Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00064 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 4909 \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00064-R02-
4		-	SB.docx
5		-	1 of 3
	3	+	LCO No. 4909 1 of 4
6	4
7	5		General Assembly Committee Bill No. 64
8	6		January Session, 2019
9	7		LCO No. 4909
10	8
11	9
12	10		Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
13	11
14	12
15	13		Introduced by:
16	14		(LAB)
17	15
18	16
19	17
20	18		AN ACT CONCERNING CA PTIVE AUDIENCE MEETINGS.
21	19		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	20		Assembly convened:
23	21
24	22		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) As used in this 1
25	23		section: 2
26	24		(1) "Employer" means a person engaged in business who has more 3
27	25		than one employee, including the state and any political subdivision of 4
28	26		the state; 5
29	27		(2) "Employee" means any person engaged in service to an employer 6
30	28		in a business of such employer; 7
31	29		(3) "Political matters" means matters relating to: Elections for 8
32	30		political office, political parties, legislation, regulation and the decision 9
33	31		to join or support any political party or political, civic, community, 10
34	32		fraternal or labor organization; and 11
35	33		(4) "Religious matters" means matters relating to religious affiliation 12
36	34		and practice and the decision to join or support any religious 13
37		-	organization or association. 14 Committee Bill No. 64
	35	+	organization or association. 14
	36	+	Committee Bill No. 64
38	37
39	38
40		-	LCO 4909 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00064-
41		-	R02-SB.docx }
42		-	2 of 3
	39	+	LCO No. 4909 2 of 4
43	40
44	41		(b) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, no employer, 15
45	42		or agent, representative or designee of such employer shall require an 16
46	43		employee to attend an employer-sponsored meeting with the 17
47	44		employer or its agent, representative or designee, the primary purpose 18
48	45		of which is to communicate the employer's opinion concerning 19
49	46		political or religious matters, except that an employer or its agent, 20
50	47		representative or designee may communicate to an employee any 21
51	48		information concerning political or religious matters that the employer 22
52	49		is required by law to communicate, but only to the extent of such legal 23
53	50		requirement. 24
54	51		(c) No employer, or agent, representative or designee of such 25
55	52		employer, shall discharge, discipline or penalize, or threaten to 26
56	53		discharge, discipline or penalize, any employee because the employee, 27
57	54		or a person acting on behalf of the employee, makes a good-faith 28
58	55		report, orally or in writing, of a violation or a suspected violation of 29
59	56		the provisions of this section. The provisions of this subsection shall 30
60	57		not apply when the employee knows that such report is false. 31
61	58		(d) Any employee who is discharged, disciplined or penalized in 32
62	59		violation of the provisions of this section may bring a civil action, not 33
63	60		later than ninety days after the date of the alleged violation, in the 34
64	61		superior court for the judicial district where the violation is alleged to 35
65	62		have occurred or where the employer has its principal office. The court 36
66	63		may award a prevailing employee all appropriate relief, including 37
67	64		rehiring or reinstatement of the employee to the employee's former 38
68	65		position, back pay and reestablishment of any employee benefits to 39
69	66		which the employee would otherwise have been eligible if such 40
70	67		violation had not occurred. The court shall award a prevailing 41
71	68		employee treble damages, together with reasonable attorney's fees and 42
72	69		costs. 43
73	70		(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit an employee's 44
74	71		right to bring a common law cause of action against an employer for 45
75	72		wrongful termination or to diminish or impair the rights of a person 46
76		-	~~under any collective bargaining agreement. 47~~ Committee Bill No. 64
	73	+	Committee Bill No. 64
77	74
78	75
79		-	LCO 4909 {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00064-
80		-	R02-SB.docx }
81		-	3 of 3
	76	+	LCO No. 4909 3 of 4
82	77
	78	+	under any collective bargaining agreement. 47
83	79		(f) Nothing in this section shall prohibit: (1) A religious organization 48
84	80		from requiring its employees to attend a meeting sponsored by such 49
85	81		religious organization or to participate in any communications with 50
86	82		such religious organization or its agent, representative or designee, the 51
87	83		primary purpose of which is to communicate such religious 52
88	84		organization's religious beliefs, practices or tenets; (2) a political 53
89	85		organization from requiring its employees to attend a meeting 54
90	86		sponsored by such political organization or to participate in any 55
91	87		communications with such political organization or its agent, 56
92	88		representative or designee, the primary purpose of which is to 57
93	89		communicate such political organization's political tenets or purposes; 58
94	90		(3) an institution of higher education, or any agent, representative or 59
95	91		designee of such institution, from meeting with or participating in any 60
96	92		communications with its employees concerning political or religious 61
97	93		matters that are part of the regular coursework or any symposia or 62
98	94		academic program at such institution; (4) casual conversations 63
99	95		between employees, between an employee and an employer or 64
100	96		between an employee and an agent, representative or designee of an 65
101	97		employer, provided participation in such conversations is not required 66
102	98		and such conversations occur in the normal course of the employee's 67
103	99		duties; (5) an employer from discussing legislation, regulations, 68
104	100		executive orders or other government actions with an employee that 69
105	101		may directly impact the employer's business, how the employer's 70
106	102		business may be conducted or how an employee's work may be 71
107	103		performed; or (6) a requirement limited to the employer's managerial 72
108	104		and supervisory employees. 73
109	105		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
110	106		sections:
111	107
112	108		Section 1 October 1, 2019 New section
113	109
114		-	~~LAB Joint Favorable~~
	110	+	Committee Bill No. 64
115	111
	112	+
	113	+	LCO No. 4909 4 of 4
	114	+
	115	+	Statement of Purpose:
	116	+	To prohibit an employer from coercing employees into attending or
	117	+	participating in meetings sponsored by the employer concerning the
	118	+	employer's views on political or religious matters.
	119	+
	120	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
	121	+	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
	122	+	not underlined.]
	123	+
	124	+	Co-Sponsors: SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; REP. WINKLER, 56th Dist.
	125	+
	126	+	S.B. 64