Senate Bill 16-056 Summary

• Expands Colorado's whistleblower protection law to allow state employees to disclose confidential information to designated whistleblower review agencies (Director of Legislative Legal Services, Attorney General, or State Court Administrator) without facing retaliation.

• Requires whistleblower review agencies to determine within 30 days whether disclosed information is confidential or closed to public inspection and maintain confidentiality of protected information.

• Mandates whistleblower review agencies notify information owners when disclosure to the public is likely and grants owners 30 days to file court injunctions to prevent release of trade secrets or confidential commercial, financial, geological, or geophysical data.

• Removes the requirement that employees first attempt to disclose information to supervisors before seeking whistleblower protection, but allows agencies to transfer information to investigating authorities within 60 days.

• Establishes a working group to examine federal and other states' whistleblower laws and recommend ways to broaden protections for situations involving confidential information, with recommendations due November 1, 2016; most provisions sunset May 15, 2018.