Labor And Industry - Digest of Bills

Digest of Bills - 2006

LABOR AND INDUSTRY

S.B. 06-110 Document fraud - civil penalty - appropriation. Prohibits fraudulently making, for any purpose, the documents that are listed in federal regulations for the purpose of verification of employment eligibility. Imposes a civil penalty of not less than $50,000 for document fraud. Authorizes the office of the attorney general to bring a civil action on behalf of the department of labor and employment for each instance of document fraud. Requires the moneys from the collection of a civil penalty to be deposited in the judicial stabilization cash fund or, if the judicial stabilization fund is abolished, then the general fund.

Appropriates $68,879 to the department of law for implementation of the act.

APPROVED by Governor May 30, 2006
EFFECTIVE May 30, 2006

S.B. 06-195 Colorado Employment Security Act - compliance with federal law - unemployment benefits - transfer of tax rates to employee leasing company. Modifies the benefits provisions of the "Colorado Employment Security Act" (act) as follows to conform with federal law requirements:

● With regard to the ability of a person who terminates employment because of an addiction to alcohol or drugs to collect benefits, deletes the requirement that the person did not receive a prior award under such conditions within the preceding 10 years.

● With regard to the ability of a person who terminates employment because of domestic abuse to collect benefits, deletes the requirement that the person did not receive a prior award under such conditions within the preceding 3 years.

● With regard to the ability of a person who terminates employment to accompany a military spouse transferred for medical reasons to collect benefits, deletes the requirement that the person has resided in Colorado for at least 2 years.

Modifies the provisions of the act relating to the transfer of experience and the assignment of tax rates from a work-site employer to an employee leasing company to specify that a transfer of experience occurs only if there is substantial common ownership, management, and control of the employer and the employee leasing company.

APPROVED by Governor April 24, 2006
EFFECTIVE April 24, 2006

H.B. 06-1055 Workers' compensation - medical impairment benefits - victim of crime of violence. Specifies that the limitation on the duration and amount of medical impairment benefits for workers' compensation claims based on mental impairment does not apply to a victim of a crime of violence, regardless of the intent of the perpetrator of the crime.

APPROVED by Governor March 27, 2006
EFFECTIVE July 1, 2006

H.B. 06-1174 Workers' compensation - coverage - construction work. Requires every person who contracts for the performance of work at a construction site to either provide workers' compensation coverage or require proof of workers' compensation coverage for every person performing construction work at the site.

Punishes violations with a civil penalty of up to $500 per day, payable to the workers' compensation cash fund.

Exempts an owner or occupant, or both, of a residence who contracts out any work done on the property from providing workers' compensation coverage to the contractors.

Makes this act apply to events occurring on or after October 1, 2006.

VETOED by Governor April 13, 2006

H.B. 06-1193 Health care workers - whistleblower protection - prohibited disciplinary action. Prohibits a health care provider from taking disciplinary action against a health care worker for making a good faith report or disclosure regarding patient safety information or quality of patient care. Requires a health care worker to follow the internal reporting procedures of the health care provider when making a good faith report or disclosure.

VETOED by Governor May 8, 2006

H.B. 06-1314 Employment - prohibition against employer's mandatory political or religious meetings for employees - exception for religious and political organizations. Prohibits an employer from requiring employees to attend or participate in any communication with the employer, the purpose of which is to express the employer's opinions about religious or political matters. Prohibits an employer from penalizing an employee for not so attending or participating or for making a good faith report of a violation of the prohibitions. Allows an employee to enforce the prohibitions through court proceedings. Exempts religious and political organizations from the prohibitions.

VETOED by Governor May 26, 2006

H.B. 06-1340 Division of oil and public safety - explosives permits. Exempts a person, firm, partnership, or corporation that is subject to explosives regulation under federal mining law from the state permit requirements administered by the division of oil and public safety in the department of labor and employment.

APPROVED by Governor March 31, 2006
EFFECTIVE March 31, 2006