As many wait for the Supreme Court’s decision later this term on same-sex marriages, one issue that seems to get lost in the shuffle is the fact that there is still no federal law prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation. For employers in Connecticut, this is basically a non-issue because Connecticut… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: bill
Former Lawmaker (and Ex-Felon) Urges Connecticut To Ban Discrimination Against Felons in 2013
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Legislative DevelopmentsAt a Sentencing Commssion hearing last week, former state lawmaker Ernie Newton — who was convicted in 2006 on corruption charges — urged commission members to address hiring discrimination against ex-felons, reports CT News Junkie. There is no indication yet that they will do so, but his comments raised some eyebrows in the press. Newton’s… Continue Reading
Data Privacy Continues to be Focus of Legislature (But What About Employers?)
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsSeveral years ago, Connecticut passed a law that, for the first time, required employers to take special precautions to protect the personal data of their employees. For a refresher, you can see my prior posts here and here. Now, there is news of some tweaks to the law with some implications for employers and companies. … Continue Reading
Significant Changes to Personnel Files Act Being Considered at General Assembly
Posted in Highlight, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourAs the legislative session winds down, there’s one big issue still alive that has been passing mostly under the radar of the mainstream press. (To the CBIA’s credit, they’ve been tracking this bill for a while.) Under current law, an employee has the right to inspect and receive a copy of his or her personnel… Continue Reading
General Assembly Approves Ban on Use Of Credit Reports by Employers
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Legislative DevelopmentsIn the last flurry of action, the Connecticut House last night approved Senate Bill 361, which bans the use of credit reports in hiring and promotions, in certain situations by certain employers. The bill had previously been approved by the state Senate. I recapped the bill in detail a few days ago. There are a… Continue Reading
Senate Passes Bill Banning Use of Credit Reports by Employers With Exceptions
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Legislative DevelopmentsUPDATED June 9, 2011 – The House approved the measure late last night, June 8th. For additional details, see this updated post. In the closing hours of the General Assembly’s term, the Connecticut Senate has passed a bill yesterday that would ban the use of credit reports by employers in many situations. Senate Bill 361… Continue Reading
Legislative Update: Paid Sick Leave & Gender Identity Discrimination Bills Pass; Governor’s Approval Expected
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsEarly Saturday morning, the Connecticut General Assembly passed two bills that will have a significant impact on employers in Connecticut. Both bills now need to be signed by the Governor (who has indicated he will sign them). First, the Senate passed House Bill 6599, which adds “gender identity or expression” as a new protected category… Continue Reading
“Captive Audience” Bill Clears Connecticut House But Is It Even Constitutional?
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsLast night, after many hours of debate, the Connecticut House passed the so-called "captive audience" bill that would prohibit employers from requiring their workers to attend meetings concerning views on politics and religion. But the truth is the bill (H.B. 5460) is really about one thing: prohibiting employers from talking about unions when a vote on… Continue Reading
What’s Cooking at the General Assembly? The Usual Dishes and a Few Cookies
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsWith winter’s fierce grip on us continuing, there’s nothing like a warm dish to make the outside chill melt away. Certainly, there will be a few of us having some chili this weekend to watch football. So, a few weeks into the new legislative session, it’s time to see what’s cooking at the Connecticut General… Continue Reading
Followup and Resources from Where We Live’s Discussion on Gender Wage Gap
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourEarlier today, I visited with John Dankosky on his wonderful WNPR show, "Where We Live". You can listen to the replay on its website here. In the discussion, we touched on a variety of topics including the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act, which did not get through a procedural vote last week. As I’ve said… Continue Reading
With Two Weeks Left to Go in Legislative Session, Labor & Employment Law Bills Remain Few & Far Between
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsA few months ago, it looked like we could see a variety of bills passed relating to labor & employment law in the Connecticut General Assembly. With the legislature scheduled to conclude business on May 5, 2010, though, its still mostly quiet on the labor & employment law area. According to the Labor Committee’s Bill Record… Continue Reading
President Signs Bill Extending COBRA Premium Subsidy (Retroactively) to May 31, 2010
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Legislative DevelopmentsLate Thursday night, President Obama signed a measure that extends the COBRA premium subsidy for another two months — to May 31, 2010. The subsidy had expired on March 31, 2010 when Congress failed to act on this measure before its recess. However, yesterday, Congress approved a bill that covers all those who have been… Continue Reading
Gov. Rell Vetoes Several Bills Affecting Employers Including “Green Jobs”, Health Insurance, and “Standard Wage”
Posted in Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourEarlier this month, Governor M. Jodi Rell vetoed several bills affecting employers — one that has garnered a great deal of publicity and a few that that have not. (The Office of Legislative Research has just released a full list of the vetoed bills here and the summaries of the bill are taken from the… Continue Reading
Federal Legislative Update: Senate Passes Genetic Non-Discrimination (GINA) Bill; Expected to Have Minor Impact in Connecticut
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Legislative DevelopmentsLast week, while I was out on vacation, Congress acted on a bill that may have some interest in Connecticut. However, because Connecticut already has a similar bill already on the books, it will probably have a minor impact on employers. The U.S. Senate approved of legislation that would prohibit genetic discrimination in the workplace. As reported… Continue Reading
Paid Sick Leave Bill Keeps Moving Along; On to Senate Consideration
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsSenate Bill 217, the Paid Sick Leave bill, which I have reported on here and here, passed the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly late last week, setting the stage for a possible Senate vote in the next few weeks. Various blogs and website have set the stage for a possible showdown at the… Continue Reading
Legislative Update on 15 Year Old Workers, Workplace Bullying, and Other Labor Bills
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsWith one month to go in the shortened legislative session, there hasn’t been a lot of action on various labor & employment bills. Many of the bills I highlighted in the last two months haven’t seen a lot of action or are still awaiting further votes. This post will briefly summarize where some of the… Continue Reading
About Daniel Schwartz
Trusted advisor. Experienced employment law attorney. Bar leader. Award-winning author. Noted Speaker. "Legal Rebel". All can be said to be apt descriptions of Daniel Schwartz, a member of Pullman & Comley. More +
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