03/04/2021
March 4, 2021 Labor and Public Employees Cmte, HB 6536
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 House Bill 6536: AN ACT REQUIRING ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING FROM HOME. My name is Kurt Westby and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CT DOL).
The bill requires an employer to reimburse an employee for all necessary expenditures incurred by the employee within the employee's scope of employment and directly related to services performed for the employer. House Bill 6536 defines "employer" as “any person engaged in business who has one or more employees, including the state and any political subdivision of the state”.
CTDOL has concerns regarding the impact of the bill. First, it requires CTDOL to investigate all complaints from employers and employees that are filed with the agency. Due to the number of potential complaints from the 1.8 million employees of the 150,000+ employers and the mandate for CTDOL to investigate all complaints, there will likely be a significant fiscal impact to the Department. Next, it is possible that certain of the required reimbursements may be subject to Collective Bargaining Agreements further complicating the ability of CTDOL to enforce the provisions of this bill when investigations involve employees represented by public and private unions.
My agency stands ready to work with this Committee on this proposed bill. 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