misrepresented the New Mexico death penalty discussion. “That’s not true,” he said. “I know Representative Cafero enjoys playing politics. I would hope he would not play politics with this issue.”

“I’m pleased the House passed the bill, and when it gets to my desk I will sign it,” Malloy wrote in a statement released immediately after the vote. “I want to be careful in the tone of my remarks, out of respect for the gravity of the issue at hand and out of respect for people on both sides of the issue.

“When I sign this bill, Connecticut will join 16 other states and almost every other industrialized nation in moving toward what I believe is better public policy. For decades, we have not had a workable death penalty. Only one person’s been executed in Connecticut in the last 52 years, and he volunteered for it. Going forward, we will have a system that allows us to put these people away for life, in living conditions none of us would want to experience. Let’s throw away the key and have them spend the rest of their natural lives in jail.”

Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, one of the legislature’s most vocal opponents of capital punishment since he joined the House in 2009, said it became clear that a repeal that was not prospective would not pass. He added that he believes it is better to stop some executions in the future than none at all.

“It’s not a scheme. It’s the way things operate around here,” he said. “Being a purist, sometimes, is not a good thing. … This is not about the polls. This is who we are and what we believe.”

“If I had my way, we would have no death penalty, for everyone, including the 11 on death row,” he said.

Republicans offered several amendments to the bill Wednesday, all rejected in votes largely along party lines.

Hetherington proposed language that would have reinstated capital punishment in all instances should the courts rule the death penalty couldn’t be imposed exclusively on past convictions. “If the bargain crumbles in part, it must crumble in whole,” he said.

Other failed GOP amendments would have retained the death penalty for those who murder police officers or prison guards, those who both murder and commit sexual assault, or for those who kill two or more people through an act of terrorism.

Though most Democrats backed repeal, a handful argued for retaining capital punishment.

“I wish that our Heavenly Father would bless me … (but) I cannot get over the loss of my brother,” said Rep. Larry Butler, D-Waterbury, who recounted the loss of his younger brother to murder in 1985.

Rep. Mary D. Fritz of Wallingford said she fears those sentenced to life imprisonment could have their sentences scaled back by future legislatures. “Who’s to say 10 years down the road, 15 years down the road, another group of legislators won’t come in and say, ‘What is wrong with those people in 2012?’” she said. “We are lawmakers. We make laws, we change laws.”

A Democrat who voted for repeal in 2009, but opposed it Wednesday, Rep. Ernest Hewett of New London, said he was swayed by considering the murder of 8-year-old Leroy “B.J.” Brown.

Russell Peeler Jr. was sentenced to death in 2007 after being convicted of ordering his brother to kill the boy and his mother, Karen Clarke. The 8-year-old was to be the key witness against Peeler in a case involving a drug-related shooting.

“Here was a little 8-year-old kid who had no voice of his own,” Hewett said, adding that he fears the prospective approach taken in the bill ultimately will lift the death sentence for all on death row.

“The appeals will be filed,” Hewett said. “They will win and no one on death row will get the death penalty.”

“It’s important that we not abandon this tool that we have,” said Rep. Jeff Berger, a retired Waterbury police officer, who argued that capital punishment is an effective crime deterrent.

But Rep. Marie Kirkley-Bey, D-Hartford, said meeting with mothers of crime victims in Hartford has shown her they seek justice, not necessarily death for criminals. “They want closure,” she said. “They want to be able to go to sleep at night and know these people are off the street.”

Kirkley-Bey also rejected the argument that capital punishment is a deterrent. “There’s not a person in Connecticut who committed a crime, a murder, who said, ‘I’m not going to do that because they have the death penalty,’” she said. “I don’t believe that and, if you do, you’re crazy.”

Once Malloy signs the repeal legislation, Connecticut would join 16 other states that ban capital punishment: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

HARTFORD – Attorney General George Jepsen on Tuesday said Connecticut consumers will soon benefit from direct mortgage relief and new mortgage servicing standards under terms of the $25 billion national settlement agreement with the five largest mortgage servicers.

