Connecticut House votes to expand state’s paid sick leave requirement for all employers by 2027

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation paid sick leave law from 2011 moved closer Wednesday to being updated, requiring all employers, down to those with a single worker, to provide their employees with time off by 2027.

Cheers were heard from the House of Representatives gallery after lawmakers voted 88-61 in favor of legislation that attempts to provide guaranteed time off to people left out of the old law, including many low-wage and part-time workers across the state. The bill is expected to clear the Senate in the coming days.

Both chambers are controlled by Democrats.

While Republicans argued the bill will be a burden for small businesses, proponents said the proposed expansion is common sense, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve experienced quite a culture change since 2011, and that’s especially true even more since we experienced the pandemic,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, who said people no longer want themselves or a coworker to go into work sick. “People shouldn’t have to choose between being sick, making other people sick, and losing out on compensation.”

If the bill is ultimately signed by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, as expected, Connecticut will join Washington, D.C., Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont and Washington in requiring paid sick leave for any business with one or more employees.

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