Time is short; contact your legislators

IT’S CRUNCH TIME! Just four weeks remain in the state legislative session and a number of bills that could negatively affect your business are still on track.
 
State lawmakers will soon act on bills related to:

• Paid Family & Medical Leave (SB 001 & 881, HB 5003), which would provide up to 12 weeks paid leave at 100% of salary capped at $1,000 per week for all private-sector workers in Connecticut, who will have 0.5% of their wages deducted from their paychecks to support the program. The bill also broadly defines a “family member.” Employers will shoulder the additional administrative burdens involved with juggling new workforce demands to accommodate employees on leave, while continuing to provide non-wage benefits for employees absent for up to three months annually. 
• Increasing the Minimum Wage to $15/hour (SB 002, HB 5004 & 7191). Two of these bills would increase the current $10.10/hour wage to $15 over a three-year period, while the other will increase it over four years.  
• “On-Call” Shift Scheduling (SB 764; HB 6924), which would prohibit employers from cancelling an employee’s shift without 72-hours‘ notice and require paying half the salary or wages lost to any employee whose shift is cancelled within that time-frame.

With so few weeks left in the session, lawmakers need to hear directly from you! Whether you choose to send an email or call state lawmakers, tell them Connecticut’s small businesses — especially your business —cannot afford these job-killing bills. Tell them specifically how each of the bills above would hurt your business. If one or more of the bills above does not directly affect you, talk about the bill or bills that will. But don't wait! 
 
Act now and make your voice heard!

Below is the contact list (with emails & phone numbers) for members of the local legislative delegation. Be sure to reach out to all of them!

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, R-16th District (Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Waterbury, Wolcott); Rob.Sampson@housegop.ct.gov; 860-240-8800
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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, Middletown):  
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