HB 23-1196

House Bill 23-1196, which has been signed into law and will take effect on July 1, 2023, updates the Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act of 1971. It allows parents or guardians to sue employers for damages if their child is injured while working hours that violate state labor laws or doing work that is prohibited by those laws. This means that in addition to workers' compensation, families can seek additional legal remedies when a minor worker gets hurt due to illegal employment practices. The law ensures that any economic damages awarded will be reduced by the amount already covered through workers' compensation.

Official Summary

The act amends the "Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act of 1971" (CYEOA) to allow aggrieved parties, including parents of children protected by the CYEOA, to pursue remedies at law and in equity for violations of the act, in addition to workers' compensation remedies, if: An injury occurs to a minor during a week when the employer intentionally required the minor to work hours in violation of those allowed by the CYEOA; or An injury occurs to a minor while the minor was engaging in work prohibited by the CYEOA. The act clarifies that economic damages for claims in tort recovered by a party aggrieved by a violation of the CYEOA against the employer of a minor pursuant to the act must be reduced by the amount of compensation and benefits that the minor or the minor's dependents received for the same harm through the employer's workers' compensation insurance. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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