An Act Requiring The Establishment Of The Learn Here, Live Here Program, Increasing The Annual Expenditure On Such Program And Making Such Program Available To Certain Individuals.
Summary
SB 576 requires the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, in consultation with the Department of Revenue Services and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, to establish the Learn Here, Live Here program by October 1, 2025. The program is designed to encourage recent graduates of Connecticut high schools, public and private colleges and universities, health care training schools, and technical education and career schools to remain in the state and purchase their first home. Eligible participants are those who graduate on or after January 1, 2026 and have annual federal adjusted gross income of no more than $75,000.
Under the program, participants may direct up to $2,500 per year of their state income tax liability into the Connecticut first-time homebuyers account for up to ten years after graduation, with a statewide annual cap of $5 million in total segregated funds. Those accumulated amounts can later be used as a down payment on a first home in Connecticut. The bill also requires the state to provide a public education campaign about the program and homebuying, including information on lifetime savings plans. If a participant receives a payout and then leaves Connecticut within five years, they must repay a declining share of the funds; after five years, no repayment is required.
Impact
The bill amends sections 32-4i and 32-4k of the general statutes to make the Learn Here, Live Here program mandatory rather than discretionary, expand eligibility to additional categories of graduates, and increase the annual amount that may be diverted statewide from $1 million to $5 million. It also updates the program’s effective dates and graduation eligibility dates to 2026, and directs the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the Commissioner of Revenue Services to administer the program and segregate tax payments into the Connecticut first-time homebuyers account. The practical effect is to create a larger state-backed savings mechanism for first-time home purchases by recent graduates, while also establishing repayment rules tied to post-payout residency.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill in committee. The measure received a 19-0 Joint Favorable vote on March 18, 2025, indicating broad bipartisan or at least unanimous committee approval. No committee transcript discussion was provided, so there is no recorded debate in the materials about the bill’s merits or drawbacks.
Contention
The main policy issues apparent from the text are the expansion of state spending authority for the program, the broadened eligibility to more types of graduates, and the residency-based repayment requirement. Supporters are likely to view the bill as a workforce-retention and housing-affordability measure that helps young graduates build a path to homeownership in Connecticut. Potential concerns, though not reflected in any transcript here, could include the higher $5 million annual cap, the fiscal impact on the General Fund if payments exceed segregated amounts, and whether the program sufficiently targets residents most likely to remain in the state. The unanimous committee vote suggests these issues were not contentious at the committee stage.