STRUCTURE AND DUTIES

• The commissioner must collect and publish data on employment, unemployment, and employee earnings; provide the governor with analysis of current and anticipated employment needs; and coordinate all employment and training programs. She must administer numerous labor laws including minimum wage, youth employment, family and medical leave, unemployment insurance compensation, and prevailing wage. She has the power to summon and examine witnesses as needed under state labor laws.

• The governor appoints.

• Confirmed by either chamber, as determined by the governor.

CURRENT ISSUES

1. Connecticut's minimum wage, $ 7. 65 an hour, is one of the highest in the nation. Do you think this helps or hurts the state's economy?

2. In recent sessions, including this session, bills were introduced to require private sector employers to provide a certain number of paid sick days for their employees. What kind of burden would this law place on small businesses? Also, what enforcement challenges would such a law present to your department?

3. Do you believe the Department of Labor has a role in policing workplaces to find illegal immigrants?

AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES

1. In your 35 years with the department, you have worked in various capacities (employment advisor, training specialist, grants and contracts manager, Workforce Investment Act operational support manager) and seen the department from several vantage points. Do you think the department is properly organized and structured to handle the demands the changing economy places on our workforce?

2. What is the department doing to address long-term changes in the nature of the state's workforce, such as (a) the “graying” of the workforce and (b) the increasing diversity of the workforce?

3. Are enough businesses taking advantage of the department's recruitment assistance and no-cost training? How can you evaluate these programs to ensure they are providing businesses with the most help possible?

4. How does the agency enforce wage and hour laws, especially in the retail sector?

JM: ts