Hartford - The Senate passed, 20-15, a bill that requires Connecticut Innovations to develop a plan to facilitate bioscience and pharmaceutical business growth in southeastern Connecticut Wednesday night.

The House also passed the bill, 92-53, on Wednesday night. The bill provides $50,000 to Connecticut Innovations, which helps emerging, high-tech companies, to develop the plan.

 The plan must be submitted to the governor, the state Department of Economic and Community Development and the legislature’s Commerce Committee by Jan. 1, 2014.

There had been resistance from the commissioner of the DECD to carve out specific funding and planning program for southeastern Connecticut but lawmakers from the region said they continued to advocate for the plan.

After Pfizer removed jobs from the region, local legislators have said they are particularly focused on reviving the area.

The initiative was within House Bill 6706, which is a bill that implements the state budget and describes how state agencies’ programs will be funded.