As a means towards striving for greater pay equity for Connecticut workers and to further change how pay is examined in the recruiting and hiring process, Governor Malloy has signed into law Public Act No. 18-8.
Expanding the scope of Connecticut General Statute Section 31-40z (which had already barred Connecticut employers from prohibiting an employee from disclosing or discussing their pay with others), Public Act 18-8 will also prohibit a Connecticut employer from making inquiries directly with (a or indirectly through a third party) about a prospective employee's wage and salary history unless the prospective employee either voluntarily disclosed such information or unless such inquiry is required pursuant to federal or state law.
The law takes effect on January 1, 2019 and you can find the law by
clicking here.
Violations can lead to civil litigation with penalties including compensatory damages, attorney's fees and costs, punitive damages and such legal and equitable relief as a court deems just and proper.
For employers who are not otherwise exempt from its coverage, it is recommended that employment applications be reviewed and updated to remove any inquiries into pay history and that background checking procedures be evaluated to ensure that pay history inquiries are not being made as well. While the law does not prohibit employers from asking about future salary expectations, employers are cautioned to make such inquiries in a manner that does not illicit pay history from a prospective employee.
