The legislation was years in the making. It narrowly passed the Senate on May 25 on an 18-17 vote and was approved June 4 by the House of Representatives on a 76-65 vote after more than 11 hours of debate.
It was the fourth year supporters tried to get the bill through. Previous efforts withered under veto threats by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican.
Malloy’s signature was expected, but the absence of a gathering to mark the first-in-the-nation law took its chief legislative backer by surprise. Malloy signed the bill into law Friday but didn’t announce his action until Tuesday.
“I thought we were going to have a signing ceremony,” said Sen. Edith Prague, the Labor and Public Employees Committee co-chairwoman who championed the bill. “But he signed it and that’s the main thing.”
A Malloy spokesman said the governor might schedule a ceremonial bill signing.
Malloy made his support of paid sick leave a campaign issue last year, saying it was to safeguard public health. He persuaded wavering lawmakers to vote for it, Prague said. “He was the key factor, there’s no doubt about it,” she said.
Backers have compared the legislation with workplace standards such as the minimum wage, which was enacted in the 1930s, and occupational safety and health standards, which were adopted in the 1970s.
“When we raise the minimum wage, it raises wages for everyone,” said Jon Green of Connecticut Working Families, which lobbied for the legislation. “I think we’ll see paid sick time follow a similar trajectory over time.”
Joe Brennan, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, dismissed that argument as absurd. The new law will make Connecticut less competitive with states that do not tell business how many sick days they must provide to workers, he said.
“Where does it stop?” Brennan said. “Mandate vacation time? Mandate how many times people can get a coffee break during the day?”
— Associated Press
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