Public Hearing Testimony of Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
March 3, 2026
Good morning Senator Kushner, Representative Sanchez, Senator Sampson, Representative Weir and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this written testimony regarding H.B. 5003 AN ACT CONCERNING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE STATE. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
CTDOL appreciates HB 5003’s stated goal of increasing workforce development efforts and improving working conditions in the state, as it aligns with CTDOL’s mission to protect Connecticut’s workers from labor law violations and promote global economic competitiveness through strengthening the state’s workforce. It is with those sentiments in mind that we offer the following feedback and suggestions to the Labor Committee.
Section 10 of HB 5003 expands CGS 31-57g to include certain service workers (this proposed bill is similar to S.B. 358 AN ACT CONCERNING THE RETENTION OF SERVICE CONTRACT WORKERS). The current statute provides for a private right of action if an employee believes that there is a violation. However, in the proposed bills, an individual who believes the law has been violated may file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner and upon receipt of a complaint, the Commissioner must hold a hearing under the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act. The hearing is not discretionary. Such hearings are labor intensive and there will be a fiscal impact on the agency as it is likely that additional legal staffing resources would be needed. Therefore, we request that Sec. 10 be amended to give CTDOL discretion on the question of whether a hearing should be held upon receipt of a complaint.
In addition, should this proposal proceed for further consideration by the legislature, CTDOL respectfully requests that this section’s effective date be amended to July 1, 2027, to ensure that CTDOL Wage and Workplace Standards Division staff are in place, trained, and ready to enforce these new requirements before these changes take effect. Lastly, Section 38 of HB 5003 permits “…employers to require employees to work remotely if a business is closed due to inclement weather.” The section goes on to say that if “…remote work is not feasible or an employee cannot perform such employee's duties remotely, an employee shall receive such employee's full wages for any shift that was canceled due to such closure. Employers cannot require the employee to use any sick leave, vacation time, personal leave days or other accrued leave when a shift is canceled in this scenario.”
CTDOL is unclear as to how Sec. 38 would be enforced. If a complaint process is established in CTDOL statutes, it will result in a fiscal impact on our agency. We would welcome the opportunity to work this this section’s proponents on clearer language moving forward.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Committee with this written testimony. My staff and I are reachable to further discuss HB 5003 by directing any questions you may have to Billy Taylor, Legislative and Administrative Advisor at william.b.taylor@ct.gov or 203-947-4136.
