Public Hearing Testimony of Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo
Department of Labor
Appropriations Committee
March 12, 2026
Good Afternoon Senator Osten, Representative Walker, Senator Somers, Representative Nuccio and members of the Appropriations Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding HB 5030: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GENERAL GOVERNMENT. My name is Danté Bartolomeo and I am the Commissioner of the CT Department of Labor (CTDOL).
CTDOL supports HB 5030, specifically Section 6, as it repeals a statutory provision requiring the CTDOL to provide administrative services to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) since 2012. At that time, CHRO had only 62 people, but is now on track to grow to over 100 staff members in the coming months.
CTDOL has been providing administrative support to the CHRO through our Office of Diversity and Equity Programs and Budget Management Division. Repealing this statute allows CHRO to establish administrative staff functions to strengthen their operational capacity, especially as their responsibilities and programming have continued to expand. It will also enable CTDOL to reallocate resources amid declining federal funding. Thus, CTDOL supports the independence of CHRO and is happy to support them during the initial transition, if desired.
CTDOL will not experience any direct fiscal impact (i.e. savings) associated with the proposed repeal in Section 6 of HB 5030 but will realize a gain in efficiency from the elimination of this unfunded mandate.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this written testimony regarding HB 5030. My staff and I are reachable to further discuss HB 5030 by directing any questions you may have to Marisa Morello, Legislative and Communications Project Manager at marisa.morello@ct.gov.
