The bill prohibits an employer from terminating an employee for the employee's lawful off-duty activities that are lawful under state law even if those activities are not lawful under federal law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Dedicated electric vehicle charging stations - misuse - penalties. The act authorizes the owner of a plug-in electric motor vehicle charging station to install a sign that identifies the station. If the sign is installed, a person is prohibited from: Parking in the space if the vehicle is not an electric vehicle; and Using a dedicated charging station for parking if the electric vehicle is not charging. An electric vehicle is rebuttably presumed to not be charging if the electric vehicle is parked in a charging station and is not electrically connected to the charger for longer than 30 minutes. A person may park an electric vehicle at a charging station after the electric vehicle is fully charged in a parking lot: That serves a lodging business if the person is a client of the lodging business and has parked the electric vehicle in the lot to charge overnight; That serves an airport if the person is a client of the airport and has parked the electric vehicle in the lot to charge when traveling; or Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The penalty for a violation is a $150 fine and a $32 surcharge. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Marijuana - hospitality establishments - retail hospitality spaces and sales establishments - marijuana hospitality establishment licensing - rules - appropriation. Subject to approval by both the state and local licensing authorities, the act authorizes marijuana hospitality spaces (hospitality spaces) in which medical and retail marijuana may be consumed on site and retail marijuana hospitality and sales establishments in which retail marijuana, retail marijuana concentrate, and retail marijuana products may be sold and consumed on site. Subject to local approval, the act authorizes a retail food establishment to apply for a marijuana hospitality establishment license for a specified portion of the retail food establishment but prohibits an entity from having both a marijuana hospitality establishment license and a liquor license for the same premises. The act establishes requirements and prohibitions for the new hospitality spaces and requires the state licensing authority to promulgate rules governing the new marijuana hospitality establishment licenses and hospitality spaces. The act makes smoking marijuana in the hospitality spaces an exception to the "Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act". For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $399,479 from the marijuana cash fund to the department of revenue to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Minimum wage - local government to establish - limitations - enforcement - reports - eligible nursing facility provider reimbursement. The act allows a unit of local government to establish a minimum wage for individuals performing, or expected to perform, 4 or more hours of work for an employer in the local government's jurisdiction. A minimum wage established by a local government is subject to the following limitations: Prior to enacting a minimum wage law, the local government is required to consult with surrounding local governments and various stakeholders; A minimum wage established by a local government must provide a tip offset equal to the tip offset provided in the state constitution; The minimum wage law must not apply to time spent in a local government's jurisdiction solely for the purpose of traveling through the jurisdiction to a destination outside of the local government's boundaries; All employed adult employees and emancipated minors shall be paid not less than the enacted minimum wage; A local minimum wage increase must take effect on the same date as a scheduled increase to the statewide minimum wage; and If a local minimum wage exceeds the statewide minimum wage, the local government may only increase the local minimum wage each year by up to $1.75 or 15%, whichever is higher. A local government that enacts a minimum wage law may adopt provisions for the local enforcement of the law. By July 1, 2021, the executive director of the department of labor and employment is required to issue a written report regarding local minimum wage laws in the state. If notified by the executive director of the department of labor and employment that a local government has enacted a minimum wage that exceeds the statewide minimum wage, the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing is required to submit a report to the joint budget committee with certain recommendations related to provider rates. If 10% of local governments enact local minimum wage laws, a local government that has not enacted a local minimum wage law is prohibited from enacting a local minimum wage law until the general assembly has given authorization for additional local minimum wage laws by amending this act. The executive director of the department of health care policy and financing is required to establish a process for eligible nursing facility providers to apply for a local minimum wage enhancement payment to be used to increase the compensation of its employees whenever a local government increases its minimum wage above the statewide minimum wage. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Restitution - interest - accrual - lower to 8% - appropriation. The act provides that interest on an order of restitution does not accrue while the defendant is: Serving a sentence in a correctional facility within the state operated by or under contract with the department of corrections; or In a juvenile case and under 21 years of age. The act also lowers the interest rate on certain restitution amounts from 12% to 8% as of January 1, 2020. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $220,480 from the judicial collection enhancement cash fund to the judicial department to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Hiring practices - limitations on criminal history inquiries - exceptions - enforcement - appropriation. Effective September 1, 2019, for employers with 11 or more employees, and effective September 1, 2021, for all employers, employers are prohibited from: Advertising that a person with a criminal history may not apply for a position; Placing a statement in an employment application that a person with a criminal history may not apply for a position; or Inquiring about an applicant's criminal history on an initial application. An employer may obtain a job applicant's publicly available criminal background report at any time. An employer is exempt from the restrictions on advertising and initial employment applications when: The law prohibits a person who has a particular criminal history from being employed in a particular job; The employer is participating in a program to encourage employment of people with criminal histories; or The employer is required by law to conduct a criminal history record check for the particular position. The department of labor and employment (department) is charged with enforcing the requirements of the act and may issue warnings and orders of compliance for violations and, for second or subsequent violations, impose civil penalties. A violation of the restrictions does not create a private cause of action, and the act does not create a protected class under employment anti-discrimination laws. The department is directed to adopt rules regarding procedures for handling complaints against employers. The department is appropriated $38,113 from the employment support fund and 0.6 FTE to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Registration - fees and surcharges - appropriation. The act requires the department of revenue to give prorated credit for registration fees and surcharges on a vehicle that is sold before the vehicle's registration year ends. The credit is applied to vehicles subsequently registered. To implement the act, $7,200 is appropriated to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Current law prohibits the use of wireless telephones while driving for individuals who are younger than 18 years of age. The bill: Extends the prohibition to drivers of all ages; Extends the existing prohibition of the use of wireless telephones to include all mobile electronic devices; Establishes the penalties as $50 and 2 points for a first violation, $100 and 2 points for a second violation, $200 and 4 points for a third or subsequent violation, and $300 and 4 points if the violation involves text messaging; Creates an exception to the prohibition of the use of mobile electronic devices for adult drivers who use a mobile electronic device while a hands-free accessory is engaged; and Repeals a sentence enhancement for a violation that causes bodily injury or death. Appropriates $7,425 to the department of revenue to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Under current law, when a complaint against a mental health professional is dismissed, information contained in the records of the board that licenses, registers, or certifies the mental health professional (board) is exempt from the disclosure requirements of the state's open records law. The bill allows a mental health professional who is a respondent to a dismissed complaint (respondent) to access information in the files of the board and in the files of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies (division). Before allowing the access, the board and the division shall redact from the information the names of the respondent's clients or other recipients of service and any other information that would identify an individual person, including the complainant or a witness.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
