All CT Businesses Beware!

With 23 days to go before this year’s short session draws to an end we have several harmful bills that "have legs" and need to be killed. This is where you, the Connecticut resident or business owner, need to step up and speak your mind!

Senate Bill- 217 "Paid Sick Leave"

This proposed legislation handcuffs a business when it comes to creating time off policies that best fit the company. This mandate is a one-size-fits-all frame of mind that makes Connecticut less attractive for future business. The flexibility to determine which time off policies work best for the company will be taken away by requiring all employers of 25 or more employees to provide a minimum amount of paid sick leave each year, regardless of their existing paid time off benefit structure, workforce demands or type of industry.


Senate Bill- 64 "SCARRING AWARDS UNDER WORKERS' COMPENSATION"

This bill if passed will allow injured workers to receive benefits for scars occurring on the body, regardless of their impact on the person’s ability to earn a living. The proposal would expand workers’ compensation benefits beyond fiscally responsible levels and cause employers’ labor costs to significantly increase. The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates that by 2010 we will go from 21 claims (2007) to 200 claims with a price tag of one million dollars out of the employer’s pocket.


Senate Bill 255 "ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR WAGE LOSS UNDER WORKERS' COMPENSATION”

This Legislation will increase discretionary benefits for injured workers up to the maximum allowable amount for any reason and regardless of the extent of injury. The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates that this measure will cost the state between $1.3 and $4.3 million beginning in Year 2010 and astonishingly will cost the private sector an estimated $527 million in the first year alone.


Please take the time to write a letter or e-mail to your Legislator to let them know that this type of legislation will put Connecticut's economy at a strong disadvantage. If you would like address please send me a e-mail at jrouleau@waterburychamber.com