On June 4, 2025, embedded in an omnibus bonding bill, the Connecticut General Assembly amended the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Act as it applies to certain employees of municipalities and boards of education. While the proposed text has passed both the Senate and the House, it will not go into effect until the Governor signs the bill.
Let’s get one big question out of the way: this bill does not exempt any municipal or board employers from the Paid Sick Leave Act. To the extent that there was ever a question about whether the Paid Sick Leave Act applies to school boards or municipalities, this amendment confirms that it always has.
What the text of the bill does do is simple. As originally passed, the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Act required employers to allow their employees to take the paid sick leave time in the minimum increment of one hour. If signed by the Governor, this bill would eliminate the one-hour increment minimum for the following employees of boards of education and municipalities if those employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement:
- Police Officers
- Fire Fighters
- Employees of a public works department
- “School employees” as defined by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-65
Now, municipalities and boards of education will be permitted to limit the use of the paid sick leave to the minimum increment prescribed in the collective bargaining agreement. For example, if a collective bargaining agreement states that sick leave may only be used in half-day increments, then the employer is able to, once more, follow the terms of the contract. No more one-hour increment scheduling difficulties.
While this change comes far short of what some had wanted, it will return some power back to the employer to govern their operations and appropriately plan scheduling. We will continue to monitor the bills coming out of the general assembly and provide updated guidance as the dust settles on this legislative session.
