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CSEA SEIU Local 2001
What's Happening in the General Assembly?
Updated On: May 29, 2024

End of 2024 Legislative Session Update from Daniel I. Medress, Political Education Director

With the stroke of midnight on May 8 another legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly came to a close.  And while CSEA members fought for and won several crucial legislative battles, the most recently concluded session was dominated by two words: “fiscal guardrails.”  The so-called “fiscal guardrails” - the spending, volatility, and revenue caps - loomed over nearly every decision made by legislators.  These guardrails, originally intended to safeguard taxpayer dollars and ensure the effective use of public funds, continue to prevent needed investments in public services; despite Connecticut enjoying substantial budget surpluses and an overflowing rainy day fund.  Even with these challenges, CSEA members pushed for and made progress in several critical policy areas important to councils throughout the local.  

Here are some of the legislative highlights from the Connecticut General Assembly 2024 legislative session:

The State Budget: As everyone knows, the Appropriations Committee did not pass any changes to the existing biennial budget.  They not only did not pass their own version of the budget, as the committee normally does, they did not even pass the Governor’s proposed changes.  This lack of action can be traced back to the so-called “fiscal guardrails”: it was believed that the existing biennial budget was over the spending cap.  So, if they opened the budget to make any changes, the first thing they would have to do is make cuts.  Instead of heading down that path, ultimately, the General Assembly passed a supplemental spending bill (House Bill 5523: An Act Concerning Allocations of Federal American Rescue Plan Act Funds and Provisions Related to General Government, Human Services, Education and the Biennium Ending June 30, 2025).  The money in this bill is from the remaining American Rescue Plan dollars from the federal government (federal dollars are outside the spending cap).  HB 5523 allocates approximately $372.5 million to fund a variety of things, including additional money for the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, and the Care 4 Kids program.  It’s certainly true that the funding provided for in HB 5523 is better than none at all, however, the bill’s existence in the first place is a prime example of how out of whack the budgeting process has become.  

Paraeducator Legislation: Paraeducators from CSEA and other unions have been working for years to raise pay and standards in their profession.  As paraeducators continue to deal with low pay, weak benefits, and a lack of respect for the work they do, this session they championed a strong bill that would have made significant improvements to their careers and lives.  House Bill 5348: An Act Concerning Paraeducators would have created a minimum yearly salary of $45,000 for paraeducators, given paraeducators access to a strong defined-benefit retirement plan, extended and expanded the health care subsidy program, and made other improvements for Connecticut’s paraeducators.  Again, because of its cost and the so-called “fiscal guardrails,” and despite passage out of the Education Committee, the bill was not called for a vote in the Appropriations Committee.  This shortsighted and frustrating decision did not stop paraeducators from achieving progress through some different pieces of legislation.  The previously mentioned HB 5523 includes money to extend and expand the paraeducator healthcare subsidy program, as well $1.8 million to fund professional development - including an immersive training program and grants to local school districts.  House Bill 5436: An Act Concerning Educator Certification, Teachers, Paraeducators and Mandated Reporter Requirements changes all references in state statute from “paraprofessional” to “paraeducator.”  This is a small but important change in language that more accurately reflects the importance of the work done by paraeducators.

State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) Agreement: The wage reopener agreement negotiated between SEBAC unions and the governor and approved overwhelmingly by CSEA members was filed with the General Assembly at the start of April.  The agreement was first approved by the Appropriations Committee and then passed by both the state Senate and state House.  As a reminder, the agreement passed by the committee and the General Assembly takes the form of two separate but identical resolutions: one for the Senate and one for the House.  And, as they are resolutions, they did not need to be signed by the Governor; once they passed both chambers, they were fully approved. 

State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB): CSEA members helped create the SCSB, Connecticut’s public contracting watchdog, and have been working to ensure its effectiveness since the Board first met over a decade ago.  In the 2024 session, there were two nearly identical bills that would improve and enhance the work of the SCSB: Senate Bill 389: An Act Concerning the State Contracting Standards Board and State Procurement and Senate Bill 391: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the State Contracting Standards Board.  To streamline the legislative process, the bills were merged into SB 391 and passed out of the Government Administration and Elections Committee before passing unanimously out of the Senate.  Unfortunately, the bill was not called in the House.  The SCSB and this legislation have a lot of support in the General Assembly, and CSEA members will be back next year to get a bill to the governor’s desk.

Union Power for Seasonal State Employees: Connecticut currently hires thousands of seasonal state employees working in roles such as maintenance workers, lifeguards, seasonal park rangers, interpretive guides, first aid attendants, resource assistants, seasonal maintainers, office assistants, and seasonal Special Conservation Officers.  The work done by seasonal state employees, while necessary and valuable, overlaps with work done by full time state employees.  Yet seasonal workers don't currently have a viable path to joining their co-workers in the union - and consequently, their pay is woefully substandard and they have no access to healthcare.  Senate Bill 411: An Act Concerning Temporary State Employees And Collective Bargaining would automatically place seasonal state employees in the appropriate state bargaining units. This is simple: seasonal state employees should not be excluded from collectively bargained contracts, but should instead be treated the same as other workers in state service.

Freedom of Information (FOI) Address Exemption: For the past couple of sessions, CSEA members along with our allies in SEBAC and unions that represent municipal and board of education workers have been working to expand the existing FOI address release exemptions.  The truth is that every public employee deserves to have their home address exempted from release through the FOI process.  Senate Bill 436: An Act Concerning Revisions To The Freedom Of Information Act Concerning The Nondisclosure Of The Addresses Of Certain Employees passed out of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, but was not called for a vote in the Senate.  Issues and concerns around personal privacy and safety are not going away and CSEA members will continue to fight for this important protection. 

Paid Sick Days Expansion: In 2011, CSEA members helped pass the nation’s first paid sick days law.  Since Connecticut led the way, other states and municipalities have passed their own versions of a paid sick days law that far exceeded ours.  After several years of working to pass an improved and expanded paid sick days law, this year CSEA members and allies helped pass House Bill 5005: An Act Expanding Paid Sick Days In the State.  The bill signed by the governor removes the employer size threshold and definition of “service worker” in current law, and increases the rate at which employees accrue leave and decreases the waiting period before they can use it.  HB 5005 is a major improvement to Connecticut’s paid sick days laws and a bright spot in an otherwise tough session.

Family Childcare Providers: Childcare providers have been working for years to bring greater resources into the early education sector to improve services, reverse the trend of vacancies in the profession, and help with recruitment and retention.  House Bill 5002: An Act Concerning Early Childhood Care and Education which, among other things pertaining to early childcare and education, contains language creating the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund.  This fund will be used for childcare and early childhood education programs and has the potential to be an important tool in the fight to improve wages, healthcare, and retirement benefits for providers.

So, as we look back at the 2024 session, it’s worth remembering something once said by former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, "Now this is not the end.  It is not even the beginning of the end.  But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."  The obstacles presented by the so-called “fiscal guardrails” are not insurmountable.  And, the need to reform how they operate is being recognized by more and more people every day.  And so, we fight on!

May 2024 Update from Daniel I. Medress, Political Education Director

With just a few days left of the 2024 Legislative Session, there is still a lot for us to keep an eye on. Unfortunately all of our priorities are facing the same obstacle - Governor Lamont’s unnecessarily rigid fiscal guardrails which are siphoning away funds from much needed programs. This policy stance is failing Connecticut residents in a wide array of areas:

State Budget – The Appropriations Committee did not pass any changes to the existing biennial budget, including the Governor's proposed changes.  And because the current budget is believed to be over the spending cap, if the Appropriations Committee had tried to pass a budget, the first obstacle they would have run into would be the spending cap and the need to immediately make cuts to an already starved budget.

House and Senate Leadership are looking to find several hundred million for a supplemental spending package, with a significant portion earmarked for higher education funding, but even that faces a questionable future on Governor Lamont’s desk. As we look ahead over the last few days of session, it is critical that our membership continues to raise our collective voices to demand a brighter future for Connecticut.

Paraeducator Legislation – House Bill 5348: Unfortunately, An Act Concerning Paraeducators died in the Appropriations Committee due to cost. However, we are working to get the non-monetary parts of the bill included in other legislation (this is how we’ve been able to make legislative progress for paraeducators in the past few sessions) while also securing funding to extend and expand the healthcare subsidy program and improve and enhance professional development training programs.

FOI Address Exemption – Senate Bill 436: An Act Concerning Revisions To The Freedom Of Information Act Concerning The Nondisclosure Of The Addresses Of Certain Public Agency Employees would exempt the release of home address for all state, municipal, and board of education employees through a FOI request.  The bill has passed out of the Government Administration and Elections Committee and while we continue to push for its passage, it's possible that we may only achieve a scaled-down version this year. 

