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Connecticut’s expansive paid leave plan wins praise from LGBTQ activists for broad definition of family

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LGBTQ activists are praising Connecticut’s sweeping paid family and medical leave legislation for its broad definition of what constitutes a family.

The bill, which cleared both chambers of the General Assembly and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, will pay workers for up to 12 weeks of leave to deal with a medical issue or to care for an ailing loved one or new baby. It will be financed by a half-percent payroll tax on all employees.

Six other states — California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Washington state and Massachusetts — and Washington, D.C. have all passed paid family and medical leave laws.

But when it comes to defining who is eligible, Connecticut’s leave program will be the most expansive. The legislation awaiting the governor’s signature contains a broad definition who would be covered under the policy: in addition to spouses, siblings, grandparents, it includes anyone “equivalent to a family member,” not just those related by blood or marriage.

Critics of the bill, including some members of the state’s business community, say that section is so broadly written that it could invite abuse.

“This is one of the most aggressive statewide paid family and medical leave policies in the country,” said Eric Gjede, vice president of government affairs for the Connecticut Business and Industry Council, which lobbies on behalf of small and large businesses at the state Capitol.

Gjede said he is not opposed to a paid family and medical leave program, but said the sweeping measure approved by lawmakers will wreak havoc on the business community and hurt the state’s competitiveness. Including those who are “equivalent to a family member” will encourage fraud, he said.

But gay rights advocates say the provision is crucial to LGBTQ individuals, who sometimes rely on nontraditional networks of friends in the absence of family support.

“LGBTQ people do face higher rates of family rejection and they’re less likely to have somebody to [care for them] who’s affiliated by blood or marriage,” said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LBGTQ civil rights advocacy group. “Families of choice form the basis for LGBTQ social support networks.”

That’s one reason Patrick Comerford of New Haven lobbied in support of the legislation earlier this year.

When Comerford came out as queer, he was unsure how his biological family would react.

“For a long time … many of my primary relationships were strained or broken,” he said in written testimony submitted to the General Assembly. “My chosen family became crucial to my well-being and I relied on them for emotional and sometimes financial support.”

Over time, Comerford’s bonds to his biological relatives grew stronger, but, he said, not all LGBTQ people have the same outcome. “Paid family and medical leave is undeniably a queer issue,” he said.

Advocates said Connecticut’s broad eligibility criteria for its family and medical leave program could provide a model for other states. Lawmakers in Colorado had considered a similar provision but the bill failed to win passage this year.

Under Connecticut’s bill, employees will be eligible for the benefit after July 1, 2021. It will offer up to 12 weeks of replacement pay, at a rate that tops out at 95 percent for low-wage earners. Workers dealing with a pregnancy-related disability are eligible for an additional two weeks.

Lamont, a Democrat who endorsed the proposal, is expected to sign it next week.

Daniela Altimari can be reached at dnaltimari@courant.com.