Author: Devin James

SEN. KUSHNER VOTES FOR NO-EXCUSES VOTING RESOLUTION AND EARLY VOTING BILL

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

SEN. KUSHNER VOTES FOR NO-EXCUSES VOTING RESOLUTION AND EARLY VOTING BILL

State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) this evening voted for two pieces of legislation that will greatly expand voting in Connecticut: House Joint 1, a resolution that will remove the Connecticut constitution’s current, multiple restrictions on absentee voting and allow for “no-excuses” absentee voting; and House Bill 5004, “AN ACT IMPLEMENTING EARLY VOTING,” which establishes a framework for early, in-person voting for all general elections, primaries, and special elections in Connecticut held on or after January 1, 2024.

“Tonight, I voted the will of the people of the 24th State Senate District. Last fall, nearly 22,000 people in the district – more than 60 percent of those voting – said yes to early voting. When we increase the opportunity to vote, when we increase the accessibility to the ballot, we strengthen our democracy,” Sen. Kushner said. “And in 2020, people were very happy to fill out an absentee ballot and drop it in the box. With our vote tonight, we’ll put no-excuses absentee voting on the ballot in 2024. I hope my constituents embrace no-excuse absentee voting in the same way they overwhelmingly supported early voting.”

HJ 1, which passed the Senate this evening on a 26-8 vote, now heads to Connecticut residents to consider on the 2024 general election ballot. Under current Connecticut law, voters can only vote by absentee ballot if they’re going to be out of town on Election Day, due to sickness, if they’re on active military duty, because of a religious prohibition, or if they are poll workers who will be working all day in another town. But 27 other U.S. states already allow for no-excuse absentee voting, including the Republican states of Arizona, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming. If approved by voters in 2024, the legislature would begin working on bill language for no-excuses absentee voting in 2025.

HB 5004, which passed the Senate on a bipartisan 27-7 vote, requires a 14-day early voting period for general elections, a seven-day period for most primaries, and a four-day early voting period for special elections and presidential preference primaries. Every city and town in Connecticut must establish at least one early voting location and may establish more. Early voting locations must be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., including weekends, except that on the last Tuesday and Thursday before the election, the locations must be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The bill also sets various requirements and procedures for early voting including voter eligibility, same-day election registration, ballot custody, staffing and training, and materials. HB 5004 now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature of that bill into law.

SENATOR FLEXER VOTES TO INCREASE PROTECTIONS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

SENATOR FLEXER VOTES TO INCREASE PROTECTIONS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

HARTFORD – Today, state Senator Mae Flexer joined in the bipartisan and unanimous support of a 2023 Senate Democrats’ public policy priority to increase protections for domestic violence victims by expanding GPS monitoring of violent offenders, increasing funding for victim services, and preventing people convicted of certain domestic violence crimes from ever collecting any alimony from their former spouse.

Senate Bill 5, “AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROTECTIONS AGAINST AND RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,” passed the state Senate today on a 36-0 unanimous vote and now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. Previously, the bill had received a 37-0 unanimous vote in the Judiciary Committee and a 55-0 unanimous vote in the Appropriations Committee.

“For years we’ve been working to keep Connecticut at the forefront nationally when it comes to domestic violence protections, and Senate Bill 5 is our latest commitment to protecting the lives of those who have been victims of, or who could become victims of, domestic or intimate partner violence,” Sen. Flexer said. “This bill sends a strong message to potential abusers that we will do everything in our power to stop their abuse, hold them accountable and protect lives from harm.”

In 2010, the General Assembly passed Public Act 10-144, which established a GPS (Global Positioning System) monitoring pilot program to protect victims in extremely dangerous situations; the pilot program has operated in the Bridgeport, Danielson, and Hartford judicial districts. Senate Bill 5 now expands the GPS monitoring program to cover the entire state.

The GPS expansion is expected to cost $8 million over 2024 and 2025; Democrats have already included the funding in their proposed legislative budget.

Under the program, after a person violates a restraining order or a protective order, a judge will evaluate whether that offender is a high risk, and if so, the domestic violence survivor will have the option of having the offender monitored by GPS. Although Connecticut currently has GPS monitoring for certain domestic violence offenders, as well as for some on parole or on the sex offender registry, this program is different. It provides live monitoring and alert notification for domestic violence survivors.

At the survivor’s discretion, the survivor carries his or her own GPS device, and the offender’s location is constantly monitored to ensure a safe distance is kept from not only the survivor’s home and work, but wherever they go. If ever the offender encroaches near the survivor or a forbidden buffer zone, the monitoring service will notify the survivor and law enforcement.

Senate Bill 5 also provides more than $43 million for victim’s services in Connecticut. The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund relies on fines and fees arising from federal prosecutions, and it is very volatile, peaking at $6.5 billion in 2017 but not rising above $822 million ever

since. The VOCA Fund provides a number of services for crime victims, such as domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, human trafficking, child abuse, and families impacted by homicide. In federal fiscal year 2021, VOCA helped 104,366 victims of crimes in Connecticut, and most of the services were provided by community-based nonprofits. To avoid a drop in funding, Senate Bill 5 provides $13.175 million for Fiscal Year 2023 (beginning July 1) and $20 million for Fiscal Year 2024.

Finally, Senate Bill 5 prohibits any alimony by a domestic violence survivor to their spouse or former spouse who is convicted of an attempted murder, class A or B felony sexual assault, or a class A or B felony family violence crime. Current state law leaves it to the discretion of the court (a judge) to determine any alimony award; Senate Bill 5 removes this option from a judge to prevent those convicted of certain crimes from continuing to abuse their victim through the legal system.

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SEN. FLEXER, REP. BLUMENTHAL LAUD COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF EARLY VOTING BILL, OTHER PRO-DEMOCRACY LEGISLATION

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

SEN. FLEXER, REP. BLUMENTHAL LAUD COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF EARLY VOTING BILL, OTHER PRO-DEMOCRACY LEGISLATION

HARTFORD – State Senator Mae Flexer and state Representative Matt Blumenthal (D-Stamford), who are the Co-Chairs of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, today welcomed committee passage of several important bills for the expansion and continuation of democracy in Connecticut, including bills to allow for early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, and to “remove or replace” faithless presidential electors who may attempt to subvert the presidential electoral ballot process.

 

The bills voted out of the GAE Committee today include:

· Senate Bill 1064, “An Act Concerning the Implementation of Early Voting.” Similar early voting bills include House Bill 5004 and Senate Bill 1057.

· Senate Joint Resolution 29 and House Joint Resolution 1, “Approving an Amendment to the State Constitution to Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting”

· House Bill 6872, “An Act Concerning Faithless Presidential Electors and Authorizing Mandamus Actions Related to the Certification or Declaration of Election Results”

“Our early voting bills – where legislators are seeking voting up to 14 days before an election – will allow Connecticut residents to catch up with the rest of the country, most all of which already has early voting laws in place, including the Republican strongholds of Texas, Florida Arizona, Wyoming, West Virginia and North Dakota,” Sen. Flexer said. “This isn’t a Democrat or a Republican issue. This is a democracy and a voter participation issue. And it’s one that is long, long overdue to be implemented in our state.”

“Voting is a basic right in our democracy, and simplifying it for all eligible individuals is crucial,” Rep. Blumenthal said. “No-excuse absentee voting is a practical change that boosts ballot access and validates every vote.”

If passed by the House and Senate, the no-excuse absentee voting bills would appear on the November 5, 2024, ballot in Connecticut as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment (the early voting bill just went through a similar process last fall, and Connecticut voters approved it by a 3:2 margin).

House Bill 6872 would nullify the vote of, and remove, replace, and impose certain penalties on, so-called “faithless presidential electors,” those electors who had pledged to cast a state’s

electoral college ballot for a particular president and vice-president, but who then either votes for another person for one or both offices or who abstains from voting altogether.

The District of Columbia and over 30 states already have laws on the books requiring electors to vote faithfully for their party’s winning candidate. About 20 states also have laws to replace faithless electors or penalize them for violating their pledge. And in 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld two state laws imposing sanctions on faithless electors—in both cases because the Constitution authorizes states to appoint electors “in such a manner as the legislature . . . may direct.”

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SEN. KUSHNER LEADS SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO HELP ENFORCE WORKPLACE WAGE AND SAFETY LAWS

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 4, 2023

SEN. KUSHNER LEADS SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO HELP ENFORCE WORKPLACE WAGE AND SAFETY LAWS

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today led the state Senate in the successful passage of a bill to strengthen penalties against contractors who refuse to pay their employees the prevailing wage on building projects, or who don’t maintain worker’s compensation insurance in case one of their workers is injured on the job.

Senate Bill 1035, “An Act Concerning Stop Work Orders,” passed the Senate on a bipartisan 28-7 vote and now heads to the use of Representatives for consideration.

“It’s important that we protect workers on construction sites,” Sen. Kushner said. “We have state laws in effect for a reason, and these laws need to be enforced. By increasing the penalties for violations, we’re sending a message to employers that they should think twice before breaking the law.”

Senate Bill 1035 broadens the state Department of Labor commissioner’s authority to issue stop work orders to include instances where a contractor or a subcontractor knowingly or willfully pays an employee less than the prevailing wage that’s required on a public works project. The bill also increases the civil penalty for violating a stop work order from $1,000 a day to $5,000 for each day that an order is violated.

The bill also increases the fine for hindering an investigation into these complaints – or complaints about a non-payment of wages or the failure to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage – from a $150-$250 fine to a fine of at least $1,000.

From January 2022 to January 2023, there were 33 stop-work orders issued in Connecticut, all of which the private-sector contractors adhered to.

In 2021, Connecticut recorded 23 workplace fatalities, down six deaths from 2020. But in 2021, Connecticut had one of the highest workplace fatality rates per 100,000 workers of any New England state: Rhode Island had 5, Vermont 10, Maine 19, New Hampshire 21, Connecticut 23, Massachusetts 97, and New York 247.

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SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO EXPAND ACCESS TO VETERANS’ SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES AND DRIVER’S LICENSES

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 27, 2023

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO EXPAND ACCESS TO VETERANS’ SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES AND DRIVER’S LICENSES

HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today welcomed passage of a bill which expands the eligibility for veterans’ specialty license plates and driver’s licenses to include former members of the National Guard and former reservists who otherwise do not qualify for federal veterans’ benefits.

“This is an appropriate thing to do for these soldiers, especially since 9/11 we have increased our military use of reservists and National Guardsmen almost to the point where they are practically members of the regular army or navy,” said Sen. Osten, who is an Army veteran and a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “This is the right thing to do for our veterans.”

Senate Bill 1131 authorizes any eligible former reservist, former member of the National Guard or a surviving spouse to get a veteran license plate and registration certificate. The bill also authorizes an eligible former reservist or former member of the National Guard to receive a veteran designation on their driver’s license or identification card.

Under the bill, these benefits are available to any person who was part of the United States Army Reserve, Army National Guard, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Air Force Reserve, or Air National Guard that was discharged honorably, under honorable conditions, or with an “other than honorable” discharge based on a qualifying condition.

The bill also establishes that receiving these benefits does not establish proof of eligibility for any other veterans’ benefits.

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Fasten Your Seat Belts. It’s Going to be a Bumpy Ride.

Posted on by Devin James

Fasten Your Seat Belts. It’s Going to be a Bumpy Ride.

By State Senator Cathy Osten, D-Sprague

On the first weekend of spring, when temperatures reached into the mid-50’s at my home in Sprague, I spent the day working outside, filling a roll-off container with yard waste. I’m on a bit of a spring-cleaning streak, having also recently gone through my closet and donated several dozen bags of clothes to charity.

All this trimming and paring down reminded me of the state budget. As Senate Chair of the legislature’s budget-making Appropriations Committee, we’ve spent the past two months holding public hearings on Governor Lamont’s proposed state budget. Now various Appropriations subcommittees are taking that public input and blending it with our own legislative priorities to come up with a co-equal budget proposal from the General Assembly that will form the basis for budget talks throughout May and maybe even into the first week of June.

Here’s the problem: We don’t have enough room in the budget for everything that everybody wants. Like fallen branches and old clothes, a lot of things are going to have to be thrown out.

“But wait!” I can hear you say –”Isn’t Connecticut flush with cash? Don’t we have a huge, projected year-end budget surplus? Isn’t our Rainy Day Fund stuffed full of money? Aren’t we paying off decades of old pension debt? Aren’t state revenues supposed to grow in the coming years? ”

The answer to all these questions is “Yes.” But that’s not the problem. The problem is those three little words that everyone loves to hear: “Budget Spending Cap.”

Because of the much-praised bipartisan budget deal of 2017, the State of Connecticut has a budget spending cap this year that increased by $1 billion, of which Governor Lamont has already spent all but $57 million of in the first year of his budget plan.

Meanwhile, my Co-Chair Rep. Toni Walker and I have begun adding up some of the spending requests that have flooded into the Appropriations Committee. About a dozen of the best-known legislative proposals (free school lunches, ECS phase-in, money for UConn, PILOT, etc.) add up to $1.3 billion. There’s another $1.85 billion in labor union requests. Bills that have passed out of other committees are

just now having their “fiscal notes” determined (exact cost TBD, but it will be in the hundreds of millions). And then there’s the governor’s $1 billion in spending priorities and whatever Connecticut Republicans want on their spending list.

In short, Connecticut is way, way, way over its head in spending ideas, with very little room in the budget for new spending.

Think of it this way: the State of Connecticut is an ATM machine. The line of shoppers wanting to use it is hundreds of people long. Rumor has it that the state bank account is full of cash. But – and here’s the important part – the monthly withdrawal limit is a mere $100. That’s going to create a lot of angry people, all with very high expectations and most of whom will be severely disappointed.

This scenario has been a concern of mine since before the session began in January, and now we’ve about reached the point where it’s time to disappoint. It’s too bad, because as well-intentioned people have pointed out, there are many needs facing Connecticut, especially in a post-pandemic landscape where temporary federal funding has dried up, leaving funding gaps where new and helpful public policies used to be. Nonprofit agencies and education advocates and health care supporters and municipal activists have all flooded the Legislative Office Building and the media with good arguments based on sound public policy. It all makes sense, and it seems that for state government to do anything less would be a monstrous abdication of responsibility.

But, again, we’re confronted by those three little words: Budget Spending Cap. And so, my budget advice over the next few weeks and months to my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and to those who are doing God’s work in the nonprofit sector is this: Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

SEN. KUSHNER WELCOMES FIRST ROUND OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY SCHOOL GRANTS

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday April 5, 2023

SEN. KUSHNER WELCOMES FIRST ROUND OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY SCHOOL GRANTS

The day after speaking at a day-long forum in the Legislative Office Building to promote clean air in every school, state Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), who is Co-Chair of Connecticut’s School Indoor Air Quality working group, today welcomed news that 50 Connecticut schools in19 different towns and regional school districts will receive $56 million in state grants under a new program designed to improve air quality in local schools.

The grants, ranging from $632 to $6.6 million, were announced today by Governor Ned Lamont at an event in Waterbury. Cities and towns are required to provide matching grants to fund the project costs. Examples of eligible projects include replacing, upgrading, or repairing boilers and other heating and ventilation components; replacing controls and technology systems related to HVAC operations; or installing or upgrading air conditioning or ventilation systems.

“There is a clear and provable need for better air conditioning and ventilation in our public schools, many of which were built decades ago before the effects of poor air and climate change had been studied and understood,” Sen. Kushner said. “Now we know how to keep students and teachers healthier in schools, not absent and at home fighting asthma or some other respiratory disease. The benefits of these investments will pass on to future generations, and I’m happy to have been part of the solution to this longstanding problem.”

The clean air grants vary widely, depending on the size of the school and the exact project.

Locally, Ridgefield received $21,000 in state grants to help cover the cost of $50,700 worth of clean air projects at Barlow Mountain, Veterans Park, Ridgefield High School, East Ridgefield Middle School, Brachville, and Farmingville schools.

The grants are being awarded through the HVAC Indoor Air Quality Grants Program for Public Schools, a newly established state program that is administered by the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services. Sen. Kushner helped create the program last year, as part of the Democrat’s budget adjustment bill that Governor Lamont signed into law in 2022 (Public Act 22-118). The program has been allocated $150 million through two revenue streams, including $75 million from state bond funding and $75 million from the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which were also approved by Democrats.

In addition to the funding, the 2022 law requires school districts to conduct a uniform inspection and evaluation of their school HVAC systems every five years, requires HVAC inspection reports to be made public at board of education meetings, and to report any corrective action taken.

Meanwhile, the working group Sen. Kushner co-chairs is studying the issue and will make recommendations related to indoor air quality in schools.

On Tuesday, Sen. Kushner took part in the “Breathing Better: Healthy Schools Forum” in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford as part of National Healthy Schools Day, which promoted clean air in every school and the need to urgently address the problem of unsafe air caused by poor heating and ventilations systems. The forum also commemorated the 20th anniversary of Connecticut’s landmark 2003 School Indoor Air Quality legislation, highlighting the importance of clean indoor school environments to children’s health and ability to learn.

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SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES $10,000 IN STATE GRANTS FOR MAINTENANCE OF NEGLECTED CEMETERIES IN COLUMBIA AND MARLBOROUGH

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 3, 2023

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES $10,000 IN STATE GRANTS FOR MAINTENANCE OF NEGLECTED CEMETERIES IN COLUMBIA AND MARLBOROUGH

State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today welcomed state grants totaling $10,000 for the maintenance of neglected cemeteries in Columbia and Marlborough, which have nine cemeteries between them.

Most cemeteries in Connecticut are run by private cemetery associations or by a church’s ecclesiastical society.

“I think most people believe that when a family goes through the process of purchasing a final resting place and having a funeral, that the cemetery will be kept up in a condition that reflects the love and care that the family had for their deceased loved one. But, for some reason, that is not always the case,” Sen. Osten said. “Thankfully there is state aid available to these private groups that need help maintaining their cemeteries. My hope is these grants are a reminder to cemetery associations all across Connecticut of the obligation they have to the families that put the eternal care of their loved ones in their hands.”

The state grants are part of Connecticut’s Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, which is administered by the state Office of Policy and Management. This program was established in 2014 and is funded by revenue collected by the state Department of Public Health from the issuance of death certificates. Columbia and Marlborough will receive $5,000 each.

Cities and towns can use grants to support basic maintenance of cemeteries, including the clearing of weeds, briars, and bushes; mowing of the ground’s lawn areas; repairing fences and walls; or straightening, repairing, and restoring memorial stones.

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SEN. FLEXER, REP. BLUMENTHAL ANNOUNCE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

SEN. FLEXER, REP. BLUMENTHAL ANNOUNCE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE

HARTFORD — State Senator Mae Flexer and state Representative Matt Blumenthal (D-Stamford), who are co-chairs of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, reiterated today Connecticut’s commitment to ensuring reproductive healthcare is safe, legal, and accessible in our state even as one national pharmacy chain store caves to political pressure from the far right on this issue.

Sen. Flexer and Rep. Blumenthal today reiterated their support for House Bill 6905, “An Act Concerning State Contracting and the Dispensing Sale and Distribution of Certain Pharmaceuticals,” which would ban any state contract with or payment to any business that has a policy of declining to dispense any reproductive healthcare medication where doing so is legally permitted.

The bill is a direct response to Walgreens, which is America’s second-largest pharmacy chain, and AmerisourceBergen Corp., one of the largest pharmaceutical-distribution companies in the world, who quietly responded to letters from multiple Republican attorneys general by stating that they would not distribute medication-abortion pills in as many as 31 states—including states where abortion is legal and protected by law.

The specific medication that Walgreens vowed not to distribute, mifepristone, is legal in every state and prescribed for uses independent of abortion.

“Walgreens said it was acting out of an abundance of caution after receiving legal threats from Republican attorney generals. Well maybe our bill will help Walgreens and every other major American pharmacy act out of an abundance of courage to do the right thing in the face of right-wing politics,” Sen. Flexer said. “And if American pharmacies can’t find the strength or the courage to do the right thing, like continue to sell or plan to sell a legal drug in a state where it’s legal until the day it’s outlawed, then the State of Connecticut isn’t going to waste its tax dollars by rewarding the private sector for its cowardice.”

“As reproductive healthcare has come under attack by extremist politicians across the country, Connecticut has led on defending it,” said Rep. Blumenthal, who is also co-chair of the General Assembly’s Reproductive Rights Caucus. “Companies that sell and distribute medications have an obligation to stand up for their patients. If a company won’t lift a finger to protect patients’ access to the medication they need, our state shouldn’t be doing business with it. H.B. 6905 will ensure that our state, its employees, and their families can rely on their pharmacies for care—and trust those companies won’t put profit over their patients.”

Democrats passed H.B. 6905 on Monday, with all Republican GAE Committee members voting “No.” The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

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AS LABOR COMMITTEE WRAPS-UP 2023 BILL DEADLINE, SEN. KUSHNER CELEBRATES POLICY WINS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 24, 2023

AS LABOR COMMITTEE WRAPS-UP 2023 BILL DEADLINE, SEN. KUSHNER CELEBRATES POLICY WINS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today proclaimed the 2023 legislative session for the Labor and Public Employees Committee a success, noting that 51 bills passed by the committee by the bill deadline, including several bills that will make work life fairer and more rewarding for working people in Connecticut.

Sen. Kushner, who is Senate Chair of the Labor Committee, said about a dozen of these 51 bills will be especially impactful, addressing more reliable and predicable schedules for workers, more transparent salary postings to help close the wage disparity gap between men and women, job-related cancer and workplace injuries, updating old paid sick day policies, helping warehouse workers, rideshare drivers, and waitstaff, and adjusting the pay for prison inmates to not less than five dollars per week, or as much as 35 dollars per week for highly skilled work.

“There are many diverse needs among Connecticut’s 1.6 million workers, and the Labor Committee took on legislation this session that will, for example, impact hundreds of thousands of people with an expansion of paid sick days, to smaller and more specialized impacts on groups like firefighters, construction workers and rideshare drivers. We really did a good job this year on behalf of Connecticut’s citizens,” Sen. Kushner said.

The 2023 Labor Committee bills singled-out for special mention by Sen. Kushner include:

· House Bill 6859, AN ACT CONCERNING PREDICTABLE SCHEDULING

· Senate Bill 489, AN ACT LIMITING THE DAYS AN EMPLOYER CAN MANDATE AN EMPLOYEE TO WORK.

· House Bill 6273, AN ACT CONCERNING DISCLOSURE OF SALARY RANGES ON PUBLIC AND INTERNAL JOB POSTINGS

· Senate Bill 1180, AN ACT CONCERNING RIDESHARE AND DELIVERY DRIVER MINIMUM STANDARDS

· House Bill 5033, AN ACT CONCERNING COMPENSATION OF INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.

· House Bill 6668, AN ACT MODERNIZING THE PAID SICK DAYS STATUTES.

· Senate Bill 21, AN ACT PROHIBITING EMPLOYERS FROM CHARGING EMPLOYEES FOR TRAINING COSTS UPON SEPARATION FROM EMPLOYMENT.

· Senate Bill 152, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF WAREHOUSE WORKERS.

· Senate Bill 913, AN ACT EXPANDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES.

· Senate Bill 937, AN ACT PROVIDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN CANCERS IN FIREFIGHTERS.

· Senate Bill 938, AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR STRIKING WORKERS.

· Senate Bill 1177, AN ACT CONCERNING ONE FAIR WAGE.

· Senate Bill 1178, AN ACT EXPANDING CONNECTICUT PAID SICK DAYS.

· Senate Bill 1125, AN ACT CONCERNING APPRENTICESHIP REPORTING DATA.

· House Bill 6862, AN ACT CONCERNING BROADBAND CONSTRUCTION AND THE PREVAILING WAGE

The various bills now head to the floor of the House and Senate for further consideration. The 2023 legislative session concludes on Wednesday, June 8.

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