HB14-1033: Regulatory Reform Act of 2014

• Enacts the "Regulatory Reform Act of 2014" to provide regulatory relief for Colorado businesses with 100 or fewer employees by focusing on education rather than punishment for first-time violations of new rules.

• Defines "new rule" as any regulatory requirement in effect for less than one year prior to enforcement against a small business, and "minor violation" as violations of new rules involving record-keeping, data retention, or filing that do not affect public safety and carry financial penalties.

• Requires state agencies to develop fact sheets for new rules adopted each fiscal year and make them available to affected small businesses in electronic form, with efforts to inform businesses where to find the information online.

• Mandates that for any first-time minor violation of a new rule by a business with 100 or fewer employees, the state agency must issue a written warning and conduct educational outreach on compliance methods rather than impose penalties.

• Exempts certain rules from the minor violation provision, including matters affecting life safety, state-issued permits and licenses, federal law requirements, consumer credit code enforcement, civil rights rules, and public health and environment department rules.