This law expanded existing training requirements, requiring that employers with three or more employees provide two hours of sexual harassment training to all employees. For existing employees, this training must be provided by October 1, 2020. All employees hired on or after October 1, 2019 must receive the training within six months of hire. All employers, regardless of size, are required to provide sexual harassment training to supervisory employees by October 1, 2020, or within six months of an employee assuming a supervisory role. The law also requires employers to provide employees a notice with information about the illegality of sexual harassment and remedies available to victims. Effective October 1, 2019, an employer responds to a sexual harassment complaint by relocating the employee, changing his/her schedule or making any other modification to the terms and conditions of the employee’s employment, the employee must consent to the change in writing. The law also extended the deadline for filing complaints regarding any discriminatory practice with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) from 180 to 300 days, effective October 1, 2019. Finally, the law allows the CHRO to award reasonable attorneys’ fees to a prevailing complainant, effective October 1, 2019 and authorizes CHRO to bring a civil action following a reasonable cause finding and allows the court to grant the CHRO a civil penalty, not exceeding $10,000, if a discriminatory practice has been established. Finally, the law allows a court to award a prevailing plaintiff in a civil suit punitive damages.
STATUS: Enacted
Expanded training requirements, notice requirements, protections for employees reporting sexual harassment, and the types of damages for discrimination and harassment claims. Also extended the deadline for filing discrimination and harassment administrative claims.