The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Sexual-harassment bill passed by Senate
HARTFORD — The Senate early Friday morning passed the “Time’s Up” act that mandates sexual harassment training for employees and extends how long sexual assault crimes can be prosecuted.
“Victims will be heard, companies must protect them, and if they don’t there will be consequences,” said state Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport.
A version of the bill, significantly watered down from the original, passed the Senate by a 31-5 vote and now heads to the House. Hours of debate and negotiations in the Senate — which is tied 18-18 — meant the bill did not get a vote until 4:30 a.m. Friday.
The Time’s Up Act reforms Connecticut’s sexual harassment and sexual assault laws to create stronger protections for victims and to increase penalties for offenders by reforming complaint processes, strengthening and expanding Connecticut’s mandated reporter laws and eliminating statutes of limitation for all Class B and C felonies.
The statute of limitations for class D felonies is extended from five to 25 years and for class A misdemeanors from one to five years.
The bill that passed also requires companies with more than 20 employees to provide sexual harassment training and companies with less than 20 employees to post or give notice of the sexual harassment policy.
An earlier version championed by Democrats would have required companies with three or more employees to conduct trainings.
“Senate Democrats proposed the Time’s Up Act because everyone should be able to go and earn a living free from fear that they will be subject to sexual harassment,” said Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven.
“As we stand in the midst of a national reckoning over sexual assault and sexual harassment, this overhaul of Connecticut law will go a long way to providing critical protections for Connecticut residents,” Looney said.
Connecticut now is one of only three states, along with California and Maine, to require private-sector employers to conduct sexual harassment training, the National Women’s Law Center said, although that could soon change as many states consider amending their laws.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said, “The Time’s Up Act will establish Connecticut as a national leader when it comes to stamping out sexual assault and harassment.”
Business groups opposed the bill because they said training would be too costly for small businesses in particular.
Trainings and clear policies on sexual harassment can help prevent expensive suits, reduce turnover and improve company reputations, advocates say.
“It’s too costly for us to not take steps in this direction,” said Laura Cordes, executive director of Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence.
The high rates of underreporting and broad category of behaviors that constitute sexual harassment — ranging from lewd jokes to sexist comments to unwanted touching — can make getting accurate numbers difficult.
In research cited by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 40 to 75 percent of respondents said they had experienced sexual harassment when given examples.