While the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has pressed for tweaks to the state’s recently adopted paid family medical leave program, Democratic lawmakers, who control the House and Senate, aren’t entertaining the idea.
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While the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has pressed for tweaks to the state’s recently adopted paid family medical leave program, Democratic lawmakers, who control the House and Senate, aren’t entertaining the idea.
The Labor and Public Employees Committee, which approved the 2019 paid leave bill that ultimately became law, recently took a pass on introducing any legislation this session that would amend the program.
“We took pains to make sure this was a very comprehensive and solid program,” committee co-chair Sen. Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) said of the paid leave law. “I think it would be a mistake, before we even get off the ground, to start changing that program.”
While the Paid Family Medical Leave Insurance Authority can reduce benefits or tighten eligibility if the program runs out of money, some, like Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven), have worried that lawmakers may opt to pursue alternative funding sources, such as a contribution from employers. Similar programs in at least five other states, including Massachusetts, require partial funding from companies.
Kushner wouldn’t dismiss the possibility of exploring other funding options down the road, but said it’s premature to try to tackle “a problem we don’t yet have.”
“I think that would really depend on the economic climate of the state and businesses’ ability to pay it,” she said.
