(HARTFORD, CT) – Following his veto messages issued on Friday evening, Governor Ned Lamont released the following statement regarding the vetoes he penned on three bills:
“In issuing these three vetoes, I did so only after careful consideration and deliberation about not only the underlying cause of concern, but also in understanding the message that this action would send.
“In all three cases, my veto pen was used on behalf of the workers and consumers in this state who don’t have lobbyists to mount a campaign against the special interests that too often try to determine our legislative agenda and focus.
“In particular, on the issue of restaurant workers, this bill deprives these individuals of their day in court and the earned wage to which they may be entitled. It is an attempt by the legislature to go back in time to change the law which governed the wages these workers earned at the time they performed their work. This type of retroactive maneuver is unfair and constitutes a dangerous precedent for workers and employers across our state. Further, it’s important to note this bill was passed without debate or public hearings at the eleventh-hour on the last day of the legislative session.
“As a small business owner myself, I uniquely understand the impact these types of lawsuits could have on business operations and productivity. But this is not the way to solve for this concern. The idea that government can seize someone’s property or wages on a whim is wholly un-American and most likely unconstitutional. That’s not pro-business, that’s not smart business, that’s bad business.”