The General Assembly finished its business for 2012 last night and although there was a last minute flurry of legislation, several bills that had been tracked by many employers came up short.

• Senate Bill 79, which passed the Senate, would have made it illegal for employers to refuse to hire someone based on being unemployed.  The bill did not come up for a vote in the House.
• House Bill 5235, which would have made significant changes to the Personnel Files Act, never made it out for a vote.
• House Bill 5291, which would have increased the minimum wage in the state, also failed to receive a vote in the Senate.

Connecticut lawmakers approved legislation that allows government agencies to negotiate labor agreements on construction projects, The Associated Press reports.

The House on Monday voted 109-37 to approve the measure, following Senate approval last week. It now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who has promised to sign it.

Malloy emphasized parts of the legislation that give the state transportation commissioner more flexibility in directing how high construction and maintenance projects are contracted. The governor says the legislation will make Connecticut more competitive in applying for critical federal money.

The legislation allows government to negotiate so-called project labor agreements that establish a dispute resolution process between contractors and unions.

The dust is still settling this morning, but in contrast to 2011, it looks like employers won’t have as much to worry about this year.