Connecticut SB 271: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE LABOR DEPARTMENT.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 271  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE LABOR 
DEPARTMENT.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  Subsection  (c)  of  section  31-235  of  the  general  statutes  is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2 
1, 2026): 3 
(c) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this 4 
section,   an   unemployed   individual   may   limit   such   individual's 5 
availability for work to part-time employment, provided the individual 6 
(A)  provides  documentation  from  a [licensed  physician,  physician 7 
assistant  or  advanced  practice  registered  nurse] health  care  provider 8 
that  (i)  the  individual  has  a  physical  or  mental  impairment  that  is 9 
chronic or is expected to be long-term or permanent in nature, and (ii) 10 
the individual is unable to work full-time because of such impairment, 11 
and  (B)  establishes,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  administrator,  that  such 12 
limitation  does  not  effectively  remove  such  individual  from  the  labor 13 
force. For  purposes  of  this  subdivision,  "health  care  provider"  has  the 14 
same meaning as provided in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (16) of 15 
subsection (a) of section 31-236, as amended by this act. 16 
(2) In   determining   whether   the   individual   has   satisfied   the 17 
requirements of subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, 18 

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the administrator shall consider the individual's work history, efforts to 19 
find work, the hours such individual is medically permitted to work and 20 
the individual's availability during such hours for work that is suitable 21 
in light of the individual's impairment. 22 
Sec.  2.  Subparagraph  (A)  of  subdivision  (16)  of  subsection  (a)  of 23 
section  31-236  of  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the  following  is 24 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 25 
(16) (A) For purposes of subparagraph (A)(ii) of subdivision (2) of this 26 
subsection,   "illness   or   disability"   means   an   illness   or   disability 27 
diagnosed by a health care provider that necessitates care for the ill or 28 
disabled person for a period of time longer than the employer is willing 29 
to grant leave, paid or otherwise, and "health care provider" means (i) a 30 
doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is authorized to practice medicine 31 
or  surgery  by  the  state  in  which  the  doctor  practices; (ii) a  podiatrist, 32 
dentist, psychologist, optometrist or chiropractor authorized to practice 33 
by  the  state  in  which  such  person  practices  and  performs  within  the 34 
scope  of  the  authorized  practice; (iii) an  advanced  practice  registered 35 
nurse,  nurse  practitioner,  nurse  midwife, [or] clinical  social  worker or 36 
physician's  assistant authorized  to  practice  by  the  state  in  which  such 37 
person  practices  and  performs  within  the  scope  of  the  authorized 38 
practice; (iv) Christian Science practitioners listed with the First Church 39 
of   Christ,   Scientist   in   Boston,   Massachusetts; (v) any   medical 40 
practitioner from whom an employer or a group health plan's benefits 41 
manager  will  accept  certification  of  the  existence  of  a  serious  health 42 
condition to substantiate a claim for benefits; (vi) a medical practitioner, 43 
in   a   practice   enumerated   in clauses   (i)   to   (v),   inclusive,   of   this 44 
subparagraph, who practices in a country other than the United States, 45 
who is licensed to practice in accordance with the laws and regulations 46 
of  that  country;  or (vii) such  other  health  care  provider  as  the  Labor 47 
Commissioner approves, performing within the scope of the authorized 48 
practice. 49 
Sec.  3.  Section  31-266c  of  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the 50 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 51 

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(a) The administrator, upon the advice of the Attorney General, may 52 
abate any contributions or payments in lieu of contributions due under 53 
this   chapter   which   have   been   found   by   the   administrator   to   be 54 
uncollectible. 55 
(b) The  administrator  or  the  administrator's  duly  authorized  agent 56 
may make or entertain an offer of compromise for any contributions or 57 
payments in lieu of contributions due under this chapter if such offer is 58 
based  upon  doubt  as  to  the  employer's  liability  for  the  amount  in 59 
controversy  or  doubt  as  to  the  collectibility  of  such  amount.  For 60 
purposes  of  this  section,  doubt  as  to  the  employer's  liability  for  the 61 
amount  in  controversy  exists  if  ther