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One month to go in the legislative session. So there are lots of bills that are technically “under consideration”.

But let’s face it: Only a small portion of them will receive enough votes to pass the legislature. With a filibuster in play, only those bills that can garner some bi-partisan support are likely to be voted on.

Here’s a few likely contenders:

  • Senate Bill 21 already passed the Senate last week. This bill will expand the law prohibiting promissory notes as a condition of employment to all employers. Previously, it only applied to employers with at least 26 employees. I’ve summarized the law way back in 2019; nothing has substantively changed. Next up: A vote in the House.
  • Senate Bill 152 would regulate the employment of warehouse workers and the use of quotas as performance standards. The bill has gone through a few iterations through committees but in addition to regulation the use of quotas, warehouse employers would be restricted on using those quotas in some instances to make some decisions or retaliating against employees who request information about quotas and more. Next up: Senate vote then potentially a House vote.
  • Senate Bill 228, which passed the Senate last week, would permit unionized employees who go out on strike to be eligible to get health benefits through the state’s health insurance exchange through a special enrollment period. Next up: A vote in the House.
  • Senate Bill 489 would prohibit employers from requiring certain employees who work in the “commercial operation” or “industrial processes” to work more than six consecutive days. Neither current law nor the bill defines commercial operation or industrial process. The Senate has referred the bill to the Appropriations Committee where it must pass out of such committee to be considered. Next up: Committee vote
  • Senate Bill 1178 would expand Connecticut paid sick days’ law to (1) cover all private-sector employers and employees, (2) broaden the range of family members employees may use leave for, (3) increase rate at which employees accrue leave, (4) broaden reasons employees may use leave, and (5) increase the maximum amount of hours an employee may accrue. The bill passed the appropriations committee on Monday and will now be calendared for a vote with the Senate. Next up: A potential Senate vote.
  • House Bill 6859 would require some employers to give advance notice to employees of their work schedule. This so-called “predictable scheduling” has been up for a vote before. It currently awaits a vote in the House. Next up: A potential House vote.

There are, of course, many other bills up for consideration so this is hardly a definitive list. The CBIA routinely updates its website to provide further information relevant to employers.

But the next few weeks promise to be busy.

If you’re interested in following these developments, my colleague Keegan Drenosky and I will be presenting a hybrid seminar recapping the legislative session to the Fairfield County Bar Association on June 13, 2023. Details are available here.