In this Capitol Report:
Paid Sick Leave Law & Whistleblower Law Signed by Governor And Effectively Immediately
Two pieces of legislation that were debated and passed by the Colorado General Assembly during the final 3 weeks of the Legislative Session have been signed by the Governor and are effective immediately. Senate Bill 205 (Requiring Employers to Provide Sick Leave) and House Bill 1415 (Whistleblower for Public Health Emergencies) are the two bills that became effective as of July 14th.
The Division has just published guidance regarding both laws in the form of three new INFOs (Interpretive Notice & Formal Opinions) available on the Division’s webpage. The INFOs summarize each law; explain how each affects employers, employees, and other stakeholders; and answer frequently asked questions the Division has received about these laws and about similar laws and rules.
- INFO #6A: Paid Leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, through 12/31/20 (Spanish translation of INFO #6A)
- INFO #6B: Paid Leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, as of1/1/21 (Spanish translation of INFO #6B)
Each of the two laws has a requirement of posting a notice to workers, which the INFOs summarize, and the Division has just published a compliant poster (which covers both laws), including a poster in English and a poster in Spanish. The poster must be replaced by January 1, 2021, with a new one that the Division will post, due to the substantial changes in HFWA as of that date; those changes are summarized in INFO #6B.
Finally, due to the substantial overlap between the Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay (“Colorado HELP”) Rules and the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (“HFWA”), the Division is terminating the requirements of the Colorado HELP Rules after July 14th, because July 15th is the first full day in which HFWA is in effect.
Rulemaking under each law is forthcoming and likely to take effect by the end of the calendar year. If you have any questions about the rulemaking process, please contact Michael Primo ([email protected]); for questions about the substance of these laws or other outreach matters, contact Division Outreach Manager Eric Yohe ([email protected]).
With any additional questions, please contact Loren Furman at [email protected] or at 303-866-9642.
Thank you!