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SB00353 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE FOR CONDITIONS RELATED TO MENOPAUSE.

AN ACT CONCERNING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE FOR CONDITIONS RELATED TO MENOPAUSE.

Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
File Number 355
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Act for Reasonable Workplace Accommodations During Menopause

This act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace for employees experiencing conditions related to menopause and mandates the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to develop policies and educational materials about these accommodations.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires employers to offer reasonable accommodations for workers dealing with menopause-related issues.
  • Directs the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to create a model workplace policy regarding reasonable accommodations for conditions related to menopause.
  • Instructs the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to develop educational materials about conditions related to menopause.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employers who must provide reasonable accommodations for employees experiencing menopause-related issues.
  • Employees dealing with menopause-related health issues in the workplace.
  • The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, which is responsible for creating policies and educational materials.

Terms To Know

Reasonable accommodation
Changes or adjustments made by an employer to help employees with menopause-related conditions perform their jobs effectively.
Undue hardship
A situation where providing a reasonable accommodation would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what constitutes an undue hardship.
  • It is unclear how employers will be informed about their responsibilities under this act.
  • There are no penalties outlined for non-compliance with the requirements of this act.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-02 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-04-02 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  3. 2026-04-02 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 241

  4. 2026-04-02 LCO

    File Number 355

  5. 2026-03-27 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/01/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-18 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  7. 2026-03-17 LAB

    Joint Favorable

  8. 2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/03

  9. 2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees

Official Summary Text

To (1) require employers to provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace for conditions related to menopause, (2) require the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to develop a model workplace policy regarding reasonable accommodations for conditions related to menopause, and (3) require the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to develop education materials regarding conditions related to menopause.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate
SB353 / File No. 355 1

General Assembly File No. 355
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 353

