HB 18-1113

HB 18-1113, also known as the Regulatory Reform Act of 2018, aims to help small businesses in Colorado by making it easier for them to understand and comply with new regulations. The bill defines a "minor violation" as any minor issue related to record-keeping or other non-safety concerns that small businesses (with up to 100 employees) might face when dealing with new rules less than one year old. If a business commits such a minor violation, the state agency must provide a written warning and educational guidance instead of penalizing them. The bill is now signed into law, meaning it has been enacted and will be enforced by Colorado's regulatory agencies to support small businesses.

Official Summary

The bill enacts the 'Regulatory Reform Act of 2018'. Section 2 of the bill makes legislative declarations about the importance of businesses with 100 or fewer employees to the Colorado economy and the difficulty these types of businesses have in complying with new administrative rules that are not known or understood by these businesses. Section 3 defines 'new rule' as any regulatory requirement in existence for less than one year prior to its enforcement by a state agency, and 'minor violation' as any violation of a new rule by a business with 100 or fewer employees where the violation is minor in nature, involving record-keeping or other issues that do not affect the safety of the public. Section 3 provides exceptions from the definition of 'minor violation' for certain types of rules. For the first minor violation of a new rule by a business of 100 or fewer employees, section 4 requires a state agency to issue a written warning and engage the business in educational outreach as to the methods of complying with the new rule. Section 3 requires state agencies to make information on new rules available and allows this information to be made available in electronic form.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More