Blogs

At the end of December and in the first week of January, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) updated guidance, known as INFOS, for Colorado labor laws for the upcoming year. The links and descriptions are as follows: 

• INFO #1: Colorado Overtime & Minimum Pay Standards Order (COMPS Order) #38 (version updated 12/30/21) 

• • In Spanish: Hoja Informativa y Opinión Formal (INFO por sus siglas en inglés) #1: Orden de COMPS #38 

• INFO #6B: Paid Leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (“HFWA”) (version updated 12/30/21) 

• • In Spanish: Hoja Informativa y Opinión Formal (INFO por sus siglas en inglés) #6B: Pago por Ausencia Laboral bajo el Acta de Familias y Lugares de Trabajo Saludables (“HFWA” por sus siglas en inglés), a parr de 1º de enero del 2021 

• INFO #6C: How Healthy Families and Workplaces Act Paid Leave Differs in 2020, 2021, and Beyond, and How It Differs from Federal Law, Prior Colorado Law, and Paid Family/Medical Leave (version updated 12/30/21) 

• • In Spanish: Hoja Informativa y Opinión Formal (INFO por sus siglas en inglés) # 6C: Cómo Difiere el Pago por Ausencia Laboral Bajo el Acta de Familias y Lugares de Trabajos Saludables (“HFWA” por sus siglas en inglés) en 2020, 2021, y más allá, y En Qué se Diferencia de la Ley Federal, Leyes Anteriores de Colorado, y Ausencia Familiar/Médica Pagada 

• INFO #13: Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Program Requirements for Public Projects (new INFO 12/10/21) 
• INFO #14: Payment of Earned Vacation upon Separation of Employment (new INFO 1/1/22) 

While most of the INFOs are self-explanatory, there are a couple of noteworthy items which should be carefully reviewed.  First, the new INFO #14 is clear when defining what constitutes vacation pay that must be paid out at termination. It says “‘Vacation pay’ is any paid leave that’s usable for any purpose the employee chooses, at their discretion - unlike paid leave that’s usable only for qualifying events like health needs, caretaking, bereavement, or holidays. …Some paid leave meets this ‘vacation pay’ definition, but has a different name, such as  ‘personal days,’ ‘paid time off,’ ‘annual leave,’ etc.” 

Next, INFO #6C has information regarding a state public health emergency (PHE). It tells us that when Governor Polis rescinded his original declaration of a Public Health Emergency in July of 2021, he issued a new 12 page Executive Order called the Colorado COVID-19 Disaster Recovery Order on the same day. Page 10 of the new Order states in relevant part that the Governor’s verbal order of March 10, 2020, declaring a declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency has been extended monthly since then.  The most recent extension was issued December 28, 2021 and expires thirty days later on January 27, 2022 unless extended again.  

The Governor’s declaration is in addition to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ federal declaration, in place until January 16,2022, unless extended further.  Employers Council will continue monitoring both the state and federal public health emergency declarations and keep employers updated on when PHE leave ends. Employers with an Employers Council Consulting or Enterprise membership and members who have not renewed under the new member model may also contact an Employers Council staff for assistance.