Senate Bill 19-085 was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis on May 22, 2019.

The bill, titled the “Equal Pay for Equal Work Act,” closes major loopholes in the Federal Equal Pay Act and will help guarantee that all Colorado employees are paid fairly, regardless of gender, and bars the use of pay history to justify pay discrepancies. It also ensures that employers of any size in the state of Colorado must make reasonable efforts to announce, post, or make known all opportunities for promotion to all current employees on the same calendar day, in addition to disclosure requirements regarding the salary or hourly compensation for each posting. The bill will take full effect on January 1, 2021.

Among several lawmakers, lawyers, and activists who spoke in front of the Colorado legislature in support of the Equal Pay Act, Charlotte Sweeney of Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC was a prominent player in getting the bill passed. Ms. Sweeney was one of the participating drafters of the Act who also testified in front of the state legislature in support of the bill’s passage.