TESTIMONY GUIDE
Appropriations Committee Public Hearing
HIGHER EDUCATION
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Legislative Office Building
300 Capitol Avenue Hartford
Room 2C and Via Zoom
Higher Ed Night at the Capitol
Registration for LIVE Testimony (in person or zoom):
- Individuals may testify In-person and Zoom, but must first register using the On-line Testimony Registration form. Registration will close on Monday, February 19th at 3:00 PM. Anyone needing help should contact Teri Merisotis at tmerisotis@aftct.org.
- Once participants have registered, they will receive an email confirming their registration. The email will include a Zoom link, including for those who have registered to speak in person, allowing participants to appear remotely should their circumstances change.
- Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Appropriations Committee website on Monday, February 19th at 6:00 PM under Public Hearing Testimony.
- In addition to registering, please sign up with us. We will help you prepare and notify you when your turn is approaching. Sign up here using this online form.
Public Hearing Process:
- Members of the public who have registered to participate will each have 3 minutes to speak. The committee clerk will alert speakers when their time has expired.
- Speakers should pause at the conclusion of their testimony to allow legislators to ask questions. Legislators will more than likely ask about your personal experiences. If they ask for information, you don’t have or ask you to answer a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t panic. The best response is, “I don’t have that information right now, but I would be happy to get it for you.” Staff will follow up with the answers to their questions.
- Those who register to speak should also submit written testimony for the public record. If you can’t testify in person or zoom you may also submit written testimony to add to the permanent public record.
Written Testimony:
All written testimony (Word or pdf file) must be uploaded to the Committee using this On-line Testimony Submission Form. Testimony should clearly state the testifier name and the bill number. Those needing help to submit testimony should contact Teri Merisotis at tmerisotis@aftct.org.
SAMPLE TESTIMONY OUTLINE
Testimony of
[Name], [Title]
Union Name, AFTCT Local Number
Appropriations Committee for Higher Education Agencies
Good afternoon, Senator Osten, Representative Walker, Senator Berthel, and Representative Nuccio and members of the Appropriations Committee. My name is [NAME] and I am a resident of [insert town]. I work as a [insert your job title] in [insert where you work]. I offer the following testimony in opposition to the Governor’s proposed budget adjustments for higher education.
Explain why you are opposed to the Governor’s proposed budget adjustments in 3 paragraphs or less. Make sure you answer the key questions and make your arguments as personal and compelling as possible:
- Why do you oppose the Governor’s budget of not funding higher education?
- What impact will it have? On whom and/or where?
- Why is that good or bad?
- Why should the General Assembly care about this?
- What does this mean to individuals like you or those you represent?
- Tell a personal story if possible that is related to the bill or how the bill would have made a difference in your story
- Is there a fiscal impact? Positive or negative?
- What happens if this bill does pass/doesn’t pass?
I urge you to fully fund Higher Education this session, not just for the students we serve every day, but also for the faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate workers who all make up the “UConn Nation.”
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Higher Education Budget Talking Points
All Public Higher Ed
- By refusing to fund their dreams, Governor Lamont has manufactured a learning crisis for students who deserve access to an affordable public higher education, research and healthcare.
- By refusing to fund Connecticut’s future, Governor Lamont has undermined small community-based businesses who rely on public higher education, research and healthcare to train, prepare and care for their workforce.
- By refusing to lift up Connecticut’s under-served communities, Governor Lamont has held down women, black and brown students and patients who depend on public higher education and healthcare to level the playing field.
UCONN
- The University of Connecticut is made up of 43 percent of students of color, and enrollment is at a record high.
- Unless legislators invest resources in higher education students, the planned cuts up to 19 percent will send their dreams up in smoke, resulting in program closures, service cuts and faculty layoffs.
- Governor Lamont has refused additional resources for students at UConn and UConn Health in his proposed budget for next year.
- We need legislators to make long-term investments in UConn students and UConn Health patients, not more one-time quick fixes.
- Our union members and our students are demanding lawmakers invest an additional 47 million dollars to support UConn and UConn Health, but we need these resources to continue funding dreams into the future.
UCONN HEALTH
- We care for the patients from Connecticut’s most under-served communities - nearly 60 percent of those we provide dental services for are under- or uninsured.
- Our world-class faculty and staff bring in nearly 100 million dollars in research grants and contracts from outside Connecticut, creating more than two billion dollars in positive economic impact.
- Governor Lamont hired an out-of-state consultant for half a million dollars to look into “privatizing” UConn Health’s services.
- Outsourcing patient care undermines our ability to serve the most vulnerable; short-sighted privatization the past hurt patients in need of anesthesiology and neonatal intensive care.
- We need lawmakers to keep Connecticut’s only public hospital, research facility, medical and dental school in public hands for the benefit of our students, patients and businesses.