The General Assembly began its 2019 Legislative Session on January 9th.  Many bills affecting the workplace have already been introduced.  They include the following:

Leave of Absence

  • HB5003 and SB1 would create a paid Family and Medical Leave funded by employee contributions, similar to a workers’ compensation program. The bills would also broaden the existing Connecticut FMLA, making it applicable to all employers, and offering up to twelve weeks of paid leave during any twelve-month period.
  • SB358 would provide time off to employees in order to vote.

Wage and Hour

  • HB5004 would raise the minimum wage in the state from $10.01 to $15 over multiple years.
  • SB764 would prohibit on-call shift scheduling.
  • HB6111 would permit employers to require employees to participate in direct deposit for paychecks.
  • HB5053 would create a task force to increase employment opportunities for people recovering from substance abuse.
  • HB5045 would create a task force to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Non-Compete Agreements

  • HB6913 would prohibit employers from requiring certain employees from signing unfair non-compete agreements. The terms “certain” and “unfair” are currently undefined.
  • HB6914 would prohibit non-compete agreements for employees below a certain salary.
  • HB377 would prohibit non-compete clauses in a physician employment contract.

Discrimination

  • HB5271 would revive last year’s Time’s Up Act. It would require employers with 3 or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees of Connecticut employers.  Currently, employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide two hours of training for supervisors
  • SB697 would restrict workplace nondisclosure agreements “to prohibit the silencing of victims in the workplace and to prevent sexual harassment by repeat offenders.” This goes beyond the federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, which limited tax deductions for confidential sexual harassment settlements.
  • HB6113 would prohibit employers from asking about an applicant’s date of birth or date of graduation on an employment application to prevent age discrimination.
  • SB765 would ensure all employees “receive fair and equal pay for equal work.”

Stay tuned as we continue to monitor these bills and update you over the course of the legislative session.