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 S.B. 358 AN ACT CONCERNING THE RETENTION OF SERVICE CONTRACT WORKERS. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
SB 358 expands CGS 31-57g to include employment protections for certain service workers (this proposed bill is similar to Section 10 of H.B. 5003 AN ACT CONCERNING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE STATE). 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.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Committee with this written testimony. My staff and I are reachable to further discuss SB 358 by directing any questions you may have to Billy Taylor, Legislative and Administrative Advisor at william.b.taylor@ct.gov or 203-947-4136.
