Connecticut lawmakers were busy throughout 2025 enacting labor and employment-related legislation that is already impacting the workplace. Understanding these critical legal updates is essential for employers seeking to comply with applicable laws and ensure that there are fair labor and employment practices in their workplace. Below is a selection of these important laws, highlighting key elements of each new legislation.

 Public Act No. 25-139: An Act Concerning Human Trafficking and Sexual Assault Victims

 Effective October 1, 2025, the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA) includes victims of sexual assault and human trafficking as protected classes. Under the revised law, employers are expressly prohibited from discriminating against employees or applicants based on their status as a victim of sexual assault or human trafficking, unless a bona fide occupational qualification applies. Additionally, CFEPA now requires employers to provide reasonable leave of absence to eligible employees dealing with the effects of sexual assault or human trafficking. This includes time off to:

• Seek medical attention for injuries for the employee or for a child victim, so long as the person seeking time off is not the perpetrator;
• Access support services such as safety planning;
• Obtain psychological counseling for the employee or their child (if not the perpetrator);
• Take actions to enhance safety, including temporary or permanent relocation; and
• Secure legal services, assist in prosecution, or participate in legal proceedings related to the incident(s).

Employees seeking leave must provide a certification within a reasonable period after their absence, if requested. Employers likewise have an obligation to confidentially maintain any information regarding a victim’s status, among other obligations.

 Public Act No. 25-174: An Act Authorizing and Adjusting Bonds of the State and Concerning Grant Programs, State Grant Commitments for Schools Building Projects, Revisions to the School Building Projects Statutes and Various Provisions Revising and Implementing the Budget For the Biennium Ending June 30, 2027

• Certain Public School Operators and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools Covered under the CT FMLA and CT Paid Leave

As of October 1, 2025, certain public school operators and private elementary and secondary schools are subject to the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA) and Connecticut Paid Family Medical Leave Insurance (CT Paid Leave) for positions that do not require professional certification under Chapter 166 of the Connecticut General Statutes, that is, for “non-certified school employees” (such as custodians, drivers, cafeteria staff, etc.). As a result, most private and independent elementary and secondary schools are expected to fall under the CT FMLA and CT Paid Leave laws. Importantly, there are some distinct differences in how CT FMLA and CT Paid Leave apply to schools as compared to other employers.

• Elimination of One-Hour Increment Requirement Under Connecticut Paid Sick Leave for Certain School Employees of Boards of Education Subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement

As of June 30, 2025, the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law no longer requires employers to permit certain school employees—specifically those employed by local or regional boards of education and municipalities—to take paid sick leave in one-hour increments, provided that the following conditions are satisfied: (1) the employees must be part of a collective bargaining agreement; and (2) the relevant board of education must offer sick leave or another form of paid leave, or a combination thereof, that accrues at a rate higher than what the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law mandates, and allows employees to use up to 40 hours of accrued paid leave annually in accordance with the law. When both conditions are met, boards of education may restrict paid sick leave usage to the minimum increment specified within the applicable collective bargaining agreement for those school employees.

Public Act No. 25-117: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Labor Department

As of October 1, 2025, this law reduces the 60-day period that an employer has to contest unemployment benefits when the employer contends benefits have been improperly charged to its unemployment insurance quarterly statements due to fraud or error to 40 days.

Public Act No.25-168: An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2027, and Making Appropriations Therefor, and Provisions Related to Revenue and Other Items Implementing the State Budget

As of October 1, 2025, the affirmative action requirements for certain state contractors have changed. The law removes the current procedure for submitting and approving plans, and creates a new process that, among other things, requires certain contractors to submit a “good faith efforts” plan, instead of an affirmative action plan, and removes other provisions previously applicable. 

Contractors awarded a public works contract, as statutorily defined, for more than $150,000 but less than $1 million, or a first-tier contractor that has entered into an agreement worth at least $150,000 with a construction manager subject to the requirements for contracts for over $1 million, must develop and file a good faith efforts plan with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO).

Additionally, it is now a discriminatory practice for a state contractor to fail to pay any subcontractor it employs within 15 days of payment (in contrast to the prior 30-day payment requirement) by the state for any work performed or for materials furnished by the subcontractor, subject to certain exceptions.