Senate expands MyCT Savings to personal care attendants and tightens automatic‑enrollment rules amid heated debate

The Connecticut Senate passed a substitute bill amending the Connecticut Retirement Security Program (MyCT Savings) to add personal care attendants (PCAs) in state‑funded programs to the pool of eligible participants and to align default contribution requirements with federal SECURE 2 automatic‑enrollment guidance.

Senator Kushner, the bill’s proponent, said the change will extend retirement access to PCAs who previously lacked employer‑sponsored retirement plans because they work for individual consumer employers. She described program design updates — tying default contribution rates to federal law for eligible automatic contribution arrangements and allowing the comptroller to provide alternate savings vehicles for savers who receive a federal Savers’ Match. She also described notice requirements and penalties for noncompliant employers.

Senator Sampson mounted a sustained floor objection, calling the program a mandatory, state‑run retirement vehicle that competes with private financial services. He criticized automatic opt‑out enrollment, the potential for payroll deductions to begin without an employee’s affirmative consent, the lack of licensing/financial‑advisor safeguards, and the administrative burden imposed on small employers. Sampson introduced an amendment to convert the program to opt‑in; the amendment failed on a roll call. Floor discussion included participation numbers provided by proponents: 6,696 employers registered and roughly 30,127 employees enrolled as of 2024, and a sponsor estimate that approximately 14,000 additional employers still must enroll.

After debate the Senate ordered an immediate roll call and the clerk announced the bill passed on the floor as presented.