Senate, April 2, 2026

The Committee on Labor and Public Employees reported
through SEN. KUSHNER of the 24th Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE
WORKPLACE FOR CONDITIONS RELATED TO MENOPAUSE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 46a -60 of the 2026 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(a) As used in this section: 4
(1) "Pregnancy" means pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition, 5
including, but not limited to, lactation; 6
(2) "Reasonable accommodation" means, but is not limited to, being 7
permitted to sit while working, more frequent or longer breaks, periodic 8
rest, assistance with manual labor, job restructuring, light duty 9
assignments, modified work schedules, temporary transfers to less 10
strenuous or hazardous work, time off to recover from childbirth or 11
break time and appropriate facilities for expressing breast milk; and 12
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(3) "Undue hardship" means an action requiring significant difficulty 13
or expense when considered in light of factors such as (A) the nature 14
and cost of the accommodation; (B) the overall financial resources of the 15
employer; (C) the overall size of the business of the employer with 16
respect to the number of employees, and the number, type and location 17
of its facilities; and (D) the effect on expenses and resources or the 18
impact otherwise of such accommodation upon the operation of the 19
employer. 20
(b) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: 21
(1) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, except 22
in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to refuse to 23
hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any 24
individual or to discriminate against any individual in compensation or 25
in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the 26
individual's race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or 27
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past 28
history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, 29
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a 30
veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 31
sexual assault or status as a victim of trafficking in persons; 32
(2) For any employment agency, except in the case of a bona fide 33
occupational qualification or need, to fail or refuse to classify properly 34
or refer for employment or otherwise to discriminate against any 35
individual because of such individual's race, color, religious creed, age, 36
sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, 37
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual 38
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not 39
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic 40
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault or status as a victim of 41
trafficking in persons; 42
(3) For a labor organization, because of the race, color, religious creed, 43
age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, 44
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual 45
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disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not 46
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic 47
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault or status as a victim of 48
trafficking in persons of any individual to exclude from full membership 49
rights or to expel from its membership such individual or to 50
discriminate in any way against any of its members or against any 51
employer or any individual employed by an employer, unless such 52
action is based on a bona fide occupational qualification; 53
(4) For any person, employer, labor organization or employment 54
agency to discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person 55
because such person has opposed any discriminatory employment 56
practice or because such person has filed a complaint or testified or 57
assisted in any proceeding under section 46a-82, 46a-83 or 46a-84; 58
(5) For any person, whether an employer or an employee or not, to 59
aid, abet, incite, compel or coerce the doing of any act declared to be a 60
discriminatory employment practice or to attempt to do so; 61
(6) For any person, employer, employment agency or labor 62
organization, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification 63
or need, to advertise employment opportunities in such a manner as to 64
restrict such employment so as to discriminate against individuals 65
because of their race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or 66
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past 67
history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, 68
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a 69
veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 70
sexual assault or status as a victim of trafficking in persons; 71
(7) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent: (A) To 72
terminate a woman's employment because of her pregnancy; (B) to 73
refuse to grant to that employee a reasonable leave of absence for 74
disability resulting from her pregnancy; (C) to deny to that employee, 75
who is disabled as a result of pregnancy, any compensation to which 76
she is entitled as a result of the accumulation of disability or leave 77
benefits accrued pursuant to plans maintained by the employer; (D) to 78
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fail or refuse to reinstate the employee to her original job or to an 79
equivalent position with equivalent pay and accumulated seniority, 80
retirement, fringe benefits and other service credits upon her signifying 81
her intent to return unless, in the case of a private employer, the 82
employer's circumstances have so changed as to make it impossible or 83
unreasonable to do so; (E) to limit, segregate or classify the employee in 84
a way that would deprive her of employment opportunities due to her 85
pregnancy; (F) to discriminate against an employee or person seeking 86
employment on the basis of her pregnancy in the terms or conditions of 87
her employment; (G) to fail or refuse to make a reasonable 88
accommodation for an employee or person seeking employment due to 89
her pregnancy or condition related to menopause, unless the employer 90
can demonstrate that such accommodation would impose an undue 91
hardship on such employer; (H) to deny employment opportunities to 92
an employee or person seeking employment if such denial is due to the 93
employee's request for a reasonable accommodation due to her 94
pregnancy or condition related to menopause ; (I) to force an employee 95
or person seeking employment affected by pregnancy or condition 96
related to menopause to accept a reasonable accommodation if such 97
employee or person seeking employment (i) does not have a known 98
limitation related to her pregnancy or condition related to menopause , 99
or (ii) does not require a reasonable accommodation to perform the 100
essential duties related to her employment; (J) to require an employee 101
to take a leave of absence if a reasonable accommodation can be 102
provided in lieu of such leave; and (K) to retaliate against an employee 103
in the terms, conditions or privileges of her employment based upon 104
such employee's request for a reasonable accommodation; 105
(8) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 106
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 107
by itself or its agent, to harass any employee, person seeking 108
employment or member on the basis of sex or gender identity or 109
expression. If an employer takes immediate corrective action in 110
response to an employee's claim of sexual harassment, such corrective 111
action shall not modify the conditions of employment of the employee 112
making the claim of sexual harassment unless such employee agrees, in 113
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writing, to any modification in the conditions of employment. 114
"Corrective action" taken by an employer, includes, but is not limited to, 115
employee relocation, assigning an employee to a different work 116
