01 Nov Connecticut Expands Employee Anti-Discrimination Protections
Effective October 1, 2022, several changes to Connecticut’s anti-discrimination law now provide employees with enhanced anti-discrimination protections.
The scope of the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (the “CFEPA”) was expanded to apply to all Connecticut employers with at least one employee. Previously, Connecticut employers with three or more employees were subject to the CFEPA.
Public Act 22-82 (the “Act”) also expanded the CFEPA by adding victims of domestic violence as a new protected class in Connecticut. This means that employers may not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s status as a victim of domestic violence.
In addition, Connecticut employers must provide employees who are victims of domestic violence with a reasonable leave of absence to:
- Seek treatment for injuries caused by domestic violence;
- Obtain services, including safety planning from a domestic violence agency or rape crisis center, as a result of domestic violence;
- Obtain counseling related to an incident or incidents of domestic violence;
- Take other actions to increase safety from future incidents of domestic violence, including temporary or permanent relocation; or
- Obtain legal services, assist in the prosecution of the offense or otherwise participate in legal proceedings in relation to the incident or incidents of domestic violence.
Connecticut employers with three or more employees are now also required to post a notice informing employees of resources available to victims of domestic violence. The notice can be found here.
What Should Nonprofit Employers Do Now?
- Small nonprofits that were not previously subject to the CFEPA should implement anti-discrimination policies.
- Nonprofits with three or more employees should post the above notice of domestic violence resources.
- All nonprofits should:
- Update anti-discrimination policies to include victims of domestic violence as a protected class;
- Revise leave of absence policies to include a leave for applicable domestic violence reasons; and
- Train supervisors and HR professionals on the new requirements.
Questions?
Nonprofits located in Fairfield County, CT should contact the Partnership’s White Plains, NY office at 914-328-0674, and nonprofits located in all other Connecticut counties should contact the Partnership’s Hartford office at 860-541-4951.
This document is provided as a general informational service to volunteers, clients, and friends of Pro Bono Partnership. It should not be construed as, and does not constitute, legal advice on any specific matter, nor does distribution of this document create an attorney-client relationship.