GOP Calls for Special Session to Lure General Electric

Republicans in the General Assembly are pushing Gov. Dannel Malloy to call a Special Session aimed to keep the corporate headquarters of General Electric and its 800 employees in Fairfield.

"We can't wait until January," said State Sen. Len Fasano, the top member of the minority party in the state senate.

GE made its displeasure with Connecticut's recent corporate tax hikes public last June.

Earlier this month, GE chief Jeff Immelt said the company would make a decision in the fourth quarter of 2015 on the location of its future headquarters.

In a statement, GE spokesman Seth Martin said the company is still looking at its options.

"We have formed an exploratory team to assess the company's options to relocate corporate headquarters. The team is currently engaged in the process and is taking many factors into consideration. When there is a final decision on relocation, we will communicate it publicly," Martin said.

State Sen. Tony Hwang, a Republican from Fairfield, said a special session should focus on luring GE, as well as on making changes to the state budget to make it more sustainable in future years.

"There is no vision, no end road," Hwang said. "We are simply putting our finger in the dyke to prevent the dam from overflowing. We have to have a mission in how we have to lead and that means controlling our fiscal house."

A spokesman for Malloy said the administration is always in talks with current and future employers and how the state could improve its business climate.

Connecticut saw some of the best and strongest job growth in 10 years during the month of August. More than 3,200 people found work in the state during that time.

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