File No. 233

House of Representatives, March 27, 2013

The Committee on Labor and Public Employees reported through REP. TERCYAK of the 26th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE INSURANCE.

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

Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2013) (a) There is established a Task Force on Family Medical Leave Insurance. The task force shall study the feasibility of establishing an insurance program to provide short-term benefits to workers who are unable to work due to (1) pregnancy or the birth of a child, (2) a non-work-related illness or injury, or (3) the need to care for a seriously ill child, spouse or parent.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: (1) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor and public employees; (2) the executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, or said executive director's designee; (3) the Insurance Commissioner, or said commissioner's designee; (4) the Labor Commissioner, or said commissioner's designee; (5) the State Comptroller, or said Comptroller's designee; (6) three members of the public appointed by the Governor, one of whom represents an organization that advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities, one of whom represents an organization that advocates for infant health and one of whom represents an organization that advocates for individuals sixty-five years of age or older; (7) two members of the public appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom represents an organization that provides legal services to low-income individuals and one of whom serves or has served in a care-giving institution, as defined in section 20-571 of the general statutes; (8) two members of the public appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom represents an organization that advocates for individuals with chronic or acute illnesses and one of whom represents a labor organization; (9) two members of the public appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one of whom represents an organization that provides medical care to working families and one of whom represents the insurance industry; (10) two members of the public appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, one of whom represents an organization that advocates for working families and one of whom represents the interests of women-owned businesses; (11) two members of the public appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of whom represents an organization that provides temporary disability insurance and one of whom represents the interests of small businesses; and (12) two members of the public appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, one of whom represents the interests of state businesses and one of whom represents the interests of parents.

(c) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than July 31, 2013. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(d) The executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women shall serve as the chairperson and schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than September 1, 2013. The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women shall provide any necessary support staff or services for the task force.

(e) Not later than October 1, 2014, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor and public employees, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.

(f) The task force shall terminate on October 1, 2014.

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In section 1(b)(3), "Commissioner of Insurance" was changed to "Insurance Commissioner" for consistency.

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:

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

There may be a cost of less than $1,000 to agencies participating in the task force to reimburse legislators and agency staff for mileage expenses.

The Out Years

There is no ongoing fiscal impact as the task force terminates by FY 15.

OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 6553

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE INSURANCE.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Legislative Research does not analyze Special Acts.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Labor and Public Employees Committee

Joint Favorable