CT paid sick leave expansion passes House; heads to Senate next

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Paid Sick Leave bill using H.B. 5005, which was previously a placeholder bill (that would have required a study on paid sick days statutes) as the vehicle for the amended language.

The bill requires each “Employer” to provide paid sick leave annually to each employee in the state, beginning on the first date of employment; the leave would accumulate at the minimum rate of one hour of paid sick leave for each thirty hours worked, in one hour increments up to a maximum of forty hours per year. It allows an employee to use accrued sick leave on and after the 120th calendar day of such employee’s employment.

Notably, under this bill, every credit union in the state would be affected by January 1, 2027, because it phases in a reduction of the number of employees over three years within the definition of “Employer” from 25 employees beginning January 1, 2025, 11 or more employees on January 1, 2026, and then reduces to 1 or more employee on January 1, 2027. The bill also allows each employee to carry over up to 40 unused accrued hours of paid sick leave to the following year.

The House passed H.B. 5005 by a vote of 88-61, with no Republicans voting in favor and 9 Democrats crossing party lines.

For additional context, please see this CT Mirror article: “Whatever the ultimate reach of the new bill, the debate underscores the fundamental difference among Democrats and Republicans over the role of government in defining labor-management relations and whether such measures detract from Gov. Ned Lamont’s efforts to burnish Connecticut’s reputation as a place to do business.”

H.B. 5005 now travels to the Senate for consideration. As always, the league is monitoring this potential legislation closely and will keep you informed.