HB 22-1367

HB 22-1367 updates Colorado’s employment discrimination laws by giving the state civil rights commission more time to address complaints and allowing individuals in domestic service to be protected under these laws. It also extends the period during which someone can file a complaint about workplace discrimination from six months to 300 days, making it easier for people to report issues. Additionally, the bill removes certain restrictions on damages that could be recovered in age discrimination cases, ensuring all types of employment discrimination claims are treated equally under the law. The bill has been signed into law and includes funding to help implement these changes.

Official Summary

The act amends employment discrimination laws, commonly referred to as the "Colorado Anti-discrimination Act" or "CADA", as follows: With regard to the jurisdiction of the Colorado civil rights commission (commission) over discrimination complaints, instead of allowing the commission 270 days to notice a hearing on the complaint and the ability to grant the parties an extension of up to an additional 180 days, allows the commission a total of 450 days to notice a hearing on the complaint or lose jurisdiction over the complaint; Expands the definition of "employee" to include individuals in domestic service and specifies that it is not a discriminatory or an unfair employment practice with respect to sex for a person to consider sex when hiring an employee to engage in child-care-related domestic services; Extends the time limit to file a charge with the commission from 6 months to 300 days after the alleged discriminatory or unfair employment practice occurred; and Repeals the prohibition, applicable in age discrimination cases only, against the relief and recovery of certain damages so that the remedies available in employment discrimination claims are consistent, regardless of the type of discrimination alleged. The act appropriates $113,548 from the general fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the civil rights division to implement the act, with $98,718 allocated for personal services and $14,830 for operating expenses. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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