Two bills that were being considered in state legislatures before the Covid-19 outbreak died when both were excluded from lists of bills for their legislatures to consider before adjourning for the year.

ASA engaged with lawmakers in Connecticut and Kansas regarding the bills, explaining why they would have negatively affected staffing firms’ ability to do business and would have hurt businesses throughout those states.

Legislation in Connecticut would have required that certain types of employees be provided with advanced notice of their work schedules and receive additional pay if they are notified upon short notice that a shift has been cancelled or that their work hours have been reduced. The legislation also would have prohibited certain businesses from using temporary and other workers supplied by third parties, including staffing firms, unless such businesses first offer additional work to their existing employees. The bill died when the legislature was forced into recess by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bill in Kansas would have placed severe restrictions on health care staffing firms’ businesses, including a prohibition against conversion fees as well as limitations on amounts staffing firms charge to clients. The legislation received a committee hearing, but legislative leaders declined to present the bill for further consideration during a special session.