Colorado Paid Sick Leave Requirements & Information

UPDATE: The the Healthy Families & Workplaces Act (HFWA) became law on July 15, 2020, replacing the HELP Rules, which expired after July 14, 2020. The HFWA, in part, requires employers to notify employees of emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) the HFWA requires from July 15 through December 31, 2020 (poster available in English & Spanish). Monitor littler.com for forthcoming additional information concerning the HFWA’s EPSL requirements. 

The Colorado legislature recently passed SB20-205, the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (“HFWA”), which will require all Colorado employers to provide three types of paid sick leave: 1) COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave (“CO-EPSL”); 2) Paid sick and safe time (“PSST”); and 3) Public health emergency paid sick leave (“PHEL”). Governor Jared Polis (D) is expected to sign the HFWA, which generally will take effect immediately upon his signature, although certain provisions will not take effect until 2021 or 2022, depending on how many employees an employer has. Although some paid sick jurisdictions have enacted separate emergency (and temporary) paid leave laws, and other jurisdictions are exploring adding an emergency leave component to their existing paid sick leave law, this built-in tripartite law would be the first of its kind.