Denver — A pair of Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill that would maintain the state’s current health and safety standards even if the federal government’s standards become less stringent.
H.B. 1054 would authorize the state’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics to “replace any requirement” of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 or the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 that’s “repealed, revoked or amended.”
It would also allow the division to “define standards for workplace health and safety if there is no standard in effect under the OSH Act.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a similar bill in August.
The Colorado bill, sponsored by Reps. Manny Rutinel (D-Commerce City) and Elizabeth Velasco (D-Glenwood Springs), is with the state’s House Appropriations Committee.
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce’s Labor and Employment Council and National Federation of Independent Business are among the groups that oppose the bill.
“Workplace safety is a top priority for every responsible employer,” NFIB State Director Michael Smith said in a press release. “Small-business owners already have a complex regulatory environment to navigate here in Colorado, and many do not have an army of attorneys or compliance officers at their disposal.
“Main Street does not need more rules, more paperwork and more legal exposure. This is the exact wrong approach to promote workplace safety. Most small-business owners do everything they can to protect their employees, many of whom they view nearly as family.”
Nina Mast, a policy and economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, spoke in favor of the bill during a Feb. 26 hearing before the Colorado House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor.
“In the past year, OSHA has faced unprecedented threats to its enforcement capabilities, and aggressive immigration enforcement will make workers even less likely to feel safe reporting unsafe conditions at work,” Mast said. “Because of these threats, state lawmakers have an opportunity and responsibility to resist the erosion of hard-won worker protections and take up the mantle of advancing workers’ right to a safe workplace.
“The sponsors of this bill have shown that they take this commitment seriously, and we urge all members of this committee and the Colorado General Assembly to do the same by supporting the passage of H.B. 1054.”
