Labor panel advances bill to expand paid family and medical leave to certain school employees

The Labor and Public Employees Committee advanced SB 14‑27 on a voice and roll‑call motion after more than an hour of debate about whether Connecticut should expand its paid family and medical leave (PFML) insurance to additional school employees.

The bill would add certain public and nonpublic elementary and secondary school employees who do not need professional certification for their positions to the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program and would extend job protections under the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CFMLA) to those employees.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change fills an inadvertent omission in the original statute and brings parity to school employees who perform essential classroom or student‑support functions but are not licensed teachers. Opponents said the program’s design and incentives remain flawed and that adding more workers will increase utilization and draw down the program’s surplus.

Wh…