The State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB) – At the start of session, there were two bills introduced to improve the operations of the SCSB: Senate Bill 389: An Act Concerning The State Contracting Standards Board And State Procurement and Senate Bill 391: An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The State Contracting Standards Board.  The bills had a lot of overlapping parts, so in order to streamline the legislative process they were merged into one bill.  SB 391 passed out of the Government Administration Elections Committee and is awaiting further action in the Senate.

Childcare Legislative Proposals – Several bills related to childcare are making progress, but face challenges because of the restrictions presented by the so-called “fiscal guardrails”.  House Bill 5051: An Act Establishing Early Start Ct, Senate Bill 152: An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Office Of Early Childhood, and House Bill 5002: An Act Concerning Early Childhood Care And Education are all moving forward in the legislative process, with each awaiting further action.

Collective Bargaining for Seasonal State Employees – Senate Bill 411: An Act Concerning Temporary State Employees And Collective Bargaining would give full collective bargaining rights to seasonal employees working for the state.  The bill is still in the Senate and has not yet been referred to the Appropriations Committee, but we are working closely with legislators and administration staffers to ensure its progress.

March 2024 Update

With public hearings wrapping up, bills being voted out of the committees in which they originated, and work on the budget continuing; it’s a good time to take a look at what is happening in the General Assembly’s 2024 legislative session.    

CSEA members went into this session with a wide-ranging agenda focused, as always, on improving the work, career, and life opportunities of our members, and all working people in Connecticut.  An agenda that seeks to make progress on issues as diverse as raising pay for paraeducators, enhancing the work of the State Contracting Standards Board, and improving our State’s paid sick days law.  With dozens of members testifying on close to 80 different pieces of legislation and thousands more getting involved through calls and emails to legislators, CSEA members have been tireless in their efforts to pass legislation that empowers working people.   

Here is where the CSEA legislative agenda stands on March 30, 2024:

State Budget – The budget remains in development and whatever version is voted out of the Appropriations Committee on or before April 5 (the Committee’s Joint Favorable, or JF, deadline) will be the basis for further negotiations.  As expected, the fiscal guardrails (the spending cap, volatility cap, and revenue cap) remain the biggest obstacles for consensus around the budget.  Allied legislators are working to find workarounds for the spending cap that will be acceptable to the Governor, but there are no easy solutions here.  Whether it is boosting pay for municipal and board of education workers or increasing funding for childcare providers or providing more resources to Unified School District #1 or ensuring the State has the money it needs to end short staffing across state agencies, figuring out a solution to the straitjacket of the guardrails is critical.  Every session, the version of the budget which passes out of the Appropriations Committee is subject to further negotiations between the parties, chambers, and with the Governor, however, this session’s budget is more of a work in progress than in previous years.

Paraeducator Legislation – Paraeducators are on the front lines of student learning.  They provide one-on-one assistance to special education students, reinforce instruction, manage classrooms and support English language learners.  They celebrate with their students when they succeed and try to redirect them when they act out verbally and physically.  Despite the important roles they play, paraeducators are among the lowest paid staff members in our schools.  Many cannot afford healthcare and there is little chance they can afford to retire with dignity - unless they work a second or third job.  They don’t get paid during the summer and cannot collect unemployment.  There is no wonder paraeducators are leaving the profession in droves, with more than 1,300 paraeducator positions vacant in districts throughout the State.  House Bill 5348: An Act Concerning Paraeducators will raise pay for paraeducators, extend and expand the health care subsidy program, and make other improvements for Connecticut’s paraeducators. HB 5348 passed out of the Education Committee and has been referred to the Appropriations Committee (all bills that cost money must be sent to the Appropriations Committee) for review and a vote.

FOI Address Exemption – State, municipal, and board of education workers want to be added to the list of people whose residential address is blocked from release through a FOIA request.  Currently, there are people in thirteen groups whose residential address is exempted.  These groups include police officers, firefighters, employees of the Department of Children and Families, members or employees of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, and other people doing important work on behalf of the residents of Connecticut.  The safety and security concerns that lead to these groups being exempted are also held by people working for the state, municipalities, and boards of education.  No one is asking for special treatment or trying to hide from accountability, but like the other people whose addresses are exempted from release, people just want to keep themselves and their families safe.  While it is true that personal information can be found in places other than a FOIA release - as we all know, sometimes all it takes is an internet search - that should not be an excuse for the state to help facilitate the release of that information.  Senate Bill 436: An Act Concerning Revisions To The Freedom Of Information Act Concerning The Nondisclosure Of The Addresses Of Certain Employees exempts the release of the residential address of state, municipal, and board of education employees through an FOI request and has had a public hearing in the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee and is expected to soon receive a vote in committee.  

The State Contracting Standards Board – After many years of inadequate financial support in state budgets, the State Contracting Standards Board is finally fully funded and staffed.  However, there is still room for improvement in how the Board functions.  That’s why CSEA, along with our partners in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) and our allies on the Board have been working to pass legislation that will give the board greater authority while also providing long term protections for its work.  In aid of that effort, nearly identical bills, Senate Bill 389: An Act Concerning The State Contracting Standards Board And State Procurement and Senate Bill 391: An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The State Contracting Standards Board, were raised in the GAE Committee to help improve the Board’s work.  After discussion with our coalition partners working on this legislation, it was decided to merge the bills together and to move forward with SB 391, which passed out of the GAE Committee and is awaiting further action.

Expansion and Improvement of the Paid Sick Days Law – In 2011, Connecticut was the first state in the nation to require certain employers to provide service workers with accrued paid sick days.  Now, more than 10 years later, and having been through the most significant global public health emergency of our lives, CSEA members and our allies in the Paid Sick Days coalition have been fighting for legislation that strengthens current law and ensures access to paid sick days for all workers, regardless of their job title or size of their employer.  That bill is Senate Bill 7: An Act Concerning Connecticut Paid Sick Days and it passed out of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and is awaiting further action.

Childcare Legislative Proposals – Even before the pandemic, there was a childcare provider crisis in Connecticut.  With low pay and no healthcare, it has always been difficult to attract people to this important career.  Without increased funding for childcare and higher pay for the workers who deliver it, that crisis is only going to get worse.  Providers are supporting House Bill 5051: An Act Establishing Early Start CT and Senate Bill 152: An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Office Of Early Childhood because they will help expand access to childcare, but without adequate funding that expansion will not amount to much.  Both bills were voted out of the Education Committee and will be referred to the Appropriations Committee.  And, to ensure that there is funding in place for high quality childcare services, providers are also supporting House Bill 5002: An Act Concerning Early Childhood Care And Education, a newly filed bill that would provide funding to the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund.  The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing in the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee on Thursday, March 28.

Collective Bargaining for Seasonal State Employees – Connecticut currently hires thousands of seasonal state employees working in roles such as maintenance workers, lifeguards, seasonal park rangers, interpretive guides, first aid attendants, resource assistants, seasonal maintainers, office assistants, and seasonal Special Conservation Officers.  The work done by these state employees, while necessary and valuable, overlaps with work done by full time state employees.  Yet none of these workers enjoy the same collective bargaining rights as their full time counterparts.  Senate Bill 411: An Act Concerning Temporary State Employees And Collective Bargaining would automatically place seasonal state employees in the appropriate state bargaining units.  This is simple: seasonal state employees should not be excluded from collectively bargained contracts, but should instead be treated the same as other workers in state service.  SB 411 passed out of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and, although it has not yet been referred, will be sent to the Appropriations Committee for review and a vote.


SEBAC Agreement – The wage reopener agreement negotiated between SEBAC unions and the Governor will be filed with the General Assembly at the end of March/start of April.  The agreement was overwhelmingly approved by CSEA members and, as soon as all the other SEBAC unions complete their voting, will be referred to the Appropriations Committee in the form of two separate, yet identical, House and Senate resolutions.  The resolutions will receive a public hearing and votes in the Committee and then will be sent to their respective chambers for another vote.  As they are resolutions, they do not need to be signed by the Governor; once they are passed by both chambers, they will be fully approved. 

A lot has changed since the first “General Corte” met in 1636 when the Connecticut Colony was established.  For one thing, Connecticut only had three towns at the time (Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor).  As that colony grew into the state of Connecticut with 169 municipalities and over 3.6 million residents, the General Corte evolved from a body of fifteen people into the modern state legislature we know today.  The General Assembly’s House and Senate are, certainly, larger than they were in the 17th century, as well as more representative and more diverse.  But, no matter what name Connecticut’s state legislature takes, the need for CSEA members to be actively engaged in the legislative process will remain.  The General Assembly will adjourn its 2024 legislative session on May 8 and there will be lots more for CSEA members to do before that happens to make sure our agenda advances, but this is where we stand now.    

2024 Legislative Agenda

As the cold of the New England winter sets in, that can only mean one thing: the Connecticut General Assembly is getting ready to convene for another legislative session.  On February 7, Representatives and Senators serving constituents from all of the Nutmeg state’s 169 municipalities will meet in the State Capitol to begin their legislative work.  The yearly legislative session is also an opportunity for CSEA members to work together and with allies to advance an agenda that honors and values public service and the workers who make it possible.

