2022 State Senate Voting Records

The following table illustrates how members of the Connecticut state Senate voted in 2022 on a series of key bills, either in committee or on the Senate floor.

If a lawmaker sponsored a bill and did not have an opportunity to vote on it, or abstained or was absent, that is also reflected in these records. Bill sponsorship is weighed the same as a vote in calculating legislators’ overall voting scores.

While these bills reflect just a fraction of all legislation addressed during the session, they were chosen as the framework for CBIA’s 2022 legislative voting records based on their potential impact—positive or negative—on job growth and the state’s post-pandemic recovery.

CBIA’s Rebuilding Connecticut policy initiatives—supported by a broad, bipartisan group of legislators—feature in a number of the bills, with those recommendations designed to help businesses manage the high costs of navigating COVID-19 restrictions, create and retain jobs, and lead Connecticut’s economic recovery.

Senate_Voting-Records_2022

2022 Voting Records: Key Bills

Striking Workers (SB 317): Allows striking workers to collect unemployment benefits. One of a series of costly mandates proposed this year by the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee. Passed Labor Committee 9-4; Senate 19-13; no action taken by House. CBIA Position: Opposed.

Employer Gag Order (SB 163): Controversial measure that preempts federal law by permitting employees to leave workplace meetings where they believe broadly defined “religious” or “political” matters are discussed. Passed Judiciary Committee 23-15; Senate 23-11; House 88-56; signed by Gov. Lamont. CBIA Position: Opposed.

Attorney General’s Powers (SB 426): Unnecessarily expands the attorney general’s powers, providing blanket authority to track down fraud and abuse for any state dollars, by any state agency or state contracting authority. Passed Judiciary Committee 24-14; Appropriations Committee 48-17; no action taken by Senate. CBIA Position: Opposed.

Post-COVID Workplace (SB 407): Requires the Department of Economic and Community Development to develop and implement a post COVID-19 women’s return to work plan. Passed Commerce Committee 21-0; Appropriations Committee 48-0; Senate 36-0; House 146-0; signed by Gov. Lamont. CBIA Position: Supported.

CDL Training (SB 334): Creates a commercial drivers license training program in state prisons, providing access to employment for returning citizens and helping address the trucking industry’s labor shortage. Passed Transportation Committee 35-0; Senate 33-0; House 145-0; signed by Gov. Lamont. CBIA Position: Supported.

Manufacturing Jobs (SB 98): Helps address Connecticut’s critical shortage of skilled manufacturing workers by extending the apprenticeship training tax credit to smaller manufacturers. Passed Commerce Committee 23-0; Finance Committee 51-0; Senate 34-0; no action taken by House; included in state budget revisions later adopted by the legislature. CBIA Position: Supported.

Licensing Reform (HB 5248): Removes barriers to professional licensure for individuals with felonies that were unrelated to various professions. Passed Labor Committee 13-0; House 138-9; Senate 35-1; signed by Gov. Lamont. CBIA Position: Supported.

California Emissions Standards (HB 5039): Allows the Department of Energy and Environment to adopt California’s medium and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards, adding an estimated $57,000 to the cost of a new vehicle. Passed Transportation Committee 21-11; Environment Committee 21-10; no action taken by House; included in SB 4, which was then adopted by the legislature and signed by the governor. CBIA Position: Opposed.

Private Attorney General (HB 5245): Allows the deputization of nonprofit organizations and unions to sue employers on behalf of employees that had agreed to settle disputes by arbitration and to bundle unrelated claims. Passed the Labor Committee 9-4; no action taken by House. CBIA Position: Opposed.

Noncompete Ban (HB 5249): Voids noncompete agreements involving hourly workers, exempt employees who earn less than three times the minimum wage, and independent contractors earning less than five times the minimum wage. Passed the Labor Committee 10-3; no action taken by House. CBIA Position: Opposed.

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2022 State House Voting Records