ADL’s Mountain States Region joined dozens of Colorado civil rights, business and religious groups to support the introduction of legislation to strengthen Colorado’s employment laws to provide enforcement options for Colorado employees who have suffered discrimination because of their religion, gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Although it is illegal to discriminate against workers in