The Connecticut state constitution calls for the General Assembly to meet from February until May in even-numbered years.  This contrasts with the January to June session in odd-numbered years, when the state budget is completed.  However, this so-called “short session” is still a critical period of time in which readjustments to the state budget can be made and important pieces of legislation can be passed.  As CSEA members know from experience, every legislative session is also an opportunity for the enemies of labor unions to push anti-worker policies that seek to curtail our rights, reduce our paychecks, privatize our jobs, and eliminate our benefits.

Thankfully, the Connecticut General Assembly makes it easy for the voices of working people to be heard as part of the legislative process.  The direct involvement of CSEA members as legislation is crafted has resulted in real progress for working people over the years.  From protecting and expanding collective bargaining rights to pushing for funding for vital services to passing legislation implementing paid sick days, the list of wins that CSEA members have helped make possible is a long one.

Energized by those past victories and optimistic about the possibilities of the future, CSEA’s Executive Council has approved the following legislative agenda for the 2024 session of the Connecticut General Assembly (this agenda was recommended by CSEA’s Legislative Action Committee, which is composed of representatives from all of CSEA’s councils, and is based upon input from members from throughout the local):

2024 Legislative Agenda

  • Connecticut for All Legislative Proposals.  CSEA was one of the founding organizations of Recovery For All; a coalition of more than 60 community, faith, labor, and nonprofit advocacy organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life across Connecticut working together for a fair and equitable budget  and other legislative priorities that advance the needs of working people.  The coalition has adopted a new name, Connecticut for All, and CSEA is proud to continue its support because our members know that every working person is an ally in the battle to create an economy that works for everyone.
     

Billionaires and wealthy corporations continue to rake in record profits while working people struggle to make ends meet.  Imagine what our communities would look like if wealthy corporations and billionaires paid their fair share so we can invest in quality public schools, colleges, and universities; child care; health care, mental health and addiction services, and all the services our families deserve. 

From tax increases on the ultra wealthy to tax relief for working people to investments in public services and broad economic development, the Connecticut for All coalition will fight for a fair economy that puts working people first.
 

  • SEBAC Legislative Proposals.  Joining with allied unions in the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), CSEA will be working to advance legislative proposals that fund services and jobs, protect against attempts to privatize public work, and address the continuing problem of short staffing.

    From passing legislation that prevents the release of the personal home addresses of public employees to improving the work and effectiveness of the State Contracting Standards Board to passing legislation that provides collective bargaining rights for seasonal workers employed by the State to fighting for increased funding and resources for state agencies such as the Department of Correction and the Department of Developmental Services, CSEA members will work with our allies in SEBAC to advance critical legislation and pro-worker policies.  Additionally, CSEA will support our brothers and sisters in Connecticut’s Higher Education system as they continue the fight against harmful consolidation and privatization proposals.

  • Paraeducator Legislative Proposals.  Over the past several legislative sessions, paraeducators have made real progress on important issues like professional development training and healthcare costs.  But so much more work needs to be done to ensure that paraeducators are treated and valued as they deserve to be.  CSEA paraeducators will join with paraeducators from other unions in Connecticut to press for comprehensive legislation that will make significant improvements to wages and retirement benefits earned by paraeducators.  Additionally, as the Paraeducator Healthcare Working Group that was created as a result of legislation passed during the 2023 legislative session continues its work developing proposals to improve paraeducator healthcare plans, CSEA members and allies will fight for additional funding to continue the healthcare subsidy received in 2023 by paraeducators in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).  We will also push to expand the subsidy program so that paraeducators who are not in an HDHP can benefit, as well.

  • Childcare Legislative Proposals.  During the last legislative session, home-based family childcare providers represented by CSEA worked hard to pass their collective bargaining agreement through both chambers of the General Assembly.  In 2024, along with allies in the early education and childcare communities, they will be working to pass legislation on crucial issues such as increasing funding for early education and care programs and improving zoning protections for home-based providers.

  • Expansion and Improvement of the Paid Sick Days Law.  Connecticut was the first state in the nation in 2011 to require certain employers to provide service workers with accrued paid sick days.  Now, more than 10 years later, and having been through the most significant global public health emergency of our lives, CSEA and our allies in the Paid Sick Days coalition recommend legislation that strengthens current law and ensures access to paid sick days for all workers, regardless of their job title or size of their employer.

  • Increase Funding for Unified School District #1 (USD #1).  CSEA represents the teachers in Unified School District #1, the school system within the Department of Correction.  While USD #1’s stated mission “is to provide quality education programs for incarcerated individuals so that they can make a successful transition to society.” it’s necessary work has been underfunded for years.  From issues of short staffing to a lack of money for needed classroom resources, teachers and students in USD #1 are being shortchanged.  Now is the time to give the district the money it needs to provide life-altering services for some of our State’s neediest students.

  • Increase State Aid for Municipalities and School Districts.  While Connecticut has enjoyed record budget surpluses and the State has allocated additional funding to municipalities and school districts, that money is not making it into the pockets of the hardworking people who provide town and educational services.  CSEA members working for municipalities and Boards of Education will join with allies in other municipal and Board of Education unions to increase State funding to raise wages, improve benefits, and address issues of short staffing.  Municipal and Board of Education have been asked to do more for less for too long and the General Assembly needs to take action. 


End of 2023 Session Review 

While CSEA and the rest of our allies in SEBAC, Recovery for All, and the SEIU State Council, faced some challenges that will require work and lobbying in future General Assembly sessions, after a busy few months, the 2023 Legislative Session ended at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday, June 7th, with multiple legislative wins for CSEA members. 

Recovery for All Legislative Proposals:

 With Governor Lamont dead set against any tax increases on the wealthy, coupled with the constitutional spending cap making it virtually impossible to spend any additional revenue, there was not enough appetite among General Assembly members to take action on our  proposals to increase revenue or include any increased spending on the multitude of investments Connecticut needs. 

SEBAC Legislative Proposals:

Senate Bill 1157: would have exempted the residential addresses of public employees from being released via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. And while the bill passed out of the Senate and was called in the House, ultimately a lengthy floor debate prevented it from being called for a vote; in blunt terms: it was talked to death. On the upside, numerous legislators  are committed to run this bill next year, and run it early to avoid what happened this year.

Senate Bill 1223 would have strengthened the State Contracting Standards Board. It nearly ran in the Senate, but UCONN Health started a heavily-resourced lobbying attack against it. This is another bill that has broad support from General Assembly members who remain committed to its eventual passage.

Senate Bill 984, to put it simply and quickly, helps speed up the state hiring process to address the shortstaffing that we see through state service. It passed both chambers and  was

Signed into law by Governor Lamont.

Reliable and Affordable Healthcare for Municipal and Board of Education Workers:

The spending cap and the financial difficulties in the Partnership Plan helped prevent any meaningful progress on improving healthcare options for muni and BOE workers. This is and will remain a critical issue to resolve, so we'll be back next session.

o School Paraeducator Advisory Council Legislative Proposals:

Our original paraeducator bill, House Bill 6881, did not move forward, but parts of it were incorporated into different bills, and the budget and implementor contain funding and language to improve healthcare for paraeducators.

Several of the policy sections of HB 6881, the original paraeducator bill, were put into House Bill 6880; specifically, Secs. 1, 2, and 5 of HB 6881 are now Secs. 10, 11, and 12 of HB 6880:

â–ª Section 10: Requires that the 18-hours of professional development for paraeducators

cannot include already mandated "trainings such as trainings regarding blood-borne

pathogens, the policies and procedures of the Department of Children and Families and

sexual harassment."

â–ª Section 11: Adds at least one paraeducator to the "professional development and

evaluation committees" that boards of education are required to establish. It also

requires SDE, working with the School Paraeducator Advisory Council, to no later than

January 1, 2025 "develop or update guidance and best practices for programs of

professional development provided for paraeducators, and (B) distribute such guidance

and best practices to each local and regional board of education."

â–ª Section 12: Allows paraeducators, with a supervisor, to review the educational program

developed through the PPT process.

The budget and implementor, House Bill 6941, contains several sections on healthcare for

paraeducators:

â–ª Sec. 213: establishes, through the Comptroller, a program to provide a subsidy for

paraeducators who have a Health Savings Account. As we understand it, the intent of

this is to provide these subsidies for one year as a bridge to a better and more sustainable

healthcare plan for paraeducators.

â–ª Sec. 214: establishes, through the Comptroller, a program to provide a subsidy for

paraeducators to purchase a Silver Level plan through the exchange. This program

would start with the fiscal year on July 1, 2024.

â–ª The stipends in Secs. 213 & 214 would be available to all paras who meet certain

eligibility criteria tied to the actuarial value of the health plan offered by their school

district. The Comptroller can increase the actuarial value limit until at least half of all

paras are eligible - so there is a variability built in which is designed to maximize the

number of eligible paras. $5 million in each fiscal year was appropriated for the stipends,

so this will all be "within available appropriations." Lobbyists, staff, and leaders for

paraeducator unions are meeting with staff in the Comptroller's office to 

develop and implement the stipend/subsidy programs.

â–ª Sec. 215: the Office of Health Strategy shall assist paraducators in enrolling in plans such as

Covered Connecticut.

â–ª Sec. 216: establishes a paraeducator healthcare working group to "study health care

access, equity and affordability for paraeducators". The results of the study and any

legislative recommendations must be submitted to the General Assembly by July 1, 2024.

â–ª HB 6941 and HB 6880 have been signed by the Governor.

Pandemic Pay for Municipal and Board of Education Workers:

Like with healthcare for muni and BOE workers, the spending cap prevents the appropriation of the funds that would be needed for something like this - yet another example where working people, frontline essential workers, are losing out because of an unnecessary fixation on the spending cap. 

Expansion and Improvement of the Paid Sick Days Law:

Senate Bill 1178 would have made a number of improvements to Connecticut's first in the nation paid sick days law. Improvements that would have brought our state in line with the paid sick days laws that have passed in other states since Connecticut first took action. While it passed out of the Senate, it was killed in the House without debate or a vote.

Passage of the Collective Bargaining Agreements:

Contracts for Behavioral Health Clinical Supervisors (House Resolution 29/Senate Resolution 27) and State School Principals (House Resolution 30/Senate Resolution 28), both in the P3B bargaining unit, passed through the House and Senate, as did the contract for family child care providers (House Resolution 32/Senate Resolution 31).

Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools:

The recommendations of the School IAQ working group started in Senate Bill 1198, but ultimately ended up passing as part of Senate Bill 1. Sec. 42 of that bill expands the charge of, and extends the deadline for, the working group. SB 1  has been signed by the Governor.

Justice Reinvestment Coalition Legislative Proposals:

Another area where the spending cap and lack of political will held back any significant progress. Increasing funding for Uunified School District #1 in the Department of Correction, will remain a priority and needs to be a part of any conversation around criminal justice reform.

Early Voting Implementation and No-Excuse Absentee Voting Constitutional Amendment:

House Bill 5004 "establishes a framework for early, in-person voting for all general elections, primaries, and special elections, held on or after January 1, 2024. Specifically, it requires a 14-day early voting period for general elections, a seven-day period for most primaries, and a four-day early voting period for special elections and presidential preference primaries." This bill passed both chambers and has been signed by the Governor.

House Joint Resolution 1 is the constitutional amendment to allow for no excuse absentee voting. It passed both

chambers and the issue will be before voters in the November 2024 election.

Collective Bargaining Rights for Probate Court Workers:

Senate Bill 912 would have given the workers in the probate court system the ability to choose to join a union and exercise their collective bargaining rights. As it has in previous years, it was given a fiscal note and got bottled up in the Appropriations Committee. We'll be taking another run at this next session.

Safety and Security in Connecticut’s Courthouses: Legislation around this issue failed to come together as we are awaiting reports from the Judicial Branch leadership before moving forward. 

March 2023 Update

The 2023 Legislative Session is in full swing with CSEA members testifying in public hearings, filming videos for legislators and attending webinars to learn more about the legislative process and how we are fighting for items on our legislative agenda. 

CSEA members are up at the Capitol (or sitting in front of Zoom from the comfort of their home!) demanding change and insisting that we cannot continue on with the status quo. From expanding paid sick days to improving the work of the State Contracting Standards Board to making it easier to vote early or by mail to much more, there are a number of other issues on which we are focused and with CSEA members standing collectively, hopefully some of these proposals will become law. 

As a reminder of the legislative process, before any bill is ready to be signed into law, or even get a vote on the House and Senate floor, it must first make it through the committee process. There are  27 committees in the General Assembly, covering every facet of public life and government operations.  From the Appropriations Committee that has oversight of the state budget to the Education Committee that handles matters related to K through 12 schools, there is a committee for everything.  

These committees hold public hearings throughout February and March to hear from members of the public, ask questions and, eventually, decide what bills will be voted out of committee and which ones will not. Public hearings are a core function of our democratic process and legislators rely on those that testify to learn more about the bills, but more importantly it’s an opportunity for you to tell your story. 

All public hearings will continue to be hybrid, and anyone can testify.  Testifying in person or virtually is easy to do - and submitting written testimony is even easier!  And, best of all, CSEA staff helps you through all of it. 

So far, we have had dozens and dozens of members testify, including over 60 childcare providers who turned out to tell their story at the Appropriations Committee hearing where they demanded that the legislature fully fund and expand the Care4Kids childcare program. 

And this work is not going unnoticed, at the time of publication, we have the following progress to report:

 - Both Recovery For All proposals, SB 351 and HB 5673 had a public hearing in the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee on February 27.

 - We are waiting for our School Paraeducator Advisory Council proposal to be formally raised with a bill number and language but in the meantime, lobbyists, including our own Danny Medress, has continued to meet with legislators about the specifics of the bill while members continue to prepare for the eventual public hearing in the Education Committee. 

 - Paid Sick Days, State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB), and FOIA Exemption proposals have all been raised as concepts, and we are waiting on a bill number, language, and public hearing dates.

 - We do not yet know which of the Early Voting Implementation and No-Excuse Absentee Voting proposals will be the ultimate legislative vehicle for early voting, but the discussion right now largely revolves around whether there will be ten or fourteen days of early voting.

 - Our Collective Bargaining Rights for Probate Court Workers proposal, SB912, had its public hearing in Labor on January 31 and was voted out of the committee on February 16.  It’s likely to go to two more committees, Appropriations and Judiciary.

 - The Governor has released his budget proposals and public hearings started on the budget in Appropriations started on February 15 and concluded on March 1. 

February 2023 Update

The 2023 Legislative Session is in full swing with public hearings expected to start this week. CSEA’s full legislative agenda is available on our website at CSEA-CT.com and we encourage you to follow along throughout the session to see what ideas become concepts, what concepts become bills, and what bills become law.

CSEA members are fighting to pass bills that will protect the services we provide and improve funding for the work we do.  As public employees, we know what a huge impact the General Assembly has on our careers and lives.  That’s why members from throughout our Local are joining together to make sure that legislation that respects and honors working people makes it to the Governor’s desk.     

However, before any bill is ready to be signed into law, it first has to make it through the committee process.  There are 27 committees in the General Assembly, covering every facet of public life and government operations.  From the Appropriations Committee that has oversight of the state budget to the Education Committee that handles matters related to K through 12 schools, there is a committee for everything.  

A lot of bills are introduced during a legislative session, and most of them will never make it out of a committee, must less be voted on in the chamber of the state Senate or state House.  Public hearings are an important tool legislators, and the public, use to determine which pieces of legislation have worth and merit and should move forward, and which lack support from Connecticut residents.  The public hearing portion of the legislative session will last throughout the month of February and into March and is the best time for your voice to be heard at the Capitol.  All public hearings will be hybrid, and anyone can testify.  Testifying in person or virtually is easy to do - and submitting written testimony is even easier!  And, best of all, CSEA staff helps you through all of it. 

General Assembly members, the press, and the public turn out to watch these public hearings, and the importance of testifying on behalf of our legislative agenda cannot be overstated.  As the CSEA News goes to print, only a few public hearings have been scheduled, but this will change over the next couple of days and weeks.  

The Appropriations Committee has announced they will be holding hearings on the state budget from February 13 through February 24.  This will follow Governor Ned Lamont’s budget address on February 8 and his staff’s presentation to the Appropriations Committee on February 9.  During the Appropriations Committee’s budget hearings, committee members hear from state agencies during the day, and from the public during the evening.  Legislators take these hearings very seriously and they are a great opportunity to speak to them directly as they work to piece together a budget package.

CSEA members have a big and broad agenda this year, but already there is progress to report:

  • As part of our work with the Recovery for All coalition to improve Connecticut’s tax system and make it fairer for working people, two bills have been introduced - Senate Bill 351: AN ACT CONCERNING THE RESTRUCTURING OF CERTAIN TAXES AND TAX EQUITY and House Bill 5673: AN ACT CONCERNING THE REFORMATION OF CERTAIN TAXES AND TAX EQUITY.  Simply put, these bills will require the very wealthy to pay a little more in taxes while lowering the tax burden for working people;

  • A bill improving pay, benefits, and working conditions for paraeducators has been raisd as a concept in the Education Committee.  Soon, that concept will be turned into legislation, given a bill number, and be scheduled for public hearing; and

  • Working with our allies in other municipal and board of education unions, we are proposing legislation that will provide those workers with pandemic pay bonus; like the ones being given to private sector workers as a result of state law and state employees through negotiation and arbitration.

As you can see on the CSEA legislative agenda, from expanding paid sick days to improving the work of the State Contracting Standards Board to making it easier to vote early or by mail to much more, there are a number of other issues on which we are focused.  Please make sure you are signed up for CSEA emails to make sure you get the latest news and updates as more of our legislative agenda moves forward and as additional public hearings get scheduled.

2023 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Recovery for All Legislative Proposals 
    Recovery For All is a coalition bringing together more than 60 community, faith, labor, and nonprofit advocacy organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life across Connecticut.  CSEA was a founding member organization of the coalition because we know that every working person is an ally in the battle to create an economy that works for everyone.  
    Today, billionaires and wealthy corporations are seizing more and more wealth while working people have been left to struggle during one of the most challenging times our society has ever faced.  Imagine what our communities would look like if wealthy corporations and billionaires paid their fair share so we can invest in quality public schools, colleges, and universities; child care; health care, mental health and addiction services, and re-entry services that all our families deserve. 
    From tax increases on the ultra wealthy to tax relief for working people to investments in public services and broad economic development, Recovery for All’s Equity Agenda presents a set of transformational policies to build a more equitable Connecticut—where all residents have the chance to live a fulfilling life, not just the wealthy few.  
SEBAC Legislative Proposals  
    Joining with allied unions in the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), CSEA will be working to advance legislative proposals that fund services and jobs, protect against attempts to privatize public work, and address the continuing problem of short staffing.  
    CSEA members will also work with our allies in SEBAC to get the General Assembly to, not only, maintain full funding of the State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB), but also to pass legislation that will improve and enhance its operations.  Additionally, CSEA will support our brothers and sisters in Connecticut’s Higher Education system as they fight against harmful consolidation and privatization proposals.
Reliable and Affordable Healthcare for Municipal and Board of Education Workers
    CSEA members have long been at the forefront of the fight to expand and improve access to quality health insurance.  CSEA members were instrumental in the creation of the Partnership Plan, the Comptroller-managed version health plan modeled on the State Employee Health Plan.  CSEA will work with other impacted unions to ensure this critical program is, not only, protected, but strengthened so that more workers have access to this important health care option.
School Paraeducator Advisory Council Legislative Proposals
    The School Paraeducator Advisory Council - which includes a representative from CSEA, other unions representing paras, as well as policy experts in education and the work of paras - advises the Commissioner of the State Department of Education and the General Assembly about the career, training, and professional development needs of paras.  
    Following up on legislative progress from last session that saw paras make critical gains when it comes to career training, as well as participation in Planning and Placement Team meetings, CSEA will work with our partners on the Council to pass legislation that will make significant improvements to para pay, healthcare, and retirement benefits.
Pandemic Pay for Municipal and Board of Education Workers
    CSEA will fight to expand Connecticut’s pandemic pay program to include public sector workers, specifically for people working for municipalities and boards of education.  These essential workers, along with all others who are publicly employed, were excluded from the current program.  CSEA will work with our allies in other municipal and board of education unions to push for legislation that honors their sacrifice and commitment.
Expansion and Improvement of the Paid Sick Days Law 
    Connecticut was the first state in the nation in 2011 to require certain employers to provide service workers with accrued paid sick days.  Now, more than 10 years later, and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, CSEA and our allies in the Paid Sick Days coalition recommend legislation that strengthens current law and ensures access to paid sick days for all workers, regardless of their job title or size of their employer.
Passage of the Childcare Providers’ Contract
Currently, the family childcare providers represented by CSEA are in contract negotiations with the state.  And, just like with state employee contracts and arbitrated awards, before an approved contract can be finalized, it must be voted on in both chambers of the General Assembly.  Throughout the pandemic, childcare providers never stopped working and never closed their doors.  Their continued work through dangerous circumstances has been remarkable.  They have more than earned a fair contract, and all CSEA members will join with them to ensure that when one is reached, it will pass any votes in the House and Senate.
Worker Safety and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
    No one should be allowed to abuse Connecticut’s transparency laws to harass, intimidate, or inflict violence upon a public employee.  CSEA members will work to add Disability Determination Services employees and Supervising Judicial Marshals to the list of state employees whose home addresses are protected from release through a FOIA request.  This sort of personal information is already protected from release for workers in the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Correction, as well as the State Police.  What is a major safety concern for those workers, is also one for these state employees.
Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools
    CSEA is part of a school indoor air quality coalition with other board of education unions, building trade unions, environmental advocates, and other community groups.  Last session, we helped pass legislation that, among other things, created an indoor air quality working group.  The working group is putting together legislative recommendations for the next session regarding implementing high quality indoor air standards in Connecticut’s schools.  CSEA looks forward to seeing the final recommendations, ensuring they protect and empower our members, and supporting their passage.
Justice Reinvestment Coalition Legislative Proposals
    Medical and mental healthcare for state prison inmates has been cut over 25% in the last decade, despite skyrocketing medical costs and an aging inmate population with a higher acuity of health needs.  Staffing ratios and care standards for too long have been determined by the bottom line rather than what is necessary for patient health and safety.  Connecticut must expand services to save lives by investing in healthcare, education, housing, and employment opportunities for individuals currently and formerly incarcerated.  CSEA is working with our allies in 1199 as well as community organizations to ensure funding for reentry programs for inmates released from state prisons, as well as funding for educational programs in Unified School District #1 that are provided by CSEA members.
Early Voting Implementation and No-Excuse Absentee Voting Constitutional Amendment
    With the success of the early voting constitutional amendment in the last election, the General Assembly is now empowered to pass legislation that will allow Connecticut voters to cast their ballot in person in the days prior to Election Day.  CSEA will work with other early voting allies to pass strong legislation to implement our newly won early voting system.  
    Right now, 27 states offer no-excuse absentee voting and eight states conduct their elections entirely by mail.  This places Connecticut, with our strict vote by mail rules, in a dwindling minority of states.  So, on top of the early voting legislation, CSEA will also work with allies to pass the no-excuse absentee voting constitutional amendment.  This constitutional amendment will allow for no-excuse absentee voting and needs to pass through both chambers in the coming session.  If it does, it will be on the ballot in 2024.  And, if approved, Connecticut voters will no longer need a reason to request a mail ballot.
Collective Bargaining Rights for Probate Court Workers
    For the past several sessions, CSEA has been working to pass a bill that will give employees in Connecticut’s probate court system collective bargaining rights and the ability to join a union if they want.  It is just plain wrong that there is a group of workers who are legally barred from even thinking about joining a union and engaging in collective bargaining.  CSEA members stand with the probate court workers and will work with them to pass this necessary update to Connecticut’s labor laws.
Safety and Security in Connecticut’s Courthouses
    The Supervising Judicial Marshals, who are represented by CSEA, along with members of the Judicial Marshals’ union - together, these are the workers who provide security in Connecticut’s courthouses - will work together on legislation that will improve and enhance the safety protocols in the state’s courthouses.

2022 ENDORSEMENT PROCESS IS UNDERWAY

    The 2022 election season is well underway and CSEA has already begun the endorsement process for the primary election.  In the process of evaluating candidates, CSEA members ask tough question designed to determine which candidates will support our legislative initiatives and, more generally, which candidates understand and respect the value of public services.  Below, please review the endorsement process and ways that you can get involved to ensure that pro-worker candidates are elected to the General Assembly and state-wide offices.  The world of politics has a profound impact on our jobs and on our contracts – as such, our work in this sphere is critically important to our overall success as a union.  
    Our process starts with a request from the candidate - only candidates that reach out to the union requesting an endorsement are considered.  Candidates are then sent an in-depth questionnaire which they must complete before an interview is scheduled.  From there, CSEA joins our fellow CT SEIU locals (SEIU 1199, SEIU 32BJ, 4Cs, and CEUI/MEUI Local 511) to hold candidate interviews.  This process is open to candidates from any party.  The interviews are attended by members of the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) from each of the State Council locals.
    After candidates are interviewed, the CSEA LAC makes a recommendation to endorse or not.  These recommendations are then presented to the CSEA Executive Council where they vote to approve or deny the endorsement.
    Any member is welcome to join the Legislative Action Committee.  To join or to get involved in these races, please reach out to our Political Director, Danny Medress at dmedress@csea760.com.
    By using the candidate questionnaire and interview, the LAC and Executive Council are aiming to ensure that candidates hold pro-CSEA and pro-union values and will be allies in their position upon a successful election.  Endorsement is only the first step in our involvement in these races, we must mobilize our members to make calls and knock doors for these candidates while our communications program also sends out mailers to registered voters in their district.

 

2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WRAP UP 

    Former President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William Howard Taft once said, “The world is not going to be saved by legislation.”  And, while we might understand the sentiment, CSEA members know the profound and lasting impacts of the legislative process.  That’s why we fought hard during this year’s session of the Connecticut General Assembly, which came to a close at midnight on May 4, to advance our pro-worker agenda.  
    Over 60 CSEA members testified on numerous bills at dozens of public hearings and thousands more took action contacting General Assembly legislators, attending rallies, and writing letters to the editor.  While we did not make progress on every issue, the involvement of members from throughout our union helped move critical pieces of legislation through committees, the House and Senate chambers, and to the Governor’s desk.  And, despite the calls from some elected officials for cuts to public services, layoffs of public employees, and changes to collective bargaining, CSEA members were successful in protecting the jobs we do and the pay and benefits we have earned. 
    As we wait for Governor Ned Lamont to sign or veto the bills before him, here’s what happened with CSEA’s 2022 legislative agenda:

CSEA’s 2022 Legislative Agenda -

Approval of Collective Bargaining Agreements for State Employees.  The seven state bargaining units represented by CSEA, as well as the 27 others represented by different unions, negotiated contracts with the State that were approved by both chambers of the General Assembly.  The votes in the chambers followed months of negotiations and were ultimately successful due to the work done by members to move Representatives and Senators to vote Yes on the contracts.  Although each state bargaining unit has their own contract, the General Assembly chose to vote on the contracts as a part of a single package.  And, while the contracts were put up for a vote in each chamber, they did not take the form of a bill, but rather a resolution.  So, the House approved one resolution (H.R. No. 11) and the Senate approved another (S.R. No. 12).  Since resolutions do not need to be signed by the Governor, the contracts were formally approved with their passage through each chamber.  
SEBAC Legislative Proposals.  The unions that make up the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition proposed several pieces of legislation to address a range of important issues Senate Bill 419: An Act Establishing a State Training Account for State Service Career Development.  CSEA members have long talked about the need for a properly staffed and trained state workforce.  SB 419 had the potential to be an important part of achieving that goal by establishing a training fund for state employees that could be used to reimburse workers or pay for things like certifications, training, and conferences.  Supporting the career development of state employees will help enhance the quality of services provided while reducing the state’s reliance on costly outside consultants.
Senate Bill 420: An Act Concerning the State Workforce and Discrimination and Retaliation in the Workplace.  Discrimination has no place at any worksite.  SB 420 would have ensured that state managers and supervisors cannot retaliate or discriminate against an employee who alleges discrimination.  Imagine going to your manager in good faith, to talk about the discrimination you are facing at work and, instead of being heard and your experience respected, you’re retaliated against or told to be quiet.  The bill called for a Racial Justice Ombudsperson who would be responsible for fostering a workplace where managerial authorities are accountable to lead and model antiracist practices, and make changes needed to ensure an antiracist, equitable workplace for all.  Our Nation’s work towards “a more perfect Union” continues, and SB 420 would have provided all state workers with the protections against discriminatory and retaliatory behavior that no one should have to deal with when they are just trying to do their job.
House Bill 5441: An Act Adopting the Recommendations of the Task Force to Study the State Workforce and Retiring Employees.  The coming wave of retirements of state employees is certainly a challenge, but we are not powerless when it comes to making sure that Connecticut is ready.  HB 5441 was a proactive response that prioritized planning and data over panic to deal with the so-called “Silver Tsunami.” The bill would have empowered key stakeholders such as state employees, commissioners, the Comptroller, and policymakers to use data and planning to help make educated decisions when it comes to the large number of retirements expected this year.
House Bill 5445: An Act Concerning State Staffing Levels.  The state employee staffing issues we are facing are not by accident.  Connecticut has a history of staffing up drastically and then ignoring staffing levels until it is too late.  The most famous case of this was in the early 1980’s after the Mianis River Bridge collapse in Greenwich.  The hiring that followed in the late 1990’s is a major contributor to the “Silver Tsunami'' that we are having this year.  Instead of level hiring since the late 1990’s, the state workforce has been neglected and slowly starved to the brink.  HB 5445 would have required state agencies to fill vacancies and engage in continuous recruitment for open positions.    
    As the legislative session went on, all of these bills were eventually merged together into one legislative vehicle.  This is a not uncommon practice that helps streamline the legislative process.  Unfortunately, as the time of the legislative session drew to a close, we were unable to move these legislative proposals forward.
Funding and staffing the State Contracting Standards Board.  The State Contracting Standards Board was established in 2007 after 15 years of advocacy to bring real oversight and transparency to state contracting.  The Board’s formation came on the heels of the I-84 storm drain fiasco.  Private consulting inspection forces failed to notice that the construction company did not complete drainage runs during the construction of I-84 heading West into Waterbury.  A DOT engineer from CSEA discovered this $24 million dollar error that would have eventually led to the highway washing out, causing catastrophic damage and possibly loss of life.
    This session was a mixed bag for the Board.  On the plus side, for the first time in its history, the Board will be properly funded.  The state budget, House Bill 5506, provides the Board with the financial resources it needs to do its work.  However, CSEA members and our allies in SEBAC, were fighting all session long to make additional improvements that would have protected the Board’s funding and enhanced its abilities to deliver for Connecticut residents.  The best piece of legislation to do that was Senate Bill 473.  That bill would have protected the Board’s funding from future budget cuts, in the same way that the budget for state agencies like the State Elections Enforcement Commission is protected, while improving and expanding its contract analysis work.  Despite SB 473 passing unanimously out of the Government Administration and Elections Committee and the Senate, there was too much pushback from state agencies to get this bill called in the House.     
Recovery for All Legislative Proposals.  CSEA members helped form the Recovery for All coalition because we know that every working person is an ally in the battle to create an economy that works for everyone.  Recovery for All is a statewide coalition of labor, community, and faith organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people united in a long-term mission to eliminate systemic inequalities and rebuild a better Connecticut.  CSEA and our partners in the Coalition advocated throughout session for the creation of a truly equitable state tax system, protecting funding for public services and jobs, and establishing racial and economic justice.  Despite rallies, press conferences, phone calls, op-eds, letters to the editor, advertisements, emails, and social media actions - to say nothing of record gains for the uber-rich and a historic budget surplus, the General Assembly failed to make meaningful progress in addressing the inequities that continue to exist in our tax 
system.
Paraeducator Legislation from the School Paraeducator Advisory Council. Last session, CSEA members helped pass House Bill 6621: An Act Concerning Assorted Revisions and Additions to the Education Statutes which included language directing the School Paraeducator Advisory Council to put together a study and legislative recommendations regarding improving para career development, professional training, pay, and benefits. The Council formed a task force that included CSEA members, which submitted the study and recommendations that formed the basis of House Bill 5321: An Act Implementing Certain Recommendations of the School Paraeducator Advisory Council during 2022 legislative session.  HB 5321 would have required the State Department of Education to conduct an annual review of healthcare plans and compare them to the Connecticut Partnership Plan to find savings; allowed paraeducators to attend Planning and Placement Team meetings and view student Individual Education Plans; directed the State Department of Education Commissioner to create a working group to explore a paraeducator certification program; established clear professional development plans for paraeducators; and directed local or regional boards of education to collect information on the number of paraeducators employed within each district and several data points on wages and healthcare costs.  As often happens during session, after passing unanimously out of the Education and Appropriations Committees, this bill did not move forward.  But, due to the tireless efforts of CSEA paraeducators as well as members of other unions representing paras, several parts of HB 5321 were put into other pieces of legislation that are now on the Governor’s desk.  Senate Bill 9 includes money for paraeducator professional development programs, House Bill 5506 includes the language creating a system of paraeducator career development, and House Bill 5466 includes the language that will allow paras to attend PPT meetings and view IEPs.  There is more work to do, but this represents a major step forward for Connecticut’s paraeducators.
Family Child Care Providers.  This session, CSEA family child care providers supported a bill that would “clarify and enforce protections for licensed group child care homes and licensed family child care homes and prevent landlords from placing restrictions on the operation of such homes.”  The bill, Senate Bill 291: An Act Concerning Certain Protections for Group and Family Child Care Homes, made it through the committee process, but did not receive a final vote in the Senate.  And, while this bill did not make it all the way this year, providers helped pass several major pieces of legislation that will have positive and far reaching impacts.  Senate Bill 1: An Act Concerning Childhood Mental and Physical Health Services in Schools, Senate Bill 2: An At Expanding Preschool and Mental and Behavioral Services for Children, and House Bill 5001: An Act Concerning Children's Mental Health are all focused on the continued well-being of our state’s children.  Child care providers, like many other CSEA members, never stopped working during the ongoing, deadly COVID-19 pandemic.  And, they know firsthand what a major impact it had and continues to have on kids.  These three bills are a commitment to our youngest residents and an example of the type of legislation that we wish we didn’t need to pass, but know we have to.  And, as part of the budget, providers helped secure a $150 million investment in the Office of Early Childhood.  This money will go towards fixing long standing problems in the early child care system, such as improving mental health programs as well as hiring and retaining child care workers.  And, in addition to wage supplements that providers will receive, this funding will help add 13,000 infant and toddler spots in state funded child care programs, while at the same time increasing workforce training.
Indoor Air Quality in Schools.  As we have in past legislative sessions, CSEA joined with a wide range of other unions and organizations to support a bill to improve indoor air quality in schools, Senate Bill 423: An Act Improving Indoor Air Quality in Public School Classrooms.  Although this bill did not make it to the Governor's desk, major parts of it were included in the budget: such as $75 million for a school HVAC grant program over the next two years (with the possibility of an additional $100 million in bonding); in-depth HVAC assessments for all schools to be completed by certified technicians by July 2024 and every five years afterward; and the creation of a special working group to identify and develop optimal indoor humidity and temperature ranges, emergency school closure criteria, protocols to be used by school districts to receive, investigate, and address complaints or evidence of mold, pest infestation, hazardous odors or chemicals, and poor indoor air-quality, as well as a number of other important issues regarding indoor air quality in schools.
Probate Court Collective Bargaining.  For the past several sessions, CSEA has been working to pass a bill that will give employees in Connecticut’s probate court system collective bargaining rights and the ability to join a union if they want.  This session, the bill was Senate Bill 209: An Act Concerning the Status of Probate Court System Employees.  SB 209 passed out of the Labor and Public Employees and Appropriations Committees, but it was not called for a vote in the Senate.  Even with this legislative setback, the struggle to win respect and dignity for all workers will continue.  No worker should be denied the basic and fundamental rights of collective bargaining.  CSEA stands with our fellow workers in the probate court system and will always support legislation that expands a worker’s right to choose to join a union.  
    As we await the Governor’s signing pen or veto stamp and reflect on the advances we made, we’re mindful of the many challenges and threats that lie ahead.  As the labor leader Samuel Gompers said so many years ago and is still true today, “Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people.... There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too long endured that we are not determined to abolish.”  While the 2022 legislative session might have come to an end, we will be ready for 2023 with a determination to achieve for our members and all workers.

Governor Lamont Delivers Budget Address

Governor Lamont delivered his FY 2022-2023 proposed mid-term budget adjustments to the General Assembly in his state of the state speech this month. The $24.2 billion budget proposal Governor Lamont offered is 2.4% more than the biennium budget approved in June 2021 and is $5.6 million under the spending cap. It is compliant with the revenue cap, volatility cap and statutory debt limit.  It includes $325 million in revenue policy changes and $274 million in expenditure policy chances.

With an influx of federal COVID-relief monies and swelling revenues from investors and high-income earners during the pandemic, the state’s financial picture is rosier than it has been in recent years. The State Comptroller has projected a FY 2022 budget surplus of $1.48 billion and other analysts predict it could grow to almost $2 billion. The Rainy Day Fund also stands at its statutory maximum of $3.1 billion.  

Governor Lamont proposed a package of modest tax cuts, including:

(1) increasing the property tax credit from $200 to $300 and expanding it to all property owners with household incomes of up $130,500; (2) accelerating a planned phase-in to exempt pensions and annuities from state income tax from 2025 to 2022; (3) expanding the student loan tax credit for employers who pay down workers’ student loans; and (4) lowering the mill rate cap on motor vehicle property taxes from 45 to 29 mills and reimbursing local governments for lost revenue.

Several weeks ago, Governor Lamont announced that he would use federal COVID relief funds to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 30.5% to 41.5% for tax year 2020.  In this budget proposal, he maintains most of that increase for tax year 2021, but does not continue it in future years.

In addition, better than assumed revenue projections caused Lamont to propose shifting $810 million of federal ARPA funds previously allocated for revenue replacement into an off-budget account for new and expanded programs. The mechanism would allow the Governor and policymakers to bypass the spending cap.

And while we are glad that Governor Lamont took a step in the right direction by proposing $15 million for pandemic pay for essential state workers (which is in addition to the $20 million that was previously allocated for state essential workers in the FY 2022-2023 biennium budget), he refused to include any for municipal or private sector essential workers. None of those funds have been distributed and are part of ongoing negotiations.  Despite declaring healthcare workers, firefighters, janitors, teachers and school staff, police officers, transit workers, grocery store employees, corrections officers and many others “essential” with the stroke of a pen, Governor Lamont has ignored their sacrifice and the risks they have had to take.  

Another disappointment was the Governor’s failure to adequately fund the State Contracting Standards Board.  Instead, the Governor largely moves oversight of state contracting to the Auditors of Public Accounts and allows the Auditors “to receive referrals of procurement issues” from the State Contracting Standards Board. This change will effectively neuter one of our state’s most important oversight entities. The proposal to eliminate the Board’s enforcement powers, at a time when contracting procedures need as much transparency as possible, is dangerous and shortsighted.

CSEA members have been busy testifying in front of the Appropriations Committee to ensure that our legislative priorities are pushed through this short legislative session. If you are interested in testifying - either in person or by submitting written testimony - please contact Danny Medress, our Political Director, at DMedress@csea760.com. He will be able to help you craft your testimony, walk you through the process of signing up for in person testimony or submitting written testimony. 

2022 Legislative Agenda

    As we say goodbye to 2021 and look forward to what 2022 has the potential to bring, CSEA members are focused on the coming start of the General Assembly’s next legislative session.  From February 9 through May 4, 151 state Representatives and 36 state Senators serving constituents from throughout the 169 municipalities of Connecticut will convene to conduct the people’s business.  What this session will look like - in-person or virtual - and which people will be served - working and middle class residents or the super rich and large corporations - remains to be seen.  The ongoing pandemic will dictate the former, but the latter is up to us.  CSEA members have a long history of pushing General Assembly members to make the right choices when it comes to budget and legislative priorities, and that involvement and activism will be crucial to ensure our elected officials are advancing legislation which puts working people first.
    The CSEA Legislative Action Committee (LAC), which is composed of members from every council in our local, working with rank-and-file members, member-leaders, and staff have recommended and the Executive Council has approved a strong and expansive agenda for the 2022 legislative session.  It is one that includes items which impact every member of CSEA.  The next legislative session presents a range of challenges and obstacles, but also significant opportunities to shape critical public policies that will improve our careers, our lives, and the services we provide.

2022 Legislative Agenda

    Approval of Collective Bargaining Agreements.  All state employee collective bargaining agreements and arbitrated awards must be voted on by both chambers of the General Assembly.  Currently, the seven state bargaining units represented by CSEA, as well as the 27 others represented by different union locals, are negotiating contracts with the State.  In the 2022 legislative session, we are hopeful that all state employee bargaining units will have agreements or awards before the legislature.  CSEA members will fight to pass, not only, our own contracts, but will work with our fellow union members to ensure that every contract is approved.  CSEA represents multiple state bargaining units:

*P-3A (Education Administrators);
*P-3B (Education Professions);
*P-4 (Engineering, Scientific, & Technical);
*NP-8 (Correction Supervisors Council);
*Police Inspectors Council;
*Supervising Judicial Marshals; and
*NP- 9 (State Police Lieutenants and    
 Captains).


    SEBAC Legislative Proposals. - The State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) is made up of the unions that represent state employees.  And, while the coalition was created by state law to consolidate bargaining over pensions and healthcare, there is no denying the power of all state employee locals coming together to advocate with one clear voice.  
    For the 2022 session, SEBAC unions will be working to advance legislative proposals that fund services and jobs, protect against the misguided push for privatization, and address the longstanding problem of short staffing.  CSEA members will also work with our allies in SEBAC to get the General Assembly to, not only, restore full funding of the State Contracting Standards Board (SCSB), but also pass legislation that will improve and enhance its operations.  A properly resourced SCSB will be an effective tool for safeguarding public dollars, services, and jobs.  
    Recovery for All Legislative Proposals - CSEA members helped form the Recovery for All coalition because we know that every working person is an ally in the battle to create an economy that works for everyone.  Recovery for All is a statewide coalition of labor, community, and faith organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people united in a long-term mission to eliminate systemic inequalities and rebuild a better Connecticut. CSEA will work with our partners in the Coalition to support legislation focused on creating a truly equitable state tax system, protecting funding for public services and jobs, and establishing racial and economic justice. 
    Paraeducator Legislation from the School Paraeducator Advisory Council - Last session, CSEA members helped pass House Bill 6621: An Act Concerning Assorted Revisions and Additions to the Education Statutes which included language directing the School Paraeducator Advisory Council to put together a study and legislative recommendations regarding improving para career development, professional training, pay, and benefits.  
The Council formed a task force, that includes CSEA members, which is working on the study and 
recommendations which will be submitted to the Education Committee for action in the 2022 legislative session.  
    Zoning for Child Care Providers - In the previous legislative session, CSEA supported a bill championed by our allies in All Our Kin - an organization that trains, supports, and sustains family child care educators, SB 87: An Act Concerning Certain Protections for Group and Family Child Care Homes, that would “clarify and enforce protections for licensed group child care homes and licensed family child care homes and prevent landlords from placing restrictions on the operation of such homes.”  This is an important bill for the home-based family child care providers represented by CSEA that made it all the way to the floor of the Senate, but was not called for a vote before the end of session.  Next session, we will join with our allies to get it to the Governor’s desk.    
    Indoor Air Quality in Schools - During the 2021 session, CSEA joined with a wide range of other unions and organizations to support a bill to improve indoor air quality in schools, SB 288: An Act Concerning Indoor Air Quality in Schools.  This bill made it out of the Education Committee, but did not make it any further.  This has always been an important piece of legislation, but especially so in the time of the airborne, deadly COVID pandemic.  While this bill fell short in the last session, CSEA members and the other supporters of this legislative proposal will be 
working hard to get it signed into law in the upcoming one.
    Probate Court Collective Bargaining - For the past several sessions, CSEA has been working to pass a bill that will give employees in Connecticut’s probate court system collective bargaining rights and the ability to join a union if they want.  Last session, the bill was HB 6382: An Act Concerning the Status of Probate Court System Employees.  It is just plain wrong that there is a group of workers who are legally barred from even thinking about joining a union and engaging in collective bargaining.  CSEA members stand with the probate court workers and will work with them to pass this necessary update to Connecticut’s labor laws. 
    It turns out the old saying “Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made,” is wrong.  The only way to ensure good laws - or sausages that won’t give you food poisoning - are made is to be involved.  That’s why we put forward this agenda, testify at public hearings, contact our General Assembly members and do what we can to be part of the legislative process.  Afterall, there is another old saying that is accurate: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” 

CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Political Education Director, Daniel I. Medress Delivers an End of Session Wrap Up on June 11, 2021

Since March of last year, we have found ourselves in unprecedented times.  A deadly global pandemic has caused disruption on a scale we have not seen in any of our lifetimes.  And, we all bore witness to the insurrection in Washington, D.C. on January 6.  We have lost friends and loved ones, we have watched our democratic republic challenged like never before, and we have tried to continue on in the hopes that some semblance of normalcy returns.  CSEA members, like too many others, have had to put their lives on the line to make sure that the critical work we do gets done.

And, just like we have continued to serve the public, on January 6, members of the Connecticut General Assembly convened their regular legislative session to conduct the people’s business.  As we are every year, CSEA members were deeply involved in this year’s session.  From proposing bills to testifying at public hearings to contacting legislators and so much more, CSEA members adapted to the challenges of this legislative session.  We fought hard for a legislative agenda that put members first while honoring and respecting the important work we do.

2021 General Assembly Session Highlights

  • The Budget: At the top of CSEA’s 2021 Legislative Agenda was passing a fair budget that increases revenue through taxes on Connecticut’s wealthiest residents, rejects privatization schemes, and funds the services we provide and the benefits we have earned.  While the General Assembly was able to pass a biennial budget (House Bill 6689) and a bond package (House Bill 6690), they were not able to pass the so-called “implementer bill” (this is the legislative term for the bill(s) that outline how the money allocated in the budget is spent - the bill implements the budget).  As the CSEA News goes to print, we do not yet have a date for the Special Session the General Assembly will hold to pass an implementer bill.  During this Special Session, the House and Senate will also take up legislation detailing the distribution of the remaining federal funds received through the American Rescue Plan (ARP).  They are also expected to take up legislation to legalize and regulate the recreational use and sale of cannabis; a bill to do this (Senate Bill 1118) passed the Senate, but stalled in the House on the final day of session.

    The $46 billion budget that covers FY2022 and FY2023 falls short in many areas.  As is constitutionally required it is balanced, but, to achieve that, legislators relied on over $2 billion in money from the ARP.  This use of federal money is a one-time thing.  Two years from now, Connecticut will not have this resource to balance the books.  That was part of the reason why CSEA joined with allies in the Recovery for All coalition to advocate for a realignment of our current tax system, which places too much of a burden on working people, and instead ask our state’s millionaires and billionaires to pay a little more in taxes.  Governor Ned Lamont was adamant that this was a policy decision he was unwilling to explore, but the problems of Connecticut’s unfair tax system is not one that is just going to go away.  Going forward, the work CSEA and other Recovery for All coalition partners do to fix this unequal system will be vital to ensuring that Connecticut has an economy that works for everyone and a budget that is not balanced on the backs of public employees.

    The budget does not make progress in addressing short staffing issues that are experienced firsthand by CSEA members.  It does not include increased funding for the educational programs in our state’s prisons provided by CSEA members.  And, it does not include a consultant line item in the Department of Transportation’s section of the budget.  All things CSEA members fought hard to achieve.

    The budget, also, does not fund pandemic pay bonuses for workers who were required to go to worksites during the pandemic.  CSEA members like those working in the Southbury Training School, in our state’s prison facilities, as family child care providers, or board of education workers like bus drivers and paraeducators literally put their lives on the line to do their jobs.  Recognizing the commitment and bravery of these people with a pandemic pay bonus for the time they spent at their worksites is the right and fair thing to do.  Creating a pandemic pay program and passing legislation to fund it with ARP money and put it into effect is at the core of CSEA’s Special Session agenda. 

    As frustrating as these things are, there are a few bright points in this year’s biennial budget: municipalities and boards of education are receiving an increase in state funds, the State Contracting Standards Board will finally be properly funded with enough money to do it’s important oversight work, and billions of dollars are going into the state employee pension and health care funds.  This is not the budget that we would have passed, but it contains no layoffs and no attacks on collective bargaining.      

  • Pass State Employee Contracts.  All state employee collective bargaining agreements and binding arbitration awards must be approved by a vote of the House of Representatives and Senate.  This session, the contract for the newest members of the CSEA family, State School Principals, passed through both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support.    

  • Paraeducator compensation improvement and career development. After many years of hard work, CSEA paraeducators, working with our brothers and sisters in other union locals that represent paras, passed legislation that will start the process of dramatically improving their pay, benefits, training, professional development, career opportunities, and working conditions.  Sections 509 and 510 of House Bill 6621 will direct the School Paraeducator Advisory Council to spend the next several months compiling a series of legislative recommendations for the 2022 legislative session.  This proposal will allow for the development of a statewide, uniform system for paraeducator qualifications, career development, pay rates, and retirement and health care benefits.

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Injury coverage for Department of Corrections workers.  For years, members of CSEA’s Correction Supervisors Council have been working to pass legislation that expands PTSI coverage to include them, and other emergency responders.  Although current law covers police officers, DOC-employed parole officers, and    firefighters diagnosed with PTSI, other DOC workers, emergency dispatchers, and EMS workers were excluded.  Senate Bill 660 corrects that problem and passed unanimously through both chambers of the General Assembly.

  • Early voting and no excuse voting by mail.  Allowing voters to vote early or by mail without an excuse is something Connecticut should have done long ago.  CSEA and allies helped pass two constitutional amendments that will give voters the chance to finally create a system of early and no excuse voting.  House Joint Resolution 58, a constitutional amendment to allow no excuse absentee voting, passed through both chambers, but because it did not pass with a supermajority, it needs to be voted on again by legislators during next year’s General Assembly session.  If it passes through the House and Senate, it will be placed on the 2024 General Election ballot.  House Joint Resolution 59, a constitutional amendment to allow early in-person voting, passed through both chambers and will be on the 2022 General Election ballot for voter approval (it was already approved by both chambers during a previous session).

  •  Protecting collective bargaining after the Supreme Court’s bad decision in the Janus case.  Anti-union forces funded the Janus case because they saw it as an opportunity to deliver a body blow to the labor movement.  For them, it was not about public policy or free speech, but a chance to financially hamstring labor unions.  Labor unions are still here, members are still here, and now, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 908, we have a key tool to ensure that members rights, jobs, and benefits are protected.  The bill (1) requires public employers to provide the union with access to orientations for new public employee hires and up-to- date bargaining unit lists with worksite locations and contact information; (2) clarifies the dues deduction authorization process; (3) maintains the union’s ability to meet with members during the workday to respond to grievances, complaints and other issues; and (4) requires public employers to refrain from deterring or discouraging public employees from becoming or remaining members of a union.

These are just a few highlights from the 2021 Connecticut General Assembly session.  With the State Capitol closed to the public due to the ongoing deadly COVID-19 pandemic, CSEA members rolled up their sleeves, literally and virtually, to pass, amend, and defeat legislation of crucial interest and importance.  Some parts of our agenda - the public health care option (Senate Bill 842) and collective bargaining rights for probate court workers (House Bill 6382), for instance - did not move forward this session.  Other bills we were able to stop - such as the privatization of building inspections (Senate Bill 846) - or fix - Senate Bill 920, for example, started as a bad public-private partnership bill, but CSEA members got it amended to take out dangerous language and to put in strong protections for workers and the general public - can always come back later.

As we close the chapter on this very unique legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly, we look ahead and remember the words of former 1199 President Carmen Boudier, “The work, it never ends.”


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