Consent judgments with Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Company, Citigroup Inc., and Ally Financial Inc (formerly GMAC), were approved last week and entered Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, finalizing the national settlement announced Feb. 9.

The state’s share of the settlement is $190 million.

•             Connecticut borrowers will receive an estimated $119 million in benefits from loan modifications and other direct relief.

•             The estimated 7,500 Connecticut borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011 and suffered servicing abuse qualify for an estimated $1,500 cash payment.

•             The value of refinanced loans to Connecticut’s underwater borrowers would be an estimated $36 million.

•             The state will receive a direct payment estimated at $27 million to help pay for local foreclosure prevention programs, such as the Connecticut Department of Banking’s foreclosure prevention hotline, HUD-approved housing counselors, the Judicial Branch’s foreclosure mediation program, nonprofit legal aid groups that help homeowners facing foreclosure, and loan modification programs supported by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Some Connecticut borrowers have received principal reduction loan modification offers from the servicers, Jepsen said. While many more are expected to benefit, he cautioned that not everyone will qualify. The mortgage servicers are required to complete 75 percent of their consumer relief obligations within two years and 100 percent within three years.

Jepsen urged borrowers whose loans are owned by the five servicers, to contact them directly at the following numbers for more information about the assistance programs and whether they qualify for help: Bank of America: 1-877-488-7814; Citigroup: 1-866-272-4749; Chase: 1-866-372-6901; Ally/GMAC: 1-800-766-4622; Wells Fargo: 1-800-288-3212.

In addition, the five mortgage servicers are subject to extensive new servicing standards, which take effect over the next two to six months. These new standards will stop many past foreclosure abuses, such as robo-signing, improper documentation and lost paperwork. They will also require strict oversight of foreclosure processing, including by third-party vendors; restrict banks from foreclosing while the homeowner is being considered for a loan modification and make foreclosure a last resort, by requiring servicers to evaluate homeowners for other loan mitigation options first.

The new standards also establish procedures and timelines for reviewing loan modification applications, and give homeowners the right to appeal denials. They also require the servicers to provide a single point of contact for borrowers seeking information about their loans and adequate staff to handle calls.

Independent settlement monitor Joseph A. Smith, Jr. will oversee the terms of the agreement and prepare quarterly compliance reviews. Jepsen will serve on the monitoring committee of state attorneys general, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will work with the monitor to ensure the servicers fulfill their obligations under the settlement.

While only borrowers whose loans are owned by one of the five servicers are eligible for modifications under the settlement, Jepsen urged anyone who has fallen behind on their mortgage loan or who is anticipating difficulty making their payments to contact the Connecticut Department of Banking Foreclosure Assistance Hotline at 1-877-472-8313 for foreclosure-related and general loan-modification questions.

Assistant Attorneys General Joseph Chambers and Matthew Budzik, head of the finance department, are assisting the Attorney General in this effort.

For more information, see www.NationalForeclosureSettlement.com; www.MortgageOversight.com; www.ct.gov/ag;www.HUD.gov

HARTFORD – Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford), Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Energy & Technology Committee, announced on Tuesday that the committee has unanimously approved legislation to improve the state’s emergency response to widespread power outages following severe weather events.

Fonfara  said that Senate Bill 23 will invest in critical infrastructure and hold utility companies accountable for their performance during weather emergencies.

Senate Bill 23 has several provisions, the first of which requires the Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to prepare a comprehensive plan, subject to the governor’s approval, for civil emergency preparedness both before and after a severe weather event.

The plan must be fully integrated with related federal plans and will be carried out and trained for by all state and local government agencies and all public utility companies.

