FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

SENATOR KUSHNER WELCOMES NEW PAID FAMILY LEAVE LAW CHANGES TO START NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

Senator Kushner speaks in the Senate Chamber in April in support of expanding Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program to cover sexual assault survivors.

DANBURY – On the day that she helped raised a flag at Danbury City Hall to honor domestic violence survivors, and as America begins to commemorate National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, state Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today welcomed new changes to Connecticut’s hugely popular and successful Paid Family and Medical Leave program – changes which include adding sexual assault as a qualifying reason for PFML benefits.

“I remember back in April taking this [bill]bill out on the Senate floor and enduring three and a half hours of Republican amendments and filibusters to try and kill it. Republicans failed, and Democrats succeeded in strengthening what has become the signature-pro-family policy for the entire State of Connecticut,” Sen. Kushner said. “Just in the past year, more than 65,000 Connecticut residents have applied for Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits. Most of them were approved, receiving about $700 a week for eight weeks, mostly to cover their time away from work to cover their own illness or injury. This program has been a game-changer for Connecticut families.”

The newly expanded PFML law taking effect today broadens the law to cover sexual assault survivors. Under Connecticut’s existing family violence leave law, certain employees who are family violence survivors may take leave from work (and qualify for PFML benefits) if they need to miss work for certain reasons.

Similar to family violence survivors, the new PFML law now allows an employee who is a sexual assault survivor to take leave if it’s necessary to: seek medical care or psychological or other counseling; obtain services from a victim services organization; relocate; or participate in a

civil or criminal proceeding related to the assault.

The new changes to PFML effective today also include clarifying the definition of a municipality, allowing the state’s tribes to enter into an agreement with the governor to participate in PFML, and requiring health care providers to display CT Paid Leave information in a manner that is accessible to patients and their caregivers.

For more information on the PFML program, please visit: https://www.ctpaidleave.org/

Senator Kushner (center) at today’s flag-raising event at Danbury City Hall to commemorate

National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.