Source: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/FC/2009HB-06187-R000981-FC.htm
Timestamp: 2017-07-27 14:41:07
Document Index: 324224491

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 5']

File No. 981
House of Representatives, May 19, 2009
(3) "Employee" means any person engaged in service to an employer in the business of the employer who is (A) paid on an hourly basis, or (B) not exempt from the minimum wage and overtime compensation requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as amended from time to time, but shall not include day or temporary workers and employees of any constituent unit of the state system of higher education, as defined in section 10a-1 of the general statutes, who are part-time or adjunct faculty members, university assistants working less than twenty hours per week, educational assistants or other part-time professional employees;
(7) "Sexual assault" means any act that constitutes a violation of section 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-70b, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 53a-73a of the general statutes. Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2010) (a) Each employer shall provide paid sick leave annually to each of such employer's employees in the state. Such paid sick leave shall accrue (1) from the commencement of an employee's employment, (2) at a rate of one hour of paid sick leave for each forty hours worked by an employee, and (3) in one-hour increments up to a maximum of fifty-two hours per year.
(b) An employee shall be entitled to the use of accrued paid sick leave upon the completion of the employee's one thousand fortieth hour of employment from the date of hire, unless the employer agrees to an earlier date. Each employee shall be entitled to carry over a maximum of fifty-two hours of unused accrued paid sick leave from the current year, whether calendar or fiscal, to the following year. Each employee shall be entitled to use a maximum of fifty-two hours of accrued paid sick leave per year. (c) An employer shall be deemed to be in compliance with this section if the employer offers any other paid leave, or combination of other paid leave that (1) may be used for the purposes of section 3 of this act, and (2) is accrued in total at a rate equal to or greater than the rate described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. For the purposes of this subsection, "other paid leave" may include, but is not limited to, flextime, compensatory time, paid vacation, personal days or paid time off.
(2) For (A) a child's illness, injury or health condition, (B) the medical diagnosis, care or treatment of a child's mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, or (C) preventative medical care for a child;
The bill will result in a cost to the state. The bill requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide their employees, with certain exemptions, with paid sick leave. The bill does not cover 1) day and temporary workers, and 2) certain state college and university employees, including part-time or adjunct faculty members and educational assistants.
It is not known how many various state and municipal employees would be impacted by this bill; however, full-time and certain part-time employees (typically those working 20 or more hours per week) currently receive paid sick leave. The fiscal impact to various state agencies and municipalities is the cost of the paid sick leave benefit. For example, if a part-time employee earning $15 per hour accrues, and uses, 20 hours of paid sick leave in a year, the cost to the state or municipality for this one employee's benefit is $300.2
This bill requires all employers with 50 or more employees in the state to provide their employees with paid sick leave accruing at a rate of one hour for each 40 hours worked. Current law does not require employers to provide sick leave, whether paid or unpaid. Employees are eligible for the benefit once they work 1,040 hours for an employer and accrue sick leave from the first day of work. They may use up to 52 hours of accrued sick leave a year. The leave can be used for an employee's or the employee's child's illness or injury, treatment of an illness or injury, diagnosis, and preventive medical care. It can also be used for reasons related to an employee who is a victim of family violence or sexual assault. Exempted from the bill are (1) day or temporary workers and (2) certain state college or university employees, including part-time or adjunct faculty members.
The bill bans employers from taking retaliatory or discriminatory action against an employee because the employee requests or uses paid sick leave as provided by the bill.
It requires employers to provide notice to covered employees of the bill's provisions and all rights due the employees. The commissioner may develop related regulations requiring employers to provide additional means of notifying employees.
§ 2 — PAID SICK LEAVE The bill requires employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave accruing, from the date of employment, at a rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. It defines “employer” as any person, firm, business, educational institution, nonprofit agency, corporation, limited liability company, or any other entity, including public sector employers, that employs 50 or more workers in Connecticut. Once employed for 1040 hours (40 hours a week for 26 weeks), employees are entitled to use accrued sick time. They can use up to 52 hours of accrued sick leave per year. Each employee (1) can accrue up to 52 hours per year and (2) is entitled to carry over up to 52 hours of accrued paid sick leave from one year, whether calendar or fiscal, to the next year.
Any employer that offers employees other paid leave that can be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as sick leave under the bill is deemed to be in compliance. To be a complying plan the paid leave must be accrued at a rate equal to or greater than the rate the bill requires. Under the bill, “other paid leave” may include, but is not limited to, flextime, compensatory time, paid vacation, personal days, or paid time off.
The bill allows an employer and employee, by mutual agreement, to have the employee work additional hours or shifts to catch up on time missed in lieu of using accrued paid sick leave. The catch-up time must be in the same or following pay period, and the employer is prohibited from requiring the employee to work extra time instead of using paid sick leave.
§ 1 — COVERED AND EXEMPT EMPLOYEES Under the bill, “employee” means anyone engaged in service to an employer in the employer's business who is (1) paid at an hourly rate or (2) subject to the minimum wage and overtime compensation requirements of the 1938 federal Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended. Generally, managers who have authority to hire and fire staff, professional occupations (such as lawyers and physicians), and salespeople are exempt from overtime requirements.
The bill exempts (1) day or temporary workers and (2) certain state college or university employees including part-time or adjunct faculty members.
The bill exempts the following employees of state colleges and universities: (1) part-time or adjunct faculty members, (2) university assistants who work less than 20 hours a week, and (3) educational assistants or other part-time professional employees.
§ 3(A) — PERMITTED USES
4. to participate in any related civil or criminal legal proceeding.
§ 3(B) — PERMITTED EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENTS
A court record or documentation signed by an employee or volunteer working for a victim services organization, an attorney, police officer, or other counselor involved with the employee § 4(A) — RETALIATION PROHIBITED
§ 4(B) — PENALTIES
Violators are liable to the Labor Department for a civil penalty of $600 for each violation. Before imposing a penalty, the labor commissioner must find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the employer violated the bill. The commissioner also may award appropriate relief, including rehiring or reinstating the person, back wages, and reestablishing employee benefits for which the employee would have been eligible if not for the retaliatory action or discrimination. Aggrieved parties may appeal the commissioner's decision to Superior Court.
§ 5 — EMPLOYEE NOTICE Each employer subject to the bill must provide notice to each employee at the time of hiring that:
An employer can comply with this requirement by displaying a poster that contains the required information in English and Spanish in a conspicuous place, accessible to employees, at the employer's place of business. The bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt regulations to establish additional notice requirements.
The House referred the bill (File 67) to the Appropriations Committee on May 5. The committee reported out a substitute that added the exemption of certain higher education employees, changed the qualifying work period to 1,040 hours added specified what constitutes other complying leave provided by an employer.