02/28/2023
February 23, 2023 Labor and Public Employees Committee HB 6275
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
February 23, 2023
Good Morning Senator Kushner, Representative Sanchez, Senator Sampson, Representative Ackert and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding H.B. 6275 AN ACT CONCERNING USE OF AN EMPLOYEE'S PERSONAL VEHICLE FOR EMPLOYMENT PURPOSES. My name is Danté Bartolomeo and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.
While the Agency agrees with the concept behind HB 6275 to require employees be reimbursed when they are required to use their personal vehicle to carry out the duties of their job for more than ten miles a day, the CT Department of Labor (CTDOL) would incur a considerable fiscal impact to enforce complaints filed against an employer given that this could capture a significant number of workers in Connecticut.
However, the Labor Department remains open to further discussing this bill with its proponents so that a more equitable solution over how employers may reimburse employees can be achieved. If the Committee votes to draft HB 6275, consideration must be given to the frequency of such a reimbursement payment. For example, CGS 31-71b is the statute that covers the payment of wages to employees and contains the following language, “each employer, or the agent or representative of an employer, shall pay weekly, or once every two weeks, all wages, salary or other compensation due each employee on a regular pay day……”
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this written testimony.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer