This week saw the overwhelming passage of a bill designed to keep helicopter-maker Sikorsky in Connecticut through 2032.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Democrat, representing Norwalk and Darien, joined Al and Jenn to talk about the deal.
The bill calls for the state to provide $220M in tax credits and grants, to aid Sikorsky in fulfilling a Pentagon order for 200 new heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Navy. The bill also requires that the company continue to use in-state suppliers.
The General Assembly met Wednesday to vote on the deal, recently reached between Sikorsky, its new parent company, Lockheed Martin, and Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy's administration.
"This is multi-generational because you’ll make the product for a period of time and then you’ll maintain the product for another 20 or 30 years after that," said Malloy on Wednesday. "This assures a lot of jobs in Connecticut for a very long period of time."
Senate President Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, says Connecticut was in competition with states including Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia to build nearly 200 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, at least through June 2032.
