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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 943
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3809
Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Introduced by:
(LAB)
AN ACT CONCERNING WA GE EDUCATION AND ENF ORCEMENT
RELATING TO DOMESTIC WORKERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) As used in section 31-1
71f of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and section 3 of this 2
act: 3
(1) "Domestic worker" means any employee who is paid or who is 4
told he or she will be paid to perform work of a domestic nature in or 5
about a private dwelling, including, but not limited to, housekeeping, 6
home management, child care, caretaking of individuals, including sick, 7
convalescing and elderly individuals, laundering, meal preparation, 8
home companion services and other household services for occupants 9
of the private dwelling or the guests of such occupants. Domestic 10
worker does not include (A) any individual providing babysitting 11
services on an irregular or intermittent basis; or (B) a personal care 12
attendant providing services pursuant to a state-funded program, 13
including, but not limited to, (i) the program for individuals with 14
acquired brain injuries, established pursuant to section 17b-260a of the 15 Raised Bill No. 943
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general statutes, (ii) the personal care assistance program, established 16
pursuant to section 17b-605a of the general statutes, (iii) the Connecticut 17
home care program for the elderly, established pursuant to section 17b-18
342 of the general statutes, (iv) the pilot program to provide home care 19
services to disabled persons, established pursuant to section 17b-617 of 20
the general statutes, (v) the individual and family support waiver 21
program administered by the Department of Developmental Services, 22
or (vi) the comprehensive waiver program administered by the 23
Department of Developmental Services. 24
(2) "Employee" means any individual employed or permitted to work 25
by an employer. 26
(3) "Employer" includes any person acting as, or in the interest of, 27
directly or indirectly, an employer in relation to any employee, 28
including the state and any political subdivision thereof. 29
(4) "Nonprofit organization" means any organization that is exempt 30
from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 31
1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the 32
United States, as amended from time to time. 33
Sec. 2. Section 31-71f of the general statutes is repealed and the 34
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 35
(a) Each employer shall: (1) Advise his employees in writing, at the 36
time of hiring, of the rate of remuneration, hours of employment and 37
wage payment schedules, and (2) make available to his employees, 38
either in writing or through a posted notice maintained in a place 39
accessible to his employees, any employment practices and policies or 40
change therein with regard to wages, vacation pay, sick leave, health 41
and welfare benefits and comparable matters. 42
(b) Each employer employing a domestic worker shall advise the 43
domestic worker in writing, at the time of hiring, of: (1) The rate of 44
remuneration, hours of employment and wage payment schedules; (2) 45
the job duties and responsibilities; (3) the availability of sick leave, days 46 Raised Bill No. 943
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of rest, vacation, personal days and holidays, and whether such days are 47
paid or unpaid, and the rate at which such days accrue; and (4) whether 48
the individual or employer may charge any fees or costs for board and 49
lodging, and, if so, the amount of such fees or costs. 50
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) The Commissioner of 51
Labor shall establish a program to inform domestic workers and their 52
employers of state laws and regulations relating to domestic workers. 53
The program shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 54
(1) Education and training for domestic workers and employers 55
addressing minimum wage, overtime, sick leave, record-keeping, wage 56
adjudication, retaliation and the requirements of subsection (b) of 57
section 31-71f of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 58
(2) The use of qualified organizations to assist the program in the 59
distribution of related information and education of domestic workers 60
and employees. 61
(3) An online resource to provide information to and for domestic 62
workers and employers on the labor laws of this state that relate to 63
domestic workers. Such information may include an online registry that 64
identifies any person who has been determined to have violated 65
subsection (b) of section 31-71f of the general statutes, as amended by 66
this act. 67
(b) For the purposes of this section, "qualified organization" means: 68
(1) Any nonprofit organization that has not less than five years of 69
experience working with domestic workers; or (2) any organization that 70
works with a nonprofit organization that has not less than five years of 71
experience working with domestic workers. 72
(c) An amount of two hundred thousand dollars shall be 73
appropriated to assist qualified organizations in fulfilling their 74
educational responsibilities pursuant to this section and section 31-71f 75
of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 76 Raised Bill No. 943
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Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) The Labor Commissioner may 77
enforce any provision of the general statutes or the regulations of 78
Connecticut state agencies that apply to the employment of domestic 79
workers. 80
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 31-71f
Sec. 3 October 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 4 October 1, 2021 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To promote wage education and enforcement for domestic workers.
[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.]