Colorado Updates

Written by Anonymous | Jan 27, 2026 1:00:00 PM

Healthy Families and Workplaces Act

 
Effective February 1, 2026, Colorado rules implementing the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) clarify requirements regarding employee pay rate and employer recordkeeping. Highlights are:
 
  • Colorado HFWA leave must be paid at the same pay rate and with the same benefits that the employee would have been afforded had they worked during the leave period.

  • Employees will not earn additional compensation during HFWA leave if the use of leave does not reduce their pay.

  • For employees paid wages plus commissions, the calculation of the HFWA pay rate does not include commissions.

  • For employees who work at multiple rates, HFWA leave will be paid at the rate the employee would have earned during the leave period had they worked.

  • The “lookback period” for calculating the HFWA pay rate applies only when the pay rate for the leave period is unknown.

 

 

Agricultural Labor Conditions Rules

 
Effective February 1, 2026, Colorado amends its Agricultural Labor Conditions Rules regarding heat illness prevention to clarify:
 
  • That covered employers must monitor heat conditions throughout the day;

  • How an employer must monitor the current temperature;

  • That indoor, temperature-controlled spaces are an acceptable alternative to shade; and

  • The acclimatization period applies to the first four days when the temperature is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.