Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a bill that will enhance pay transparency, strengthen lactation break protections and impose a number of other new requirements on employers.
Pay Transparency
Connecticut has an existing pay transparency law that requires employers to disclose pay ranges to applicants during the recruiting process, but the current law does not require pay ranges to appear in job postings. With the passage of H.B. 5003, that will soon change.
Beginning October 1, 2026, any public or internal job posting must include a pay range and a general description of benefits if the role:
- Will be performed in Connecticut; or
- Will report directly to a supervisor, office or other worksite located in Connecticut.
Lactation Breaks
Existing law requires employers to allow employees to use existing break and meal time to express breast milk or breastfeed a nursing child. H.B 5003 enhances these protections by requiring employers to provide “reasonable break times” for this purpose, in addition to an employee’s scheduled breaks. The new requirements take effect October 1, 2026.
ADA Notice
Beginning October 1, 2026, employers must provide written notice of employee rights to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The notice must be provided to:
- New employees upon hire;
- Existing employees within 120 days of October 1, 2026; and
- Any employee who notifies the employer of a disability within 10 days of the notification.
The Connecticut Department of Labor is directed to develop a notice that employers can use for this purpose.
Other Notable Provisions
Other provisions that will affect private employers include the following:
- Stay-or-pay restrictions. Current law prohibits employers with 26 or more employees from requiring an employee to pay the employer a sum of money if the employee leaves employment before a certain time period. Effective October 1, 2026, H.B. 5003 broadens this restriction to apply to all employers.
- Retention of service contract workers. Certain employers that take over service contracts will be required to retain the prior contractor’s employees for at least 90 days and provide an offer of continued employment to satisfactory performers. This section takes effect July 1, 2027.
- Pay statement codes. Any employer with 100 or more employees will be required to create a guide to the common pay codes it uses in pay statements and post the guide on its website in English, Spanish and other common languages spoken by its employees. This section takes effect October 1, 2026.
- Construction contractor and subcontractor liability for unpaid wages. Beginning January 1, 2027, a construction contractor will be jointly and severally liable for any unpaid wages due to its subcontractor’s employees for labor within the scope of the construction contract.
