DENVER, Colo. (March 30, 2021) — Sherman & Howard member and Practice Group Leader Brooke Colaizzi was quoted in a recent Law Week Colorado article titled “POWR Act Proposes Big Changes to Anti-Discrimination Laws.”

The article highlights the Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights Act (SB21-176), which, if passed, would make significant changes to well-established employment law and workplace practices.

Colaizzi spoke of the proposed legislation’s many implications for employers, such as eliminating the requirement to exhaust administrative remedies, expanding the definition of “employee” to include independent contractors, and eliminating the “severe and pervasive” standard for harassment set by case law.

Colaizzi said the bill’s redefinition of “employee” is “arguably the most significant and challenging piece of the bill” and may “eliminate the distinction between employee and independent contractors,” opening up businesses to claims from vendors, contractors, and the employees of contractors.

The bill was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which scheduled its first hearing on March 25.

The full article was published in the March 29, 2021, edition. (Subscription required)

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