schedule or other substantive changes to an employee's terms and 117
conditions of employment. Notwithstanding an employer's failure to 118
obtain a written agreement from an employee concerning a modification 119
in the conditions of employment, the commission may find that 120
corrective action taken by an employer was reasonable and not of 121
detriment to the complainant based on the evidence presented to the 122
commission by the complainant and respondent. As used in this 123
subdivision, "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual 124
advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature 125
when (A) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or 126
implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (B) 127
submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as 128
the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (C) 129
such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with 130
an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or 131
offensive working environment; 132
(9) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 133
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 134
by itself or its agent, to request or require information from an 135
employee, person seeking employment or member relating to the 136
individual's child -bearing age or plans, pregnancy, function of the 137
individual's reproductive system, use of birth control methods, or the 138
individual's familial responsibilities, unless such information is directly 139
related to a bona fide occupational qualification or need, provided an 140
employer, through a physician may request from an employee any such 141
information which is directly related to workplace exposure to 142
substances which may cause birth defects or constitute a hazard to an 143
individual's reproductive system or to a fetus if the employer first 144
informs the employee of the hazards involved in exposure to such 145
substances; 146
(10) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, after 147
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informing an employee, pursuant to subdivision (9) of this subsection, 148
of a workplace exposure to substances which may cause birth defects or 149
constitute a hazard to an employee's reproductive system or to a fetus, 150
to fail or refuse, upon the employee's request, to take reasonable 151
measures to protect the employee from the exposure or hazard 152
identified, or to fail or refuse to inform the employee that the measures 153
taken may be the subject of a complaint filed under the provisions of 154
this chapter. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to prohibit an 155
employer from taking reasonable measures to protect an employee from 156
exposure to such substances. For the purpose of this subdivision, 157
"reasonable measures" are those measures which are consistent with 158
business necessity and are least disruptive of the terms and conditions 159
of the employee's employment; 160
(11) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 161
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 162
by itself or its agent: (A) To request or require genetic information from 163
an employee, person seeking employment or member, or (B) to 164
discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person on the 165
basis of genetic information. For the purpose of this subdivision, 166
"genetic information" means the information about genes, gene 167
products or inherited characteristics that may derive from an individual 168
or a family member; 169
(12) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, to 170
request or require a prospective employee's age, date of birth, dates of 171
attendance at or date of graduation from an educational institution on 172
an initial employment application, provided the provisions of this 173
subdivision shall not apply to any employer requesting or requiring 174
such information (A) based on a bona fide occupational qualification or 175
need, or (B) when such information is required to comply with any 176
provision of state or federal law; and 177
(13) (A) For an employer or the employer's agent to deny an employee 178
a reasonable leave of absence in order to: (i) Seek attention for injuries 179
caused by domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons, 180
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including for a child who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault 181
or trafficking in persons, provided the employee is not the perpetrator 182
of any act of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons 183
committed against a child; (ii) obtain services including safety planning 184
from a domestic violence agency or rape crisis center, as those terms are 185
defined in section 52 -146k, as a result of domestic violence, sexual 186
assault or trafficking in persons; (iii) obtain psychological counseling 187
related to an incident or incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault 188
or trafficking in persons, including for a child who is a victim of 189
domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons, provided the 190
employee is not the perpetrator of any act of domestic violence, sexual 191
assault or trafficking in persons committed against a child; (iv) take 192
other actions to increase safety from future incidents of domestic 193
violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons, including temporary 194
or permanent relocation; or (v) obtain legal services, assisting in the 195
prosecution of the offense, or otherwise participate in legal proceedings 196
in relation to the incident or incidents of domestic violence, sexual 197
assault or trafficking in persons. 198
(B) An employee who is absent from work in accordance with the 199
provisions of subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall, within a 200
reasonable time after the absence, provide a certification to the employer 201
when requested by the employer. Such certification shall be in the form 202
of: (i) A police report indicating that the employee or the employee's 203
child was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in 204
persons; (ii) a court order protecting or separating the employee or 205
employee's child from the perpetrator of an act of domestic violence, 206
sexual assault or trafficking in persons; (iii) other evidence from the 207
court or prosecuting attorney that the employee appeared in court; or 208
(iv) documentation from a medical professional, including a domestic 209
violence counselor or sexual assault counselor, as those terms are 210
defined in section 52 -146k, or other health care provider, that the 211
employee or the employee's child was receiving services, counseling or 212
treatment for physical or mental injuries or abuse resulting in 213
victimization from an act of domestic violence, sexual assault or 214
trafficking in persons. 215
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(C) Where an employee has a physical or mental disability resulting 216
from an incident or series of incidents of domestic violence, sexual 217
assault or trafficking in persons, such employee shall be treated in the 218
same manner as an employee with any other disability. 219
(D) To the extent permitted by law, employers shall maintain the 220
confidentiality of any information regarding an employee's status as a 221
victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons. 222
(c) (1) The provisions of this section concerning age shall not apply 223
to: (A) The termination of employment of any person with a contract of 224
unlimited tenure at an independent institution of higher education who 225
is mandatorily retired, on or before July 1, 1993, after having attained 226
the age of seventy; (B) the termination of employment of any person 227
who has attained the age of sixty -five and who, for the two years 228
immediately preceding such termination, is employed in a bona fide 229
executive or a high policy-making position, if such person is entitled to 230
an immediate nonforfeitable annual retirement benefit under a pension, 231
profit-sharing, savings or deferred compensation plan, or any 232
combination of such plans, from such person's employer, which equals, 233
in aggregate, at least forty-four thousand dollars; (C) the termination of 234
employment of persons in occupations, including police work and fire -235
fighting, in which age is a bona fide occupational qualification; (D) the 236
operation of any bona fide apprenticeship system or plan; or (E) the 237
observance of the terms of a bona fide seniority system or any bona fide 238
employee benefit plan for retirement, pensions or insurance which is not 239
adopted for the purpose of evading said provisions, except that no such 240
plan may excuse the failure to hire any individual and no such system 241
or plan may require or permit the termination of employment on the 242
basis of age. No such plan which covers less than twenty employees may 243
reduce the group hospital, surgical or medical insurance coverage 244
provided under the plan to any employee who has reached the age of 245
sixty-five and is eligible for Medicare benefits or any employee's spouse 246
who has reached age sixty -five and is eligible for Medicare benefits 247
except to the extent such coverage is provided by Medicare. The terms 248
of any such plan which covers twenty or more employees shall entitle 249
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any employee who has attained the age of sixty-five and any employee's 250
spouse who has attained the age of sixty-five to group hospital, surgical 251
or medical insurance coverage under the same conditions as any 252
covered employee or spouse who is under the age of sixty-five. 253
(2) No employee retirement or pension plan may exclude any 254
employee from membership in such plan or cease or reduce the 255
employee's benefit accruals or allocations under such plan on the basis 256
of age. The provisions of this subdivision shall be applicable to plan 257
years beginning on or after January 1, 1988, except that for any 258
collectively bargained plan this subdivision shall be applicable on the 259
earlier of (A) January 1, 1990, or (B) the later of (i) the expiration date of 260
the collective bargaining agreement, or (ii) January 1, 1988. 261
(3) The provisions of this section concerning age shall not prohibit an 262
employer from requiring medical examinations for employees for the 263
purpose of determining such employees' physical qualification for 264
continued employment. 265
(4) Any employee who continues employment beyond the normal 266
retirement age in the applicable retirement or pension plan shall give 267
notice of intent to retire, in writing, to such employee's employer not 268
less than thirty days prior to the date of such retirement. 269
(d) (1) An employer shall provide written notice of the right to be free 270
from discrimination in relation to pregnancy, childbirth , menopause 271
and related conditions, including the right to a reasonable 272
accommodation to the known limitations related to pregnancy or 273
condition related to menopause pursuant to subdivision (7) of 274
subsection (b) of this section to: (A) New employees at the 275
commencement of employment; (B) existing employees within one 276
hundred twenty days of October 1, 2017; and (C) any employee who 277
notifies the employer of her pregnancy or condition related to 278
menopause within ten days of such notification. An employer may 279
comply with the provisions of this section by displaying a poster in a 280
conspicuous place, accessible to employees, at the employer's place of 281
business that contains the information required by this section in both 282
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English and Spanish. The Labor Commissioner may adopt regulations, 283
in accordance with chapter 54, to establish additional requirements 284
concerning the means by which employers shall provide such notice. 285
(2) The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities shall 286
develop courses of instruction and conduct ongoing public education 287
efforts as necessary to inform employers, employees, employment 288
agencies and persons seeking employment about their rights and 289
responsibilities under this section. 290
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 46a -56 of the 2026 supplement to the 291
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 292
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 293
(a) The commission shall: 294
(1) Investigate the possibilities of affording equal opportunity of 295
profitable employment to all persons, with particular reference to job 296
training and placement; 297
(2) Compile facts concerning discrimination in employment, 298
violations of civil liberties and other related matters; 299
(3) Investigate and proceed in all cases of discriminatory practices 300
under this chapter and noncompliance with the provisions of section 4a-301
60, or sections 46a -68c to 46a-68f, inclusive, provided, the commission, 302
whenever it has reason to believe that a person who is a party to a 303
discriminatory practice case has engaged or is engaged in conduct that 304
constitutes a violation of part VI, of chapter 952, may refer such matter 305
to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney and said office shall conduct a 306
further investigation as deemed necessary; 307
(4) From time to time, but not less than once a year, report to the 308
Governor as provided in section 4-60, making recommendations for the 309
removal of such injustices as it may find to exist and such other 310
recommendations as it deems advisable and describing the 311
investigations, proceedings and hearings it has conducted and their 312
outcome, the decisions it has rendered and the other work it has 313
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performed; 314
(5) Monitor state contracts to determine whether they are in 315
compliance with section 4a -60, and those provisions of the general 316
statutes which prohibit discrimination; 317
(6) Compile data concerning state contracts with female and minority 318
business enterprises and submit a report annually to the General 319
Assembly concerning the employment of such business enterprises as 320
contractors and subcontractors; 321
(7) Develop and include on the commission's Internet web site a link 322
concerning the illegality of sexual harassment, as defined in section 46a-323
60, as amended by this act , and the remedies available to victims of 324
sexual harassment; 325
(8) Develop and make available at no cost to employers an online 326
training and education video or other interactive method of training and 327
education that fulfills the requirements prescribed in subdivision (15) of 328
section 46a-54; 329
(9) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 330
behalf of victims of domestic violence, and include on the commission's 331
Internet web site a link concerning domestic violence and the resources 332
available to victims of domestic violence; [and] 333
(10) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 334
behalf of victims of domestic violence, and make available at no cost to 335
each state agency an online training and education video or other 336
interactive method of training and education that fulfills the 337
requirements prescribed in subdivision (19) of section 46a-54; 338
(11) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 339
behalf of persons with menopause or related medical conditions, a 340
model workplace policy regarding reasonable accommodations for 341
menopause or related medical conditions and include such model 342
workplace policy on the commission's Internet web site; and 343
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(12) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 344
behalf of persons with menopause or related medical conditions, 345
education materials concerning menopause and related medical 346
conditions and include such education materials on the commission's 347
Internet web site. 348
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 46a-60
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 46a-56(a)

LAB Joint Favorable

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Human Rights & Opportunities,
Com.
GF - Potential
Cost
Minimal Minimal
Human Rights & Opportunities,
Com.
GF - Potential
Revenue Gain
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill prohibits menopause -related employment discrimination,
resulting in a potential minimal cost 1 and minimal potential revenue
gain to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO)
beginning in FY 27. The bill : (1) expands the definition of a
"discriminatory practice" under the CHRO laws to include failure to
provide reasonable accommodation for menopause -related conditions,
(2) requires employers to notify employees of their rights to reasonable
accommodation and to be free from menopause-related discrimination,
and (3) requires CHRO in concert with stakeholders to develop a model
workplace policy and educational materials concerning menopause.
The exact cost and revenue gain will depend on the number of
additional CHRO proceedings brought and fines imposed in response
to this section. These impacts are expected to be minimal.
The Out Years

1 This cost is associated with additional staff time, materials, and resources required to
facilitate additional proceedings.
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The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of CHRO proceedings
and fines imposed.

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OLR Bill Analysis
SB 353

AN ACT CONCERNING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE
WORKPLACE FOR CONDITIONS RELATED TO MENOPAUSE.

SUMMARY
This bill generally requires an employer to provide a reasonable
accommodation for an employee with a menopause-related condition
by making it a discriminatory practice not to unless it would be an
undue hardship. By doing this, it allows an aggrieved person to file a
complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities
(CHRO) (CGS § 46a -82). The law already requires reasonable
accommodations related to pregnancy.
By law, an “employer” includes the state, the state’s political
subdivisions, and any person or employer with one or more employees
(CGS § 46a-51).
The bill also requires (1) employers to notify employees of their rights
under the bill and (2) CHRO to work with organizations advocating for
people with menopause or related medical conditions to develop a
model workplace policy on reasonable accommodations for menopause
or related conditions and related education materials. CHRO must post
the model policy and education materials on the commission’s website.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE
Under the bill, it is a discriminatory practice for an employer to:
1. fail or refuse to make a reasonable accommodation for a current
or prospective employee due to a condition related to
menopause, unless the employer can demonstrate that it would
be an undue hardship to do so (see BACKGROUND);
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2. deny employment opportunities to a current or prospective
employee if the denial is related to their request for a reasonable
accommodation for a condition related to menopause; and
3. force a current or prospective employee with a condition related
to menopause to accept a reasonable accommodation if they (a)
do not have a known limitation related to their condition or (b)
do not need a reasonable accommodation to complete duties
essential to their job.
EMPLOYEE NOTIFICATION
The bill requires employers to give employees written notice of their
right to be free from discrimination for menopause and related
conditions, including the right to reasonable accommodations for
known limitations from these conditions. Existing law requires
employers to give, similar notice to employees about pregnancy,
childbirth, and related conditions.
Under the bill, notice must be given to (1) new employees when they
start work; (2) existing employees (presumably, within 120 days of the
bill’s effective date); and (3) any employee who notifies their employer
of their menopause-related condition (within 10 days of their
notification).
BACKGROUND
Reasonable Accommodation
By law, “reasonable accommodations” include:
1. being allowed to sit while working,
2. more frequent or longer breaks,
3. periodic rest,
4. assistance with manual labor,
5. job restructuring,
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6. light duty assignments,
7. modified work schedules,
8. temporary transfers to less strenuous or less hazardous work,
9. time off to recover from childbirth, or
10. break time and appropriate facilities for expressing breast milk.
Undue Hardship
Under existing law, an “undue hardship” is an action requiring
significant difficulty or expense when considering the accommodation’s
nature and cost, the employer ’s overall financial resources, the
employer’s size and facilities, and the effect on the employer ’s
operations.
Related Bill
sHB 5003 ( §§ 39 & 40), favorably reported by the Labor and Public
Employees Committee, has identical provision s on reasonable
accommodations in the workplace for employees with conditions
related to menopause.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Labor and Public Employees Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 9 Nay 4 (03/17/2026)