Working Together

Employers should be aware that the just-completed election may affect the kind of employment legislation that comes out of Hartford next year. Governor Ned Lamont won a third term over Republican state senator Ryan Fazio, and Democrats picked up additional seats in both chambers of the General Assembly.

The 2027 regular session convenes at the State Capitol on January 6, 2027, and is scheduled to adjourn on June 9, 2027. Bills that have stalled for years may get a different reception this time.

Below is a look at what the new legislature could mean for employers, a brief list of employment-related laws passed in 2026, and a list of previously stalled bills that seem likely to be reintroduced and have higher chances of passage in the new legislature.

What Do the Election Results Mean for the General Assembly?

Going into the election, Democrats held 25 of the 36 Senate seats and 102 of the 151 House seats. Early projections show at least a 33–3 Senate and a 116–35 House, with some races still – at this writing – too close to call. If those numbers hold, Democrats will have a veto-proof majority, and Senate Republicans will have their smallest presence in the chamber's history. The results are unofficial until towns certify them, and at least one Senate race appears headed for a recount.

That margin could change how employment-related bills move. Governor Lamont has been willing to block legislation he thinks goes too far. In 2025, he vetoed a bill giving unemployment benefits to striking workers, calling it “a bridge too far.” A legislature with enough votes to override him has less reason to negotiate.  It seems very possible that several bills which have fallen short in previous years may be enacted in 2027.

What Employment Laws Came Out of the 2026 Session?

The 2026 session was busier than the few before it. Most of the employment law changes were in Public Act 26-12, which passed with broad bipartisan support. Employers should already have addressed the following:

1. Pay ranges and a general description of benefits in internal and external job postings.
2. A ban on "stay-or-pay" agreements, which require employees to repay training costs if they leave, now for employers of every size.
3. Reasonable accommodations for menopause-related conditions, which the legislature folded into Public Act 26-12.
4. Written notice to employees of their right to disability accommodations. Current employees must receive the notice by January 29, 2027.
5. New limits on warehouse productivity quotas, along with a requirement to disclose those quotas to workers.

More changes arrive on January 1, 2027. On that date, general contractors become jointly liable for wages their subcontractors fail to pay, the minimum wage rises to $17.48 per hour, and the Paid Sick Leave Law becomes binding on employers with even one employee. New notice rules for employers that use automated tools in employment decisions follow on October 1, 2027.

What Employment Bills Could Return in 2027?

A handful of bills come up every session and stall. These four are the most likely to be reintroduced and reconsidered:

1. Unemployment benefits for striking workers. The Labor and Public Employees Committee has now raised this bill in three straight sessions. The legislature passed it in 2025, and the governor vetoed it. This year's version, SB 440, would have made workers eligible after 14 days on strike. It cleared the committee but never passed the full legislature. Sen. Julie Kushner, the committee's Senate chair, has promised to keep bringing it back. If any bill tests a veto-proof majority, it will probably be this one.
2. Noncompete reform. 2026 HB 5492 would have barred noncompetes for employees earning less than twice the minimum wage and for independent contractors earning less than five times the minimum wage. For higher earners, it would generally have capped noncompetes at one year, barred courts from rewriting overbroad agreements and let workers sue. It was still waiting for a House vote late in the session.
3. Predictive scheduling. 2026 SB 436 would have covered retail, food service, hospitality, and long-term care employers with 500 or more employees. It would have required them to post schedules 14 days in advance and to pay extra for late changes. Versions of this bill date back to at least 2023.
4. Workplace nondisclosure agreements. 2026 SB 355 would have restricted NDAs in certain workplace situations. It also would have made it unlawful to refuse to hire someone because they disclosed conduct they reasonably believed was discriminatory. Lawmakers first floated the idea in 2019.

Tips for Remaining Compliant and Prepared for the 2027 Session

Start with the 2026 laws. Job postings should already include pay and benefits information, and any training repayment provisions should be removed from employment agreements signed after October 1, 2026.

Then look at restrictive covenants. If noncompete reform passes, agreements with lower-paid employees may not hold up. Employers should make sure their confidentiality, trade secret and non-solicitation provisions can stand on their own, and should limit noncompetes to the roles that actually need them.

Employers that use AI tools in hiring or promotion have until October 1, 2027 to meet the new notice rules. It makes sense to ask vendors for bias-testing results now rather than later.

Unionized employers should follow the striking workers bill closely. Business groups warn that it could drive up unemployment taxes.

Finally, pay attention to committee hearings in the first few months of the session. They are usually the best early sign of which bills have momentum.

We will follow the 2027 session and report on bills affecting employers as they move through the legislative process. If you want to learn more about these developments or need help updating policies, agreements or compliance practices, please contact any member of our Labor, Employment & Employee Benefits practice.