On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee will conduct a public hearing on the following proposed bills:
1. S.B. No. 39 AN ACT CONCERNING THE MINIMUM FAIR WAGE AND EMPLOYEES WHO CUSTOMARILY AND REGULARLY RECEIVE GRATUITIES. This bill would eliminate the tip credit used in the calculation of the minimum wage.
2. S.B. No. 40 AN ACT CONCERNING EMPLOYER INQUIRIES ABOUT AN EMPLOYEE’S OR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE’S CREDIT HISTORY. This bill would further restrict the circumstances under which an employer may require an employee or job applicant to consent to a credit report.
3. S.B. No. 41 AN ACT CONCERNING THE LABOR DEPARTMENT. This bill would require the Department of Labor to initiate a study to determine whether policy and procedural changes within the Department could increase the productivity of workers within the state.
4. S.B. No. 42 AN ACT CONCERNING EMPLOYEE WAGES. This bill would require the Commissioner of Labor to establish a program to evaluate employee wages throughout the state.
5. S.B. No. 66 AN ACT EXTENDING PAID SICK LEAVE TO SCHOOL PARAPROFESSIONALS. As the title suggests, this bill would add school paraprofessionals to the list of employees who are eligible for mandated paid sick leave.
6. H.B. No. 5074 AN ACT CONCERNING EMPLOYEE WORKING CONDITIONS. This bill would require the Commissioner of Labor to establish a program to evaluate employee working conditions throughout the state.
7. H.B. No. 5075 AN ACT CONCERNING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. Consistent with the theme of several of the bills being discussed at this hearing, this bill would require the Commissioner of Labor to conduct a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the current workers’ compensation system within the state.
The hearing will take place at 1:00 P.M. in Room 1D of the Legislative Office Building.
To repeat my standard warning: The fact that a public hearing has been scheduled on these bills is not necessarily an indication that the Committee will pass these bills, but it is at least an indication that such bills are under serious consideration. When these bills have been fully drafted, and should they advance toward a vote by the Committee, we will provide more detail as to their contents.
