Pursuant to Colorado Senate Bill 23-017, Colorado employers will soon be required to provide eligible employees paid sick leave for an expanded set of reasons. Currently, employees are allowed to take paid sick leave due to a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition that prevents work; to obtain preventative medical care, medical attention or mental health care; to care for a family member who has a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; or upon the closure of the employee’s place of business or the employee’s child’s school or place of care due to a public health emergency.
After the new law goes into effect, employees will be able to take paid sick leave for the following additional reasons:
- to grieve, attend funeral services or a memorial, or deal with financial and legal matters that arise after the death of a family member;
- to 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 events; or
- to evacuate the employee’s place of residence due to inclement weather, loss of power, loss of heating, loss of water, or other unexpected events.
Note also that under the new law, Colorado employers must notify employees of their rights to take paid leave and communicate to them the entire list of reasons for which they are allowed to do so.
The expanded law takes effect on August 7, 2023.
