CO HB1001

Governmental bodies cannot award state contracts to businesses with more than 50 employees unless they certify compliance with equal pay standards and laws.

Businesses bidding for state contracts must certify they do not pay employees different wages based on disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion, age, national origin, or ancestry for substantially similar work, with exceptions for seniority systems, merit systems, production-based pay, and bona fide factors like education or experience.

Contract-winning businesses must require subcontractors to comply with equal pay standards and must maintain records on employee wages, numbers, and average salaries broken down by occupation, race, sex, and national origin for the contract term.

The Department of Labor and Employment may investigate complaints and impose fines up to $5,000 for first violations, $10,000 for second violations, and $25,000 for third and subsequent violations (or 1% of contract cost, whichever is less).

Governmental bodies may terminate contracts if they discover contractors or subcontractors knowingly violated equal pay compliance requirements while performing work on the contract.