Proposed legislation in Connecticut on workforce development includes a provision that would significantly increase data reporting, which APA opposes. The letter to the bill sponsors was prepared by APA member Rebecca Coker, CPP, who serves as a Connecticut co-leader in the APA’s Government Relations Task Force (GRTF) Unemployment Insurance Workgroup.
Connecticut S.B. 881 would require reporting of employees’ gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, highest education level completed, home address, address of primary worksite, occupational code under the standard occupational classification, hours and days worked, salary or hourly wage, employment start date in the current job title, and, if applicable, the employment end date.
Reasons for APA Opposition
Much of this data is already reported to state labor departments in a manner that is the same as the data reported to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The cost and resource burden would be too high if employers must separately submit labor data for every state in which they conduct business.
Additionally, the increased level of reporting would cause undue strain on small businesses, many of whom do not possess the ability to gather, report, and maintain the large amount of requested data without suffering significant financial and labor strains.
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Michael Linehan is Assistant Manager of Government Relations for the APA.