Connecticut 2022 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00315 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 04/04/2022

                             
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 315  
February Session, 2022 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR ADJUNCT 
HIGHER EDUCATION FACULTY.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 31-227 of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2 
2022): 3 
(d) (1) Benefits based on service in employment defined in 4 
[subdivisions (1) (C) and (D)] subparagraphs (C) and (D) of subdivision 5 
(1) of subsection (a) of section 31-222 shall be payable in the same 6 
amount, on the same terms and subject to the same conditions as 7 
compensation payable on the basis of other service subject to this 8 
chapter; except that [(1)] (A) with respect to weeks of unemployment 9 
beginning after December 31, 1977, benefits shall not be paid based on 10 
service performed in an instructional, research or principal 11 
administrative capacity for an educational institution for any week of 12 
unemployment commencing during the period between two successive 13 
academic years, or during a similar period between two regular terms, 14 
whether or not successive, or during a period of paid sabbatical leave 15 
provided for in the individual's contract, to any individual if such 16 
individual performs such services in the first of such academic years [(or 17 
terms)] or terms and if there is a contract or a reasonable assurance that 18 
such individual will perform services in any such capacity for any 19 
educational institution in the second of such academic years or terms 20  Substitute Bill No. 315 
 
 
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pursuant to the provisions of subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection; 21 
[(2)] (B) with respect to weeks of unemployment beginning after 22 
October 29, 1983, for service performed in any other capacity for an 23 
educational institution, benefits shall not be paid on the basis of such 24 
services to any individual for any week which commences during a 25 
period between two successive academic years or terms if such 26 
individual performs such services in the first of such academic years or 27 
terms and there is a reasonable assurance that such individual will 28 
perform such services in the second of such academic years or terms, 29 
except that if benefits are denied to any individual under this 30 
subdivision and such individual is not offered an opportunity to 31 
perform such services for the educational institution for the second of 32 
such academic years or terms, such individual shall be entitled to a 33 
retroactive payment of benefits for each week for which the individual 34 
filed a timely claim for benefits and for which benefits were denied 35 
solely by reason of this subdivision; [(3)] (C) with respect to weeks of 36 
unemployment beginning after March 31, 1984, for services described in 37 
[subdivisions (1) and (2)] subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subdivision, 38 
benefits shall not be payable on the basis of such services to any 39 
individual for any week which commences during an established and 40 
customary vacation period or holiday recess if such individual performs 41 
such services in the period immediately before such vacation period or 42 
holiday recess and there is a reasonable assurance that such individual 43 
will perform such services in the period immediately following such 44 
vacation period or holiday recess; [(4)] and (D) with respect to weeks of 45 
unemployment beginning after March 31, 1984, for services described in 46 
[subdivisions (1) and (2)] subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subdivision, 47 
benefits shall not be payable on the basis of such services under the 48 
circumstances prescribed in [subdivisions (1), (2) and (3)] 49 
subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of this subdivision to any individual 50 
who performed such services in an educational institution while in the 51 
employ of an educational service agency. For purposes of this 52 
subdivision the term "educational service agency" means a 53 
governmental agency or governmental entity which is established and 54 
operated exclusively for the purpose of providing such services to one 55  Substitute Bill No. 315 
 
 
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or more educational institutions. 56 
(2) With respect to the services performed by an individual in an 57 
instructional, research or principal administrative capacity, as set forth 58 
in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, for an 59 
institution of higher education in the state, as defined in section 3-22a, 60 
the administrator, as defined in subsection (c) of section 31-222, shall 61 
determine whether such individual has reasonable assurance of 62 
performing such services in the second of two succeeding academic 63 
years or terms pursuant to the circumstances described in subparagraph 64 
(A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection or in the period immediately 65 
following a customary vacation period or holiday recess pursuant to the 66 
circumstances described in subparagraph (C) of subdivision (1) of this 67 
subsection on a case-by-case basis. Reasonable assurance shall be 68 
established when (A) the institution of higher education has made an 69 
offer of employment to such individual for the second academic year or 70 
term or for the period following a customary vacation period or holiday 71 
recess, whether such offer is written, oral or implied, (B) such offer was 72 
made by an employee of the institution of higher education with 73 
authority to make such offer, (C) such offer is for services in the same 74 
capacity as the services the individual provided in the first academic 75 
year or term or in the period before a customary vacation period or 76 
holiday recess, (D) the salary or wages in the offer of employment are in 77 
an amount not less than ninety per cent of the amount paid to such 78 
individual during the first academic year or term or during the period 79 
before a customary vacation period or holiday recess, (E) such offer is 80 
not contingent on factors within the control of the institution of higher 81 
education, including, but not limited to, course programming, 82 
allocation of available funding, program modifications or facility 83 
availability, and (F) it is highly probable that such individual will 84 
provide services in the same capacity during the second academic year 85 
or term or during the period following a customary vacation period or 86 
holiday recess based on the totality of circumstances of the case, 87 
including, but not limited to, availability of funding, past enrollment 88 
levels, the individual's level of seniority and the nature of the 89  Substitute Bill No. 315 
 
 
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contingencies on the offer. 90 
(3) Not later than ten days before the last day of an academic year or 91 
term, each institution of higher education in the state shall submit to the 92 
Labor Department, in the form and manner prescribed by the 93 
administrator, (A) a list of individuals who performed services in an 94 
instructional, research or principal administrative capacity, as set forth 95 
in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, for such 96 
institution and who do not have a reasonable assurance of providing 97 
such services in the same capacity during the second academic year or 98 
term or during the period following a customary vacation period or 99 
holiday recess, including such individual's name and Social Security 100 
number, and (B) a list of individuals who performed such services 101 
described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection for 102 
such institution and who have a reasonable assurance of providing such 103 
services in the same capacity during the second academic year or term 104 
or during the period following a customary vacation period or holiday 105 
recess. The list described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision shall 106 
include with it a description of the manner in which reasonable 107 
assurance was provided to each individual, including, but not limited 108 
to, (i) whether an offer was made in writing, orally or implied, (ii) the 109 
nature of any contingencies in the offer, and (iii) the information 110 
communicated to the individual about the offer. Such information may 111 
be considered by the administrator, but shall not, on its own, 112 
demonstrate conclusive evidence regarding reasonable assurance in any 113 
case. The administrator shall consider the failure of any institution to 114 
submit such information as establishing a rebuttable presumption of the 115 
lack of reasonable assurance to an individual of performing the services 116 
described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection 117 
during the second academic year or term or during the period following 118 
a customary vacation period or holiday recess. In the event an 119 
institution gives an individual reasonable assurance that is not honored 120 
in the subsequent academic term, unemployment benefits shall be 121 
retroactive to the date of the institution's attestation of reasonable 122 
assurance or the date that attestation of assurance is required. 123  Substitute Bill No. 315 
 
 
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2022 31-227(d) 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Section 1(d)(3), "shall include with a description" was changed to 
"shall include with it a description" for clarity. 
 
LAB Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO