Paid Sick Leave Law Expanded

Gov. Polis signed into law an amendment to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA), which broadens the scenarios under which employees may take paid leave beyond those involving the health or caregiver needs of the employee and their immediate family members.

Effective August 7, 2023, Colorado employees will also be able to use accrued sick pay to:

• “Grieve, attend funeral services or a memorial,” or address “financial and legal matters that arise after the death of a family member.”
• “Care for a family member whose school or place of care has been closed due to inclement weather, loss of power, loss of heating, loss of water, or other unexpected occurrence or event that results in the closure of the family member’s school or place of care.”
• “Evacuate the employee’s residence due to inclement weather, loss of power, loss of heating, loss of water, or other unexpected occurrence or event that results in the need to evacuate the employee’s residence.”

Colorado employers must notify employees of their right to take paid leave under the HFWA and should consider updating both their sick leave policies and posters to reflect the new grounds for which employees may take HFWA leave on or before the law’s effective date.

SB 23-017;»