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It is vitally important for business owners to call or email state legislators to tell them how harmful the paid Family & Medical Leave program, as currently proposed, will be to their business. See my previous blog post about FMLA for all of the local legislators' contact information.
And here are some talking points:
To have the greatest impact, focus on members of the Democratic caucus. Please be respectful, whether calling or writing, but make sure you are as specific as possible about how this program will harm your business. Here is contact information for each legislator in Waterbury, followed by other towns: Rep. Larry Butler, D-72nd District (which includes the eastern & northern sections of Waterbury): Larry.Butler@cga.ct.gov; 860-245-8585 Rep. Stephanie Cummings, R-74th District (which includes the East Mountain area): Stephanie.Cummings@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Anthony D'Amelio, R-71st District (which includes the Town Plot area and a portion of Middlebury): anthony.damelio@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Ron Napoli Jr., D-73rd District (which includes the Bunker Hill area and western portion of Waterbury): ron.napoli@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr., D-75th District (which includes the Central Business District): Geraldo.Reyes@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District (Waterbury, Naugatuck, Prospect): Hartley@senatedems.ct.gov; 860-240-0006 Sen. Rob Sampson, D-16th District (Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Waterbury, Wolcott); Rob.Sampson@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rep. David Labriola, R-131st District (Naugatuck, Oxford, Southbury): David.Labriola@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. George Logan, R-17th District (Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck, Woodbridge): George.Logan@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-105th District (Beacon Falls, Derby, Seymour): Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, R-70th District (Naugatuck): Rosa.Rebimbas@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Eric Berthel, R-32nd District (Watertown, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Roxbury, Seymour, Southbury, Washington, Woodbury): Eric.Berthel@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Joe Polletta, R-68th District (Watertown, Woodbury): joe.polletta@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Mary Abrams, D-13th District (Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, Mddletown): mary.abrams@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-90th District (Cheshire, Wallingford): Craig.Fishbein@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Liz Linehan, D-103rd District (Cheshire, Southington, Wallingford): liz.Linehan@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-80th District (Southington, Wolcott): gale.mastrofrancesco@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-89th District (Bethany, Cheshire, Prospect): Lezlye.Zupkus@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Henri Martin, R-31st District (Bristol, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth, Thomaston): Henri.Martin@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Arthur O'Neill, R-69th District (Bridgewater, Roxbury, Southbury, Washington): arthur.oneill@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. John Piscopo, R-76th District (Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield and Thomaston): john.piscopo@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. David Wilson, R-66th District (Bethlehem, Litchfield, Morris, Warren, Woodbury): David.Wilson@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700
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If there was any doubt that Democrats in the 2019 General Assembly and Gov. Ned Lamont have made passing a mandate for paid Family & Medical Leave a priority, it was removed the other day.
Here is what Lamont told the Republican-American's Paul Hughes: “We are going to pass paid family leave,” Lamont said. “I’m going to work my heart out to make sure that gets done, and I’m going to do it in the most fiscally responsible way so taxpayers know this is something that is going to be managed in an efficient way going forward.” Lamont also said he is "exploring" private management of the state's proposed paid FMLA program. "If I have somebody who wants to administer this thing and take the financial risk in return for a 10-year contract, that’s the way I like to think about these things,” Lamont said. You can read more about the privatization discussion at CTMirror.org, here. The article also notes that "Negotiations are underway with legislative committee co-chairs and other stakeholders about the variables of such a benefit: How much weeks of wages would be offered? What percentage of wages would be replaced? Who would be eligible? What constitutes a family member?" These are all red flags that the Waterbury Regional Chamber, CBIA and other business organizations have raised about the paid FMLA bills, Senate bills 001 and 881 (the governor's bill), and House Bill 5003. The bills currently propose paying employees 90% to 100% of their wages, up to $1,000 per week, for 12 weeks of leave. Two of the bills also broadly define "family member" as not just a blood relative but anyone who is "equivalent to a family member." (Emphasis added.) It also imposes the paid FMLA mandate on every company, regardless of size, including sole proprietors. The CTMirror article notes that the criteria must be set in order for actuaries to determine the program's sustainability. The bills fund the program via a mandatory 0.5% deduction from all privately employed workers. Given the current parameters of who is eligible for leave and how much they will be reimbursed, CBIA and others have determined that the fund would become insolvent almost immediately, requiring the wage deduction to increase dramatically. No one can opt out, though unionized state workers are exempt from the program. Given all of this, it is vitally important for business owners to call or email state legislators and tell them how harmful this legislation will be to their business. See my previous blog post about FMLA for all of the local legislators' contact information. And here are some talking points:
To have the greatest impact, focus on members of the Democratic caucus. Please be respectful, whether calling or writing, but make sure you are as specific as possible about how this program will harm your business. The following is the text of Chamber President & CEO Lynn Ward's "Chamber Happenings" column from Monday's Republican-American, concerning the state's proposed Paid Family & Medical Leave bills:
Many small business owners who are members of the Waterbury Regional Chamber are outraged over the legislature’s efforts to pass bills creating a state-operated paid family & medical leave program, saying the bills will put them out of business. “What’s right with the bills? Nothing. Zero,” said Donald Piombo, owner of American Heating & Air Conditioning Service LLC in Waterbury. There are three state bills proposing the program: Senate bills 1 and 881, and House Bill 5003. (Click on the bill numbers and you can read each bill.) Each bill allows employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a 12-month period and would deduct 0.5 percent from every employee’s weekly earnings to pay for it. Each also requires all companies to participate, regardless of the number of people they employ — unlike the federal, unpaid FMLA program, which limits the requirement to companies with 50 or more workers. Piombo’s company, which installs and services heating and air conditioning systems, employs just six people. That includes four technicians, each of whom must be certified to do the work. Replacing a tech on paid family or medical leave is impossible, Piombo said, because of the state’s low unemployment rate and the difficulty in finding people with the proper skills. “I advertised one position for two years,” he said. “There’s a very shallow pool of potential employees. These are people you can’t replace, because there’s nobody out there. Trade businesses are going to get creamed with this kind of thing. You can always find somebody to stock shelves, but in a trade business if you lose somebody, you’re done.” For employers with 50 or more workers, losing one or two is probably not a problem. For a company with six employees, losing two means trying to replace a third of your workforce. “This bill is a smallbusiness killer,” Piombo said. David Mulhall, a CPA and financial adviser with LPL Financial Services in Middlebury, said many businesses are seasonal, so losing employees at the busiest time of year could cause it to fail. “A seasonal business such as tax preparation could not survive where employees could be compensated for taking the months of February, March and April off with pay,” he said. “If my two parttime workers did take those 12 weeks off, they would return to a closed business.” Mulhall also worries about the program’s sustainability. The bills would pay either 90 percent or 100 percent of a worker’s base weekly pay, up to $1,000 per week for the 12 weeks of leave, yet they propose taking just 0.5 percent from weekly paychecks (the deduction is mandatory). As the Connecticut Business & Industry Association notes, for an employee paid $52,000 per year, it would collect just $260 annually, meaning it would take 47 workers paid at a similar rate to cover the cost of one taking paid leave. “This program will never be paid for by a 0.5 percent payroll tax,” Mullhall said. Especially, he added, because state employees are exempt. Business owners also are concerned about language in two of the bills that broadly define “family,” allowing leave not just for a parent or sibling, but for anyone “whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family member….” “The ambiguity of it is rife for abuse and fraud,” Piombo said. Another concern is provisions that entitle two spouses employed by the same company to a combined 26 weeks of leave, or that allow immediate relatives of a current member of the armed forces up to 26 weeks of leave “for each armed forces’ member per serious injury.” The legislature’s Labor & Public Employees Committee has approved the bills, and now they head to the Appropriations Committee. The Waterbury chamber and our members urge legislators to vote against this family-leave legislation or, at the least, we hope legislators will modify them to limit the size of businesses required to participate to those with 50 or more workers; limit compensation to 60 percent of weekly pay, and limit the number of employees who can take leave at any time. We also urge business owners to call or email their legislators to let them know how these bills will affect businesses. For help with that, contact Chamber Public Policy Director Dave Krechevsky at dkrechevsky@waterburychamber. com or 203-757-0701. Here is contact information for each legislator in Waterbury, followed by other towns: Rep. Larry Butler, D-72nd District (which includes the eastern & northern sections of Waterbury): Larry.Butler@cga.ct.gov; 860-245-8585 Rep. Stephanie Cummings, R-74th District (which includes the East Mountain area): Stephanie.Cummings@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Anthony D'Amelio, R-71st District (which includes the Town Plot area and a portion of Middlebury): anthony.damelio@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Ron Napoli Jr., D-73rd District (which includes the Bunker Hill area and western portion of Waterbury): ron.napoli@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr., D-75th District (which includes the Central Business District): Geraldo.Reyes@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District (Waterbury, Naugatuck, Prospect): Hartley@senatedems.ct.gov; 860-240-0006 Sen. Rob Sampson, D-16th District (Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Waterbury, Wolcott); Rob.Sampson@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rep. David Labriola, R-131st District (Naugatuck, Oxford, Southbury): David.Labriola@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. George Logan, R-17th District (Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck, Woodbridge): George.Logan@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-105th District (Beacon Falls, Derby, Seymour): Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, R-70th District (Naugatuck): Rosa.Rebimbas@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Eric Berthel, R-32nd District (Watertown, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Roxbury, Seymour, Southbury, Washington, Woodbury): Eric.Berthel@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Joe Polletta, R-68th District (Watertown, Woodbury): joe.polletta@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Mary Abrams, D-13th District (Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, Mddletown): mary.abrams@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-90th District (Cheshire, Wallingford): Craig.Fishbein@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Liz Linehan, D-103rd District (Cheshire, Southington, Wallingford): liz.Linehan@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585 Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-80th District (Southington, Wolcott): gale.mastrofrancesco@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-89th District (Bethany, Cheshire, Prospect): Lezlye.Zupkus@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Sen. Henri Martin, R-31st District (Bristol, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth, Thomaston): Henri.Martin@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8800 Rep. Arthur O'Neill, R-69th District (Bridgewater, Roxbury, Southbury, Washington): arthur.oneill@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. John Piscopo, R-76th District (Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield and Thomaston): john.piscopo@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Rep. David Wilson, R-66th District (Bethlehem, Litchfield, Morris, Warren, Woodbury): David.Wilson@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8700 Welcome to the 2019 Public Policy Blog!
The state General Assembly is in session, with a new governor and Democrats firmly in control of both houses. So part of my job is to keep any eye on what they do, and thanks to our Chamber Lobbyist — Armando Paolino III of Paolino Public Affairs Consulting — we are tracking all kinds of legislation that will be important to our member businesses. Of course, we're still early in the legislative session, and legislators can submit just about any bill they like. Not all of these bills will get out of committee — some will be combined into one bill, others are just placeholders, and still others will not see the light of day beyond being proposed. But we will track them all for you. Below is the list of bills we are tracking; trust me, there will be more. Please note: each bill number is a link to the proposed bill. If you are a Chamber member and are concerned about the impact of any of these bills on your business, let me know and I can help you submit testimony on them to the proper committee. And please plan to attend our Annual Legislative & Economic Summit, set for Tuesday, February 12 from 7:45-9:30 at the Wyndham Southbury Hotel, because you will have the chance to discuss your concerns in person with members of our region's legislative delegation. We've also invited Gov. Ned Lamont to serve as keynote speaker, so you won't want to miss this event! You can register here. Here are the bills we are currently tracking: HOUSE: HB 5003: An Act Implementing A Paid Family Medical Leave Program. HB 5004: An Act Raising The Minimum Fair Wage. HB 5005: An Act Supporting Local Businesses. HB 5025: An Act Concerning A Tax Credit For Businesses That Provide Paid Family And Medical Leave. HB 5027: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5031: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5033: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5127: An Act Concerning The Erection Of Fences And The Planting Of Hedges And Trees That Obstruct Water Views. HB 5166: An Act Extending The Manufacturing Apprenticeship Tax Credit To Pass-through Entities. HB 5182: An Act Concerning Sewer Use Charges. HB 5191: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5194: An Act Exempting Certain Businesses From The Business Entity Tax. HB 5196: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5226: An Act Clarifying Certain Unemployment Compensation Provisions As Applicable To Independent Contractors. HB 5265: An Act Concerning The Business Entity Tax Liability Of Benefit Corporations. HB 5404: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5405: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5406: An Act Establishing A Tax Credit For Businesses That Provide Student Loan Repayment Assistance To Employees. HB 5407: An Act Establishing A Tax Credit For Employers That Provide Paid Family And Medical Leave Benefits And A Family And Medical Leave Accounts Program. HB 5411: An Act Reestablishing The Job Expansion Tax Credit And Program. HB 5469: An Act Establishing A Penalty For Unauthorized Payment For Leave Time Or Overtime. HB 5472: An Act Studying A Forty-hour Workweek For State Employees. HB 5490: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5492: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5493: An Act Eliminating The Business Entity Tax. HB 5496: An Act Establishing A Tax Credit For Businesses That Hire Recent Graduates Of Institutions Of Higher Education Located In Connecticut. HB 5498: An Act Concerning Contractor And Apprentice Hiring Ratios. SENATE: SB 1: An Act Concerning Paid Family And Medical Leave. SB 2: An Act Increasing The Minimum Fair Wage. SB 3: An Act Combatting Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment. SB 17: An Act Authorizing Sports Wagering, Internet Gambling And Internet Keno. SB 64: An Act Concerning Captive Audience Meetings. SB 68: An Act Establishing Women's Economic Equality. SB 69: An Act Concerning A Study Of The Feasibility Of Opening The State Employee Health Plan To Additional Residents Of This State. SB 70: An Act Establishing The Connecticut Infrastructure Bank. SB 74: An Act Establishing Carbon Pricing. |
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