A new bill in Colorado aims to crack down on employers who don’t pay their workers by increasing the threshold for wage-theft claims that the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment could enforce across all industries. The measure, House Bill 1001, also adds employees to the department and sets up a system to publish the names of violators, while creating protections against discrimination based on immigration status and employee misclassification.
Last year’s vetoed bill targeted the construction industry specifically, but this year’s bill widens its scope to include all industries. It has passed the first two committees in the House and is awaiting a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee. The bill has undergone changes to address criticisms from last year, including removing chain liability for subcontractors.
Governor Jared Polis, who vetoed last year’s bill, now supports the new measure after working with the sponsors to address concerns. The bill has received praise from advocacy groups like the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, while business organizations like the Colorado Competitive Council remain opposed due to concerns about responsible businesses being implicated.
Despite some opposition, the bill is viewed as less adversarial than typical employee-employer legislation, with sponsors conducting outreach to address concerns. Negotiations are ongoing to address remaining issues and ensure the bill focuses on punishing bad actors while supporting transparency and enforcement of wage theft claims.
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