CO HB1230

Creates a purple card program in the Department of Labor and Employment to grant legal work status to persons who entered the United States without legal documentation.

Eligibility requires no felony convictions in the three years before application and either being brought to the U.S. as a minor or having paid Colorado state income taxes for the two years before application.

Purple card holders are not considered unauthorized aliens and the program may mirror the federal green card process and help employers request foreign workers for jobs that cannot be filled by existing workforce.

State shall indemnify individuals and employers from federal penalties and actions arising from purple card use for employment, with applicant information kept confidential.

Appropriates $103,815 for fiscal year 2018-19: $93,159 to the Department of Labor and Employment for program implementation and $10,656 to the Department of Law for legal services; also creates a purple card cash fund supported by application fees and General Assembly appropriations.