CT House OKs $864M UConn Health Center expansion

The House of Representatives gave final legislative approval early Wednesday morning for an $864 million proposal that would enlarge both the medical and dental schools at the University of Connecticut Health Center while constructing a new hospital on the Farmington campus. The chamber voted, 97 to 45, at about 2:10 a.m. after a lengthy debate that covered everything from finances to the future of bioscience in Connecticut. Most of the negative votes came from Republicans, but they were joined by Democrats. The measure now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who will sign it. The plan by Malloy calls for adding 100 students to the medical school, 48 students to the dental school, and about 50 bioscience researchers in a comprehensive plan that would include new buildings and parking garages. The plan calls for creating 3,000 new construction jobs that would last for six years when the entire project would be completed in 2018.