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Proposed bill would protect Colorado employees who fail marijuana drug tests

House Bill 1089 would stop companies from being able to terminate workers who fail drug tests specifically for marijuana in Colorado.

DENVER — While waiting for the introduction of bills that would mandate paid-family-leave benefits for all private companies and create a state-run retirement-savings system for workers at companies that don’t offer such a plan, business leaders are dealing with a couple of surprise bills that also seek to tie their hands when it comes to oversight of employees.

One died last week, and the other is up for its first hearing on Wednesday.

The already deceased bill is Senate Bill 84, sponsored by Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, which would have barred employers, including health-care centers from requiring immunizations as a condition of employment. That fell by a Democratic-led 3-1 party-line vote on Feb. 10 in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.

Still to come, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 in the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, is House Bill 1089, which would protect employees from getting fired for engaging in activities outside of work that are lawful under state law, even if they are unlawful according to federal law. More simply translated: The effort from Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora, would stop companies from being able to terminate workers who fail drug tests specifically for marijuana in Colorado.

Read more at the Denver Business Journal

RELATED: Bill would make it illegal for employers to fire someone for smoking weed off the clock

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RELATED: Did marijuana legalization increase Denver's homeless population?

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