On April 19, 2013, Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law SB 13-018, otherwise known as “the Employment Opportunity Act.” The Employment Opportunity Act prohibits employers from obtaining and using consumer credit information for employment purposes unless the credit information is “substantially related” to the position.
Currently, there are only 8 other states where employment protections have been adopted for individuals who may have fallen on hard economic times, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
Colorado employers must comply with the Employment Opportunity Act on or before its effective date of July 1, 2013. Violators will be subject to Department of Labor investigations and civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation.
For more information on the Colorado Employment Opportunity Act and how to comply, see my prior posts here and here.