Marilyn Moore

Senator Moore Leads Senate Passage of Two-Generational Family Success Cabinet Bill

HARTFORD, CT – Today, Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) led the passage of Senate
Bill 1080, “An Act Concerning a Two-Generational Initiative.” The bill passed by a 29-5 vote and would establish an executive cabinet focused on promoting economic success across generations.

“This is a great day for Connecticut families,” said Senator
Moore. “In order to properly address intergenerational
poverty and the social and economic barriers that affect children and families in our communities, we need to look at parents and children as a unit. The 2GEN initiative is a creative way to bring together a variety of stakeholders in order to proactively
address the economic insecurity that affects too many of our families.”

The “two-generational approach,” or 2GEN, is an approach that seeks to disrupt cycles of intergenerational poverty while transforming how government works. 2GEN requires moving away from bureaucratic, isolated thinking and towards innovation – towards collaborating
across agencies and sectors, sharing data, leveraging existing resources to drive down costs, and advancing economic self-sufficiency for the whole family. The approach recognizes the role that racial and socioeconomic inequity plays in exacerbating cycles
of poverty and authentically engages parents and families as partners in the work.

Senate Bill 1080 would establish a first in the nation 2GEN cabinet in the executive branch and a mechanism to encourage legal data sharing within and between agencies. The 2GEN cabinet, named the Two-Generational Family Economic Success Cabinet, would create a space
for agency Commissioners to move quickly and collaboratively to develop whole family approaches to economic self-sufficiency, achieve measurable outcomes for families, and promote systems change in government. The Cabinet would be comprised of the thirteen
major state agencies that intersect with Connecticut families.

2GEN seeks to weave together support services and offer them at one, centralized location. Often when parents need access to support services, they need to go through multiple channels to receive the help they need. For example, if a parent is searching for child
care, transportation, or a job, they may interact with the Office of Early Childhood, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Transportation, all at the same time. Through a 2GEN approach,
the parent has a single point of contact to access all of those services at once. Five municipalities in Connecticut currently offer services through a 2GEN approach.

In 2015, Senator Moore sponsored legislation, “An Act Concerning a Two-Generational School Readiness and Workforce Development Pilot Program,” that, when enacted, made Connecticut the first state in the nation to have a comprehensive, statewide 2GEN initiative
in law. Connecticut has since served as a national model for how the 2GEN approach can disrupt cycles of intergenerational poverty and promote innovation in government. In June 2017, Senator Moore, along with the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and
Seniors, hosted representatives from Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s office who visited to learn more about Connecticut’s 2GEN program. Governor Hogan signed an executive order in March 2017 establishing a 2GEN Commission and pilot program in Maryland.

“The 2GEN initiative has already had great success in Connecticut,” said Senator
Moore. “Establishing this cabinet will help
to bolster the program and ensure that more parents and children are able to become self-sufficient and rise up the economic ladder. When parents and children lead healthy and productive lives, our communities thrive, and I’m thrilled that we passed this bill
and I’m looking forward to seeing it pass in the House.”

The bill now awaits a vote by the House of Representatives.