Rainbow over Hartford

With the dog days of summer firmly upon us, it’s a good time to catch up on some items that you might have put aside.

One of those items is reviewing the new Connecticut laws that go into effect (mainly) later this year.

Fortunately, my colleagues have prepared a great summary of what transpired at this year’s Connecticut General Assembly.  You can download a copy for free here.

What are the key highlights?

  • Public Act 14-1 increases the minimum to wage $9.15 on that date, then to $9.60 on January 1, 2016 and finally to $10.10 on January 1, 2107. The new act does not change the “tip credit” however. The tip credit will automatically increase, raising the employer’s share of the minimum wage for hotel and wait staff from $5.69 to $5.78 in 2015; $6.07 in 2016; and, $6.38 in 2017. For bartenders the employer’s share will be $7.46 in 2015; $7.82 in 2016; and, $8.23 in 2017.
  • Public Act 14-128 changes the method for determining if a nonmanufacturing business is exempt from providing paid sick leave.
  • Public Act 14-159 allows a “sleep-time” exclusion from overtime pay requirements for certain employees employed by third-party providers, such as home care agencies, to provide “companionship services” as defined by federal regulations. In general, these regulations define “companionship services” to mean fellowship, protection, and limited care for an elderly person or person with an illness, injury, or disability.
  • Public Act 14-9 expands the types of deposits that automatically exempt up to $1,000 from bank executions against a judgment debtor’s account,to include electronic direct deposits that are readily identifiable as wages.

For more on these laws and other changes, check out the Employment Legislation summary here.

I’ve also touched on a bunch of these topics in prior posts which you can find here.