In this Capitol Report:
Update on Vaccination Mandate for 100+ Employers
The Colorado Chamber is actively monitoring the status of President Biden’s recent mandate that all employers with 100 or more employees require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or enforce weekly COVID-19 testing. The next step is for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this mandate. The following is an update of next steps:
- The Office of Management & Budget (OMB) within the White House is currently reviewing the draft ETS/rule;
- Once approved by OMB, the rule will be sent to the US Department of Labor;
- The US Department of Labor is expected to release the rule and guidance for employers by early next week.
The US Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the US Department of Labor with concerns/questions raised by employers nationwide. Hopefully the rule will clarify issues that have also been raised by Colorado employers such as:
- How will employees be counted?
- How will the rule apply to non-profits?
- How will the rule apply to full-time workers who don’t come to their office/workplace?
- How will the rule address independent contractors?
- Will there be a grace period for employers to implement?
- Is an employer in compliance if a worker is still completing the course of vaccination doses?
- How will employers verify an exemption for religious or medical concerns?
- How will employers confirm that an employee has been vaccinated?
Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released guidance for employers who experience objections by employees to a vaccination mandate based on religious beliefs. That guidance is outlined here.
Please contact Loren Furman at [email protected] with any questions regarding this issue.
The 2021 Election is Right Around the Corner!
As a reminder, the 2021 Election is right around the corner and ballots must be in by Tuesday, November 2nd at 7p.m. to ensure that your vote counts! Colorado voters will face 3 different questions on their statewide 2021 election ballot while City & County of Denver residents will face 13 questions. Below is a brief summary of the statewide ballot initiatives:
Amendment 78: Custodial Fund Appropriations Initiative – Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution and a change to current statutes requiring any spending of the money received by the State, including custodial money, to be approved by the Colorado Legislature.
Proposition #119 – Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress Program – Shall the State’s recreational marijuana sales tax be increased to fund out-of-school educational programs.
Proposition 120: Reduce Property Tax Rates – Reduces property tax rates by cutting the residential property tax assessment rate from 7.15% to 6.5% and non-residential property tax assessment rate from 29% to 26.4%.
The Common Sense Institute, a non-partisan research organization, recently released a 2021 Ballot Guide that includes the facts and an objective analysis of the economic impacts of some of these initiatives.
An explanation of the Denver ballot initiatives can also be found here.
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