Fair Workweek Employment Standards Bill Gets Attention

(Denver, CO) -- Lawmakers are meeting in committee this week to focus on a bill that's getting a lot of attention. House Bill 23-1118 Concerning fair workweek employment standards will hear testimony from those for the bill and those against the bill in the Business Affairs and Labor committee Thursday at 1:30.

According to the legislation's fiscal note, a document that summarizes estimated costs to the state should the bill pass, the bill would create new labor standards that would mostly affect the restaurant industry, food and beverage and manufacturing. It would also require the state to spend more money should the bill became a law. And it would go into play as early as January of 2024.

The background on the bill shows that it would cover about 326,000 Colorado workers or about 14 percent of the labor force. Those numbers on the fiscal note were taken from the Colorado Labor Market Information Gateway for the North American Industry Classification System.

It's estimated using complaints filed under the Health Families and Workplaces Act that they could received about 60 complaints a year. They estimate that about 40 will need extra hours of investigation and as many as 20 could need follow up. This is where the increased costs are estimated. The expectation is that the bill could increase state costs. See the table below for the expected costs to the budget.

Here's a summary of the bill's text:

BILL SUMMARY

The bill imposes requirements for certain types of employers with regard to:

• The determination of employee work schedules;