by Hudson Kamphausen CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT – House Democrats pushed through an expansion of the state’s Paid Sick Days program Wednesday that will require businesses with as few as one employee to provide paid time off.
Republicans spoke in opposition to the bill throughout the afternoon but eventually it passed on a vote of 88-61 with two members not voting. The bill moves on to the Senate and will also need Gov. Ned Lamont’s signature to become law.
The legislation, House Bill 5005, would expand the program to include the state’s small businesses in the paid time off program, instead of only businesses with 50 or more employees.
The bill calls for a three-year phase-in to require businesses with as few as one employee to provide what was referred to as “paid time off” rather than paid sick leave. The phase-in would include businesses with 25 or more employees in year one, those with 11 or more employees in year two, and then those with one or more employees – including sole proprietor business owners – in year three.
The bill was amended on the floor of the House by its proponent, Rep. Manny Sanchez, a New Britain Democrat who also co-chairs the Labor and Public Employees Committee along with Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury.
The amendment was a “strike all” and its language now comprises most of the provisions in the bill.
There was also a planned amendment called by Sanchez that established a task force to study the establishment of paid sick leave tax credits for employers with five or fewer employees.
House Speaker Matt Ritter said this week that if a business already provides its employees with 40 hours of paid time off or “vacation days” each year, then that business is exempt from the bill.
Sanchez said the bill is mostly aimed at providing part-time and low-wage workers with benefits, and to prevent situations in which those workers have to choose between going to work or taking care of a loved one, attending to a sick family member or other personal emergency.
Republicans decried the bill as onerous and taxing on small businesses in the state.
“I’ve never seen anything so reckless,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said.
The Republlicans’ objection to the bill, as with other policies, is that it creates an onerous requirement for businesses in the state. Specifically, they said it puts small businesses – which could otherwise negotiate paid time off with their employees on their own – at risk of paying a penalty if they do not comply with the new law, should it pass.
“This is not good policy,” Candelora said. “This is all politics.”
Candelora’s sentiment was shared by advocates for business in the state as well.
Ashley Zane, senior public policy associate for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said the CBIA would have been behind legislation that lowered the threshold to businesses with 30 or more employees. But she said the association believes the strain on small business owners will be too much under the bill passed by the House on Wednesday.
Zane echoed comments from Republican legislators suggesting that employers are already more accommodating to employees than they were in years past.
In order to be eligible to earn paid sick time – which is accrued at a rate of one hour per 30 hours worked – an employee must work 120 days in a calendar year. Effectively, Democrats said Wednesday, seasonal workers are not included in the bill.
That rate is faster than the one that is currently available, Zane said. The current accrual rate for paid sick hours is one hour for every 40 hours worked.
Some of the confusion and ambiguity surrounding the bill concerns seasonal workers – or workers who work less than 120 days in a calendar year.
Sanchez and Ritter said it is their understanding that seasonal workers would be exempt from the legislation, given the 120-day requirement.
However, Zane said that the CBIA’s interpretation is that an employee will have to work 120 days, not just be employed or on a payroll for that period of time. Candelora pointed out during a news conference Tuesday that a seasonal worker may hit 120 days in separate stints during a calendar year.
Gov. Ned Lamont released a statement following the legislation’s passage through the House, saying that the current program needed to be expanded.
“The legislation approved by the House today strikes an appropriate balance between protecting our workforce while also enacting safeguards for small businesses to ensure that this right is not being misused,” Lamont said. “Especially considering what we learned during the recent outbreak of a viral pandemic, it’s appropriate that we take a look at our existing paid sick days laws and evaluate how they are working and how we can strengthen them. I applaud the House on their vote today and I encourage the Senate to approve it so that I can sign it into law.”
Contractors under certain construction worker unions would be included in the bill and expansion of the program, while other freelancers and contract workers would be excluded.
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding and Sen. Rob Sampson, who is a Ranking Member on the Labor and Public Employees Committee, issued a joint statement criticizing the expansion of the program.
“Each Democrat in the House who voted for this just added to Connecticut’s reputation of being a bad state for business,” they wrote. “This tone-deaf proposal will hurt employers and employees by eliminating their ability to negotiate employment terms themselves. This is Big Government telling mom and pop shops what they must do and forcing them to comply. We look forward to a thorough debate in the Senate and to voting ‘no’ on this job-killing legislation.”
Sarah Ganong, State Director of Connecticut Working Families Power, issued a statement celebrating the bill’s passage, calling it a landmark vote that will broaden access to paid sick days for workers across the state.
“This vote is a significant victory for workers in our state,” Ganong wrote. “The legislation would ensure that workers no longer have to choose between their health and their financial stability, a major step forward in our commitment to workers’ rights. By guaranteeing access to paid sick days, the bill not only supports the well-being of countless families but also strengthens the economic stability of our communities. It ensures that workers can care for their health without risking financial hardship, leading to a more productive and resilient workforce.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The original version of this story included two references to the Paid Family and Medical Leave program, which is separate from Paid Sick Days. Those references have been removed.
