HB 5469 — AN ACT CONCERNING FLEXIBLE HOLIDAYS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES.

House of Representatives General Assembly SubstituteFile Bill No.

5469374 February Session, 2024 ANSubstitute ACTHouse CONCERNINGBill FLEXIBLENo. HOLIDAYS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES.

5469 House of Representatives, April 9, 2024 The Committee on Labor and Public Employees reported through REP.

SANCHEZ, E.

of the 24th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING FLEXIBLE HOLIDAYS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES.

The Commissioner of Administrative Services may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, concerning the accrual, prorating and granting ofsHB5469 vacation/ leaveFile withNo. pay as required.

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374 of vacation leave with pay as required.

(b) An appointing authority may permit a full-time permanent employee in the state service to accumulate vacation days with pay up to a maximum of one hundred twenty vacation days, subject to LCOregulations 1issued ofby 3the SubstituteCommissioner Billof No.Administrative Services.

5469 regulations issued by the Commissioner of Administrative Services.

(d) In addition to annual vacation, each appointing authority shall permit each full-time permanent employee in the state service to substitute two flexible holidays for two legal holidays, designated pursuanttosection1-4,pursuanttosection1-4,withpayineachcalendaryear.Flexibleholidays withpayineachcalendaryear.Flexibleholidays may be used for any reason an employee deems necessary, including, but not limited to, religious holidays and cultural festivities and shall not be deducted from vacation or sick leave credits.

[(d)] (e) Vacation accruals earned by employees in the unclassified service, in accordance with administrative practice or internal departmental policy, which accrual practice or policy was included, by the appointing authority, in the terms of employment on the basis of whichsHB5469 such/ employeesFile wereNo. employed prior to July 1, 1972, and which accruals have not been used and which can be verified by written attendance records, remain to the credit of such employees for use as vacation time or for payment as provided in section 5-252, as the case may be.

LCO374 2 ofsHB5469 3File Substitute Bill No.

5469374 [(e)]which (f)such Notwithstandingemployees thewere provisionsemployed ofprior thisto section,July a1, general1972, workerand employedwhich inaccruals ahave positionnot bybeen theused Departmentand ofwhich Developmentalcan Servicesbe asverified aby self-advocate,written notattendance records, remain to exceedthe elevencredit of such generalemployees workers,for shalluse beas eligiblevacation time or for proratedpayment vacationas andprovided personalin leave.section 5-252, as the case may be.

[(e)] (f) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a general worker employed in a position by the Department of Developmental Services as a self-advocate, not to exceed eleven such general workers, shall be eligible for prorated vacation and personal leave.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, subsection (c) of section 5-247 and subsection [(d)] (e) of section 5-250, as amended by this act, sick leave accruals earned by employees of the Judicial Department prior to June 30, 1967, may be credited for payment on retirementunder regulationspromulgatedbythejudgesoftheSupremeregulationspromulgated bythejudgesoftheSupreme Court pursuant to the provisions of this section.

Section 1 October 1, 2024 Section 1 5-250 Sec.

-LCO LCOsHB5469 3/ ofFile 3No.

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374 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:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Various State Agencies All Funds - Minimal Minimal Cost/Savings Note:

All Funds=All Funds Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which allows full-time state employees to substitute up to two of their state holidays for up to two flexible holidays of their choice within the same fiscal year, results in a minimal net impact to the state.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

sHB5469 / File No.

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374 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5469 AN ACT CONCERNING FLEXIBLE HOLIDAYS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES.

SUMMARY Thisbillgenerally allowsfull-time permanent stateemployeesto take two flexible paid holidays each calendar year, as long as they work on two legal holidays instead.

They may use the flexible holidays for any reason they need, including religious holidays and cultural festivals, with no restrictions on which legal holidays they may replace with their flexible holidays (it unclear how this provisionwould apply to positions that require on-site work if the work site is closed for the legal holiday).

Under the bill, a flexible holiday cannot be deducted from an employee’s vacation or sick leave credits, and unused flexible holidays in a calendar year do not accumulate.

The bill requires the administrative services commissioner to issue regulations to implement the bill’s provisions.

By law, the state’s legal holidays include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day, Lincoln Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Christmas, and any days designated by the governor or the U.S.

President as a day of thanksgiving, fasting, or religious observance (CGS § 1-4).

(Because collective bargaining agreements set the terms for paid holidays for most state employees, and supersede any conflicting provisions in state statute (CGS § 5-278(e)), it appears that the bill’s provisions would apply only to full-time permanent state employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.) sHB5469 / File No.

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