04/05/2023
March 20, 2023 Government Administration and Elections Committee SB 1221
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Government Administration and Elections Committee
March 20, 2023
Good morning, Representative Blumenthal, Senator Flexer, Representative Mastrofrancesco, Senator Sampson, Representative Morrin Bello, Senator Slap and members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding SB 1221: AN ACT CONCERNING THE ENFORCEMENT OF VIOLATIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND THE REPORTING OF OPEN REQUESTS. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) appreciates the intent of SB 1221. Given our current system, to comply with Section 2, CTDOL would require additional technology and permanent staff resources.
Section 2 states “…that each public agency shall compile a list concerning requests for a copy of a record made under this chapter that contains: (1) The number of requests the agency has received that the agency has not fulfilled, (2) the date any such open request was received, (3) the date of any agency response to the requester, and (4) the total number of requests fulfilled during the prior month. Each public agency shall post such list in a prominent location on its Internet web site, or, if the agency does not have an Internet web site, in a prominent location in its regular office or place of business. Each public agency shall update such list not less than monthly. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to any judicial office, official or body or committee thereof, but only in respect to its administrative functions.”
Currently, CTDOL uses an FOIA intake system that does not allow us to manually separate components of the FOIA requests that come in. The request travels as an intact notice to our legal division and out to relevant units for response. Additionally, we receive hundreds of FOI requests through email as well—including requests related to confidential unemployment claims. To comply with Section 2, CTDOL would require a new intake portal and additional staff with the expertise to aggregate all the portal and email requests; separate the data elements; remove personal identifying information such as claimant names; track all FOI responses; and post the information within 30 days.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer