Approved by the Legislative Commissioner

April 29, 2011

AN ACT CONCERNING STATE EMPLOYEES AND TRAINING TO DEAL WITH WORKPLACE VIOLENCE.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 4a-2a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):

(a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Commissioner of Public Safety, shall, within the limits of available appropriations, provide an appropriate program of workplace stress [and violence] awareness [,] and prevention [and preparedness] for state employees.

(b) On or before January 1, 2012, the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall develop an employee training program to instruct state employees on workplace violence awareness, prevention and preparedness. Any full-time employee, as defined in section 5-196, employed by the state prior to January 1, 2012, shall be required to attend the training described in this subsection. Any full-time employee employed by the state on or after January 1, 2012, shall be required, not later than six months from the date of hire, to attend the training described in this subsection as a condition of his or her employment.

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst's professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

The bill results in no fiscal impact to the extent that the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is not required to redesign its existing workplace violence training program, re-train prior participants or validate prior participation for employees.

House “A” removes the deadline by which full-time employees, hired prior to January 1, 2012, must complete workplace violence awareness training and results in no fiscal impact.

The Out Years

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact: None

OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 5174 (File 31, as amended by House "A")*

AN ACT CONCERNING STATE EMPLOYEES AND TRAINING TO DEAL WITH WORKPLACE VIOLENCE.

SUMMARY:

By January 1, 2012, this bill requires the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) commissioner to develop an employee training program on workplace violence awareness, prevention, and preparedness. The training must be offered often enough to permit full-time state employees hired after January 1, 2012 to attend the training within six months of being hired, as the bill makes this a condition of his or her continued employment. Full-time employees hired before January 1, 2012 must attend the training, but the bill places no deadline on this.

The bill eliminates the requirement that the DAS commissioner, in consultation with the mental health and addiction services and public safety commissioners, include workplace violence awareness, prevention, and preparedness in his annual training program; thus limiting this program to a workplace stress awareness and prevention.

*House Amendment “A” removes the July 1, 2013 deadline for employees hired before July 1, 2012 to attend the training.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2011

COMMITTEE ACTION

Labor and Public Employees Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute

Government Administration and Elections Committee

Joint Favorable