03/04/2021
March 4, 2021 Labor and Public Employees Cmte, SB 943
Public Hearing Testimony of
Kurt Westby, Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
March 4, 2021
Good Morning Senator Kushner, Representative Porter, Senator Sampson, Representative Arora and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with testimony regarding Senate Bill 943: AN ACT CONCERNING WAGE EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT RELATING TO DOMESTIC WORKERS. My name is Kurt Westby and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CT DOL).
The CT DOL is fully supportive of increased wage education and worker protections for domestic workers. CTDOL is appreciative that the Labor Committee Co-Chairs and the proponents of this proposal are willing to work with this agency to eliminate any fiscal impact to the Agency by SB 943 as currently drafted.
By way of background, there are a myriad of federal and state laws which apply to domestic employees depending on their exact work classification, i.e., companions, Personal Care Assistants (“PCA”), Certified Nursing Assistants (“CNA”), live-ins, etc. With revisions to SB 943, these domestic workers would be afforded the employee rights that they deserve. The intent is that a qualified organization establish an educational program with the guidance of my staff to properly educate domestic workers and Connecticut’s employers about their responsibilities under the law.
My agency stands ready to work with this Committee and looks forward to moving this important piece of legislation forward. Thank you for the opportunity to provide this testimony. I am available to answer any questions you may have.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer