After four years of sweeping human resource legislation in Colorado, employers could be wondering — and worried — about what will happen during the 2024 legislative session.

Rest assured the Colorado Legislature remains engaged in creating new HR laws in addition to those enacted over the last four years.

But that legislation also appears less landscape-altering than in the recent past.

Since 2020, Colorado employers have seen passage of the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards Act, Public Health Emergency Whistleblower Act and Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. That’s not to mention FAMLI, POWR and wage protection laws and termination notification requirements.

It’s like an alphabet soup of HR and employment laws. And employers have had to work overtime to figure out how these laws apply to their workplaces.

The smaller slate of bills at the Colorado Legislature this session offers employers an opportunity to look back to take a step forward by ensuring their compliance is up to date and they provide the correct information to employees.

It also gives employers an opportunity to look ahead to coming changes in the HR field, particularly with respect to artificial intelligence.

The Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled its annual spring employment law and HR conference for May 22 at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Bechtel & Santo, a Grand Junction law firm that advises employers on day-to-day employment and human resource issues, will present the conference and offer sessions on a variety of topics.

The conference will include lunch as well as opportunities for participants to ask lawyers questions.

This event will include the following presentations:

Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act: This voter-passed legislation created Colorado’s first extended, state-provided paid leave and provides most employees the opportunity to take 12 weeks of paid leave for various medical issues.

This presentation will address a number of issues, including how employers have prepared for employees requesting leave, what the state requires employers to undertake and how employers should draft policies to address FAMLI. The presentation also will cover the information employers can provide to employees on how to make signing up for FAMLI more efficient.

Accommodations and the interactive process: Although Americans with Disabilities Act  and religious accommodation requests are nothing new, the way courts have ruled on how employers should engage in the interactive process has changed over the years.

This presentation will offer a look at how courts historically reviewed the interactive process as well as the recent  shift in reasoning. The discussion will include a decision in which the standard for reasonable accommodation in religious accommodation requests was modified and other rulings indicating more obligations on employers in the ADA interactive process.

Changes to wage laws: Within the next few weeks, the federal government is expected to announce the first big changes to wage laws in the past 20 years. These changes are expected to focus on requirements for salaried workers and alter which employees are required to receive overtime.

To prepare for these changes, this presentation will focus on policies employers must develop and which employees could require reclassification to receive overtime. Considering the growing number of class-action lawsuits based on wage issues, federal changes could affect Colorado employers.

AI is coming to a workplace near you: Generative artificial intelligence platforms are revolutionizing the way employers do business.

This presentation will provide information about new tools and technologies, how AI could transform operations and potential ethical pitfalls in using AI for hiring and other employment decisions.

HR legislative update: The conference is scheduled to include a session offering a legislative and case law update. This update will include a discussion of recent and potential changes to federal and state law, including a number of measures under consideration at the Colorado Legislature. Federal- and state-level measures deal with  workers’ compensation benefits, discussions of political and legislative issues at work, how general contractors could be liable for the wage claims filed against their subcontractors and how health care employers will be required to develop policies and committees regarding violence in the workplace. The session also  will  cover  significant  changes  coming  in  a  new  Colorado measure enabling employers to receive reimbursement for training provided to employees.

Handbook policy changes: With so many new laws coming into effect, it’s critical policies are up to date and reflect current laws and trends. This presentation will focus on what employers must undertake to ensure compliance.

Michael Santo is partner and co-founder of Bechtel & Santo, a Grand Junction law firm that advises employers on day-to-day employment and human resource issues. For more information, visit the website at https://bechtelsanto.com. His column was provided by the Western Colorado Human Resource Association. For more information, visit www.wchra.org.

The Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled its annual spring employment and HR conference for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 22 at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Admission is $249 for WCHRA members and $300 for others. To register or obtain information, visit www.wchra.org.