02/27/2024
February 27, 2024 Labor and Public Employees Committee, HB 5266
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
February 27, 2024
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 testimony regarding H.B. 5266 AN ACT AMENDING THE TIME TO PROTEST BENEFIT CHARGES ON AN EMPLOYER'S UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE QUARTERLY STATEMENT. My name is Danté Bartolomeo and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
This proposal would amend Section 31-225a(3)(h) of the General Statutes to shorten the timeline from sixty days to forty days for an employer to protest, if they contend that unemployment insurance (UI) benefits have been improperly charged to their experience record due to fraud or error, when they receive their employer UI quarterly statements from CTDOL.
A quarterly statement outlines the employers’ benefit charges for each claimant. Employers may protest these charges. CTDOL needs to resolve the employer protest before the end of each quarter, so moving up the deadline date gives CTDOL a window to resolve these protests before the next quarter begins. This can also prevent an employer from carrying the burden of a claim, for which they may not be liable, into the next quarter. Ultimately, this legislative proposal will help streamline the protesting process for both CTDOL and employers.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I am here with CTDOL subject matter experts and am happy to take your questions.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer