SEN. KUSHNER LEADS BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF COMPREHENSIVE WORKERS’ RIGHTS BILL IN STATE SENATE

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) tonight led the bipartisan passage of a large, omnibus workforce bill that impacts labor, education, public safety, and veterans’ issues, creating new worker protections, stronger wage transparency rules, and joint liability for unpaid wages on construction sites.
House Bill 5003 passed the Senate on a bipartisan 28-7 vote and now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature into law.

“It feels really important to finally get this bill done,” said Sen. Kushner, who is Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. “It contains pieces of legislation that we’ve been working on for years: teachers not being treated fairly, nurses who suffer assault, wage theft in the construction industry, people who have worked for 20 years at a company and then are given two weeks’ notice that their contract isn’t going to be renewed. These are real-life issues affecting working families in Connecticut. It’s gratifying to get this legislation passed.”

H.B. 5003 contains 75 sections of new laws, including:

• Enhanced workers’ compensation for assaulted workers. Teachers, health care providers, and related employees who cannot work due to an on-the-job assault will now receive 100% of their average weekly earnings (vs. the standard 75% after-tax cap), plus medical expenses and lost wages for court appearances.

• Construction contractor and subcontractor joint liability for unpaid wages. For construction contracts executed on or after January 1, 2027, general contractors are jointly and severally liable for wages that their subcontractor fails to pay its workers.

• Retention of service contract workers. Entities taking over service contracts at covered locations (multifamily housing with 50+ units, commercial centers over 75,000 square feet, airports, schools, hospitals, warehouses, private colleges, and others) must retain the prior contractor’s employees for at least 90 days. After 90 days, satisfactory performers must receive an offer of continued employment.

• Teacher termination process. The bill creates a fair termination process with a binding decision from an impartial hearing officer, offering the same protections provided to other public service workers such as police officers and firefighters.

• Breastfeeding/expressing milk. Requires employers to provide reasonable break time for breastfeeding or pumping in addition to scheduled breaks (current law only permits use of existing meal/break time).
• Wage range and benefits disclosure. The bill expands existing pay transparency law to require employers to include both a wage range and a general benefits description (health insurance, retirement, fringe, paid leave, other compensation) in all public and internal job postings.

• First responder tuition and mortgage assistance: State community colleges and universities must waive tuition for eligible police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel, and the Connecticut Home Finance Authority must develop a mortgage assistance program for first responders buying homes in the communities where they serve.

• National Guard fee waivers: The bill expands the existing tuition waiver for active Guard members at CT State, CSCU, and UConn to cover all mandatory fees, not just tuition.

• The state Department of Labor (DOL) must update its veteran employment webpage with links to training, counseling, and veteran-friendly employers, and optimize it for search engines. The state Department of Veterans Affairs must send periodic newsletters linking to the page, and the DOL must study AI-based tools for connecting veterans and service members with employers.

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