Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06477 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/17/2021

                        
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 6477  
January Session, 2021 
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Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(LAB)  
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING VO LUNTEER FIRE DEPARTM ENTS AND 
AMBULANCE COMPANIES AND THE DEFINITION OF EMPLOYER 
UNDER THE STATE OCCU PATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 31-367 of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2 
passage): 3 
(d) "Employer" means the state and any political subdivision thereof, 4 
and, except as provided in section 31-369, as amended by this act, any 5 
volunteer fire department and any volunteer ambulance company; 6 
Sec. 2. Section 31-369 of the general statutes is repealed and the 7 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 8 
(a) This chapter applies to all employers, employees and places of 9 
employment in the state except the following: (1) Employees of the 10 
United States government; [and] (2) working conditions of employees 11 
over which federal agencies other than the United States Department of 12 
Labor exercise statutory authority to prescribe or enforce standards or 13  Raised Bill No.  6477 
 
 
 
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regulations affecting occupational safety and health; and (3) any 14 
volunteer fire department or volunteer ambulance company that can 15 
demonstrate such department or company is regulated by the 16 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 15 USC 651 et seq. 17 
(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to supersede or in any 18 
manner affect any workers' compensation law or to enlarge, diminish or 19 
affect in any manner common law or statutory rights, duties or liabilities 20 
of employers or employees, under any law with respect to injuries, 21 
diseases or death of employees arising out of and in the course of 22 
employment.  23 
Sec. 3. Subsection (c) of section 31-382 of the general statutes is 24 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 25 
passage): 26 
(c) Any employer who has received a citation for a violation of the 27 
requirements of sections 31-369, as amended by this act, and 31-370, of 28 
any standard or order promulgated pursuant to section 31-372, or of 29 
regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, which violation is 30 
specifically determined not to be of a serious nature, may be assessed a 31 
civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars for each such violation, 32 
however, any volunteer fire department and any volunteer ambulance 33 
company shall, for the first such violation, only be issued a written 34 
warning. 35 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 from passage 31-367(d) 
Sec. 2 from passage 31-369 
Sec. 3 from passage 31-382(c) 
 
Statement of Purpose:   
To clarify the definition of employer regarding volunteer fire 
departments and ambulance companies under the State Occupational 
Safety and Health Act.  Raised Bill No.  6477 
 
 
 
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[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except 
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not 
underlined.]