HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, in partnership with the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority,  announced the launch of a new website – CTPaidLeave.org – with the goal of supporting all Connecticut residents to understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities based on the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA). The site is built to provide information for all employers, employees, and healthcare providers to better navigate this new, comprehensive program, administered by the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority.

The Connecticut Paid Leave program is set to begin on January 1, 2021, making the new website a vital tool for all impacted employees, employers, sole proprietors and self-employed individuals to understand their roles and responsibilities. Paid Leave program benefits become accessible to qualified employees beginning on January 1, 2022.

The new website serves as more than just an informational guide to the new PFMLA legislation, but also provides many of the tools needed by employers, employees, third-party administrators and healthcare professionals to begin preparing for and implementing the changes necessitated by this new program.

Some of these tools include:

·       Downloadable fact sheets, video guides and timelines specific to employer, employee, and sole proprietor/self-employed individuals’ needs.

·       An estimator tool to help employees anticipate payroll deductions. (The program is funded through payroll deductions)

·       Resources for sole proprietors and self-employed individuals interested in opting in to the program.

·       Resources for employers interested in applying for an exemption from the program.

·       Resources specific to all business types on how to register with the CT Paid Leave Authority.

·       Frequently Asked Questions that are updated periodically to include the most common inquiries as this new program is rolled out.

The website has launched as a result of the efforts of many people and organizations advocating for the support of the paid family and medical leave in Connecticut. In particular, the co-chairs of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, State Senator Julie Kushner and State Representative Robyn Porter, were instrumental in making Connecticut Paid Leave program a reality.

In addition to advocacy in the Connecticut state legislature, this new program was met with support from the private sector — including business owners, labor groups, employees, and healthcare providers.

“No one should have to choose between caring for their family when they need it most, and paying their bills,” Governor Lamont said. “This program was put together thoughtfully to ensure that working families in our state don’t have to make that tough choice. Now more than ever, it’s important that we make these tools available – if we’ve learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the importance of planning ahead. This website is an incredible tool that will help employers and employees alike effectively prepare for this new program. I want to thank the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, the legislature, organized labor, and advocacy organizations for their work and support of this effort.”

“Never has it been more clear the importance of having resources available to Connecticut working families as they balance their workplace responsibilities with their personal and family health needs,” Connecticut Paid Leave CEO Andrea Barton Reeves said. “The launching of this comprehensive new website is a significant step forward in our goal to help employers, employees and healthcare providers access these resources, and to provide a gateway to vital information for everyone to better understand their rights, roles and responsibilities in this new program.”

“The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority has been focused on making sure that this program is administered effectively and efficiently, and that everyone has what they need to prepare for the changes it will bring,” Connecticut Chief Operating Officer and Administrative Services Commissioner Josh Geballe said. “Even while the state is combating a global pandemic, we have moved forward developing resources for employers and employees that will help answer their questions and enable them to spend more time building their business, and with their family – and less time searching for information.”

“The launch of this comprehensive website marks a critical step as Connecticut enacts one of the strongest paid leave programs in the country,” Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) Policy Director Madeline Granato said. “CWEALF is proud to continue to lead the campaign for paid family leave here in Connecticut and work alongside the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority to ensure that all workers in our state receive critical information and resources about Connecticut’s new and upcoming paid leave program.”

Governor Lamont signed

the Paid Family Medical Leave Act into law on June 25, 2019. It offers Connecticut workers the opportunity to take time to attend to personal and family health needs without worrying about lost income. The formation of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority was a result of last year’s legislation, and provides Connecticut’s workforce access to paid leave benefits, as well as helpful tools and resources to help employers administer this new program. The authority is a quasi-public agency led by CEO Andrea Barton Reeves.

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#WASHINGTON, DC] – Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) introduced the Wear Your Mask Act today, requiring that all people in federal buildings and facilities across the country – including post offices, Social Security offices, and the U.S. Capitol – wear a face mask any time they are within six feet of another person.

“Mask wearing should be considered a moral and health mandate— our single best method to combat the coronavirus,” said Blumenthal. “Backed by both common sense and science, our measure would impose this public health imperative in all federal buildings. Even with a vaccine, mask wearing will be a vital tool in conquering COVID-19, along with physical distancing and similar public health steps. This measure makes masks more available as well as mandatory, setting a model for all buildings.”

“When it comes to finding solutions for tough problems, I often say that we should find out what works and do more of that,” said Carper. “The challenges our country faces today with COVID-19 are daunting, but the science is clear, and we know what works in our battle against this deadly virus. Health experts around the world have made it abundantly clear: wearing a mask reduces transmission of the coronavirus. At a time when the American people are looking to the federal government to set a good example and be guided by science and facts, I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Wear Your Mask Act to do just that. Together, and with health experts leading the way, we can protect each other and make it through this pandemic a stronger and more resilient nation.”

“Workers in these buildings are risking their lives during this public health emergency to keep the federal government functioning, and this common sense legislation would make going to work safer for them,” said Brown. “But it’s no substitute for the comprehensive workplace safety requirements the Trump Administration should have issued and enforced months ago that would require employers to protect workers, including those who work in federal buildings, from COVID-19.”

“The science is clear: wearing masks saves lives,” said Hirono. “Requiring masks inside federal buildings will reduce transmission of the coronavirus. I urge the Senate to swiftly consider this legislation to protect federal workers, visitors, and others.”

The legislation would also require masks to be provided to all employees, visitors, and others inside the federal buildings who do not have one. The bill would be in effect until the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases determines this requirement is no longer needed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The House introduced its version of the Wear Your Mask Act in July, led by U.S. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX).

“In the Houston region and across the country, we have seen the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on our communities and one of the few tools we currently have available to reduce the spread of the virus is to wear a face mask,” said Garcia. “That’s why I introduced the Wear Your Mask Act in the House, and feel honored that Senators Blumenthal, Carper, Brown, and Hirono are leading the Senate version. As we continue fighting this virus, we must all take simple common-sense actions that will prioritize the safety and well-being of federal workers and the general public that visit federal government buildings. And for us, it should start by making sure that anyone who needs a face mask, but does not have one upon entering any federal building, will have access to a face mask for their safety and the safety of others.”

The legislation was endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

“The CDC recommends that everyone above the age of 2 wear face masks in public settings to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley. “As the largest union representing federal and D.C. government workers, AFGE applauds Senator Blumenthal’s legislation, a companion to a House bill introduced by Rep. Garcia, that would require employees and visitors in any federally owned, leased, or operated buildings and facilities to wear masks until the threat of transmission has ended.”

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