02/26/2024
February 22, 2024 Labor and Public Employees Committee, SB 12
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
February 22, 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 written testimony regarding SB 12: AN ACT MODERNIZING THE PAID SICK DAYS STATUTES. My name is Danté Bartolomeo and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
SB 12: AN ACT MODERNIZING THE PAID SICK DAYS STATUTES is one of Governor Ned Lamont’s priority bills for the 2024 Legislative Session. Like Governor Lamont, I support the concept of expanding Connecticut’s paid sick days statutes, which seeks to strengthen employee protections.
I am pleased to see that the Labor and Public Employees Committee is also bringing forth two other paid sick leave proposals that are on today’s public hearing agenda. While the proposed language contained in SB 7: AN ACT CONCERNING CONNECTICUT PAID SICK DAYS and HB 5166: AN ACT EXPANDING PAID SICK DAYS IN THE STATE differs from SB 12, both proposals are worthy of further discussion as they move out of this Committee and through their respective legislative chambers and we look forward to working with the Legislature on these proposals.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Committee with this written testimony. Given that CTDOL is the agency that administers CT’s current paid sick days law, my staff and I are happy to be responsive to any questions that you may have regarding this program, and we will be monitoring all proposals as they move through the legislative process.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer