Articles Discussing General Topics Under Colorado Labor & Employment Law.

At a time when employers are struggling to stay current with ever-changing COVID-19 laws and public health orders, Colorado has enacted a new Public Health Emergency Whistleblower (PHEW) law on the heels of its sweeping new paid sick leave law under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA).  Broadly

Colorado has enacted the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (SB20-205) (HFWA) to require employers to provide employees with up to six days, or up to 48 hours, of earned paid sick leave.

Employers with at least 16 employees must begin providing earned paid sick leave on January 1, 2021. All

Colorado has enacted the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (SB20-205) (HFWA) to require employers to provide employees with up to six days, or up to 48 hours, of earned paid sick leave.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis is expected to sign the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA), Senate Bill 20-205, which will immediately make all Colorado employers, excluding the federal government, subject to the provisions of the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The Colorado General Assembly recently passed legislation intended to protect employees and certain independent contractors from discrimination and/or retaliation if they raise health and safety concerns related to a public health emergency. House Bill (HB) 20-1415, which Governor Jared Polis is expected to sign, appears to be in direct response

The Colorado legislature recently passed SB20-205, the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (“HFWA”), which will require all Colorado employers to provide three types of paid sick leave: 1) COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave (“CO-EPSL”); 2) Paid sick and safe time (“PSST”); and 3) Public health emergency paid sick leave (“PHEL”).

On May 21, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued Guidance to Employers and Places of Public Accommodation Regarding Equal Opportunity Employment and Reasonable Accommodations Due to the Presence of COVID-19 (the “Colorado Guidance”). The Colorado Guidance discusses non-discrimination and reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities, “Vulnerable Individuals,” those with

On March 5, 2020, Colorado reported its first cases of coronavirus, which would multiply exponentially over the following weeks. Since then, the state and various municipalities, including Denver, have actively responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing a series of orders affecting businesses and their requirements with respect to their

On May 4, 2020, Colorado issued Amended Public Health Order 20-28, which makes a number of modifications to the state’s Safer at Home Order.

At a press conference on May 5, 2020, City and County of Denver, Colorado Mayor Michael Hancock announced that Denver’s “Stay at Home” Order will expire on May 8, 2020.

At a press conference on May 5, 2020, City and County of Denver, Colorado Mayor Michael Hancock announced that Denver’s “Stay at Home” Order will expire on May 8, 2020. Shortly after, Boulder County, Jefferson County, and the Tri-County Health Department (covering Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties) announced that they, too, would be allowing their stay-at-home orders to expire on May 8, 2020.

As the nuances of Colorado Governor Jared Polis’s “Safer at Home” Order continue to reveal themselves to Colorado employers resuming operations, one more state agency has weighed in: the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD).

Late on Friday, May 1, 2020, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced that the City and County of Denver will join other Colorado municipalities, as well as several private retailers and transportation providers, in requiring residents to wear “face coverings” in a broad array of public settings. The order will take effect at 12:00 a.m. MST on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, and will carry a civil penalty of up to $999.00 per violation.

On April 27, 2020, Colorado began its phased relaxation of the statewide stay-at-home restrictions in place since March 25, 2020, with Governor Jared Polis’s issuance of Executive Order D 2020 044, styled the “Safer at Home” Order. Colorado has thus joined the growing number of states permitting certain employees to report to work.

On April 27, 2020, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment amended its Health Emergency Leave with Pay (HELP) Rules, which require certain employers to provide employees paid sick leave for a covered COVID-19 reason. The HELP Rules were originally issued on March 11, 2020, and minor amendments expanding industry coverage were subsequently issued on March 26 and April 3. The latest changes are a response to Governor Polis’s April 26 Safer at Home Executive Order, which gradually allows certain businesses to operate at greater capacity. Key portions of the April 27, 2020 amendments to the HELP Rules are highlighted below.