Performance Standards for Utilities

Senate Bill 23 will require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to study and then establish minimum emergency preparation and response performance standards for each electric, gas and telephone company in Connecticut. These standards must address:

Minimum staffing levels for outage planning and restoration (linemen, technicians, etc)

Mutual aid agreements with out-of-state utilities and contractors to bring in surplus workers as needed

Safety standards for employees of each utility, mutual aid crews and private contractors

Targets for recovery and restoration of service based on emergency classification level

Communication between utilities and customers, including during non-business hours, and to notify the public of service restoration estimates and dangerous conditions

Communication between and amongst utilities and government officials

Tree trimming practices to reduce outages due to fallen limbs

Other standards as PURA deems fit to prevent or restore service outages

Following the establishment of these standards later this year, all utilities will be required submit a plan to PURA on implementation of these standards, to be approved by PURA and updated annually. Supplemental plans may be required following a future storm or emergency.

HARTFORD — The capital city of Connecticut is among the largest urban population in New England, according to the U.S. Censu’ss new release of urban areas.

This is so despite a decrease in Hartford’s population from about 125,000 in 2000 to 924,859 in 2010.

Across the nation, however, the urban population increased by 12.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, outpacing the nation’s overall growth rate of 9.7 percent for the same period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau released the new list of urban areas today based on 2010 Census results.

Urban areas — defined as densely developed residential, commercial and other nonresidential areas — now account for 80.7 percent of the U.S. population, up from 79.0 percent in 2000. Although the rural population — the population in any areas outside of those classified as “urban” — grew by a modest amount from 2000 to 2010, it continued to decline as a percentage of the national population.

The Census Bureau identifies two types of urban areas: “urbanized areas” of 50,000 or more people and “urban clusters” of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 people. There are 486 urbanized areas and 3,087 urban clusters nationwide. 

The nation’s most densely populated urbanized area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif., with nearly 7,000 people per square mile. The San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., area is the second most densely populated at 6,266 people per square mile, followed by San Jose, Calif. (5,820 people per square mile) and Delano, Calif. (5,483 people per square mile). The New York-Newark, N.J., area is fifth, with an overall density of 5,319 people per square mile.

Of the 10 most densely populated urbanized areas, nine are in the West, with seven of those in California. Urbanized areas in the U.S., taken together, had an overall population density of 2,534 people per square mile.

The New York-Newark area continues to be the nation’s most populous urbanized area, with 18,351,295 residents. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is the second most populous (12,150,996), followed by the Chicago area (8,608,208). These areas have been the three most populous since the 1950 Census, when urbanized areas were first defined; however, at that time, Chicago was the second largest. Los Angeles became the second most populous urbanized area in 1960, and the order of the top three has not changed since.

Regional and State Patterns

Of the nation’s four census regions, the West continued to be the most urban, with 89.8 percent of its population residing within urban areas, followed by the Northeast, at 85.0 percent. The Midwest and South continue to have lower percentages of urban population than the nation as a whole, with rates of 75.9 and 75.8, respectively. (See tables with percentages.)

Of the nine census divisions, the Pacific division remains the most urban, with nearly 92 percent of its population residing within urban areas. The East South Central division (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee) remains the least urban, with only 59.9 percent of its population residing within urban areas.

Of the 50 states, California was the most urban, with nearly 95 percent of its population residing within urban areas. New Jersey followed closely with 94.7 percent of its population residing in urban areas. New Jersey is the most heavily urbanized state, with 92.2 percent of its population residing within urbanized areas of 50,000 or more population. The states with the largest urban populations were California (35,373,606), Texas (21,298,039) and Florida (17,139,844).

Maine and Vermont were the most rural states, with 61.3 and 61.1 percent of their populations, respectively, residing in rural areas. States with the largest rural populations were Texas (3,847,522), North Carolina (3,233,727) and Pennsylvania (2,711,092).

Puerto Rico

The Census Bureau also defined the urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s urban population declined from 3,590,994 people in 2000 to 3,493,256 in 2010, now accounting for 93.8 percent of the total population of 3,725,789 (down from 94.3 percent). The rural population in Puerto Rico increased between 2000 and 2010, both in number — from 217,616 to 232,533 — and as a percentage of the total population, from 5.6 percent to 6.2 percent. Of the 11 urbanized areas in Puerto Rico, San Juan remains the largest, with a population of 2,148,346. There are eight urban clusters in Puerto Rico for the 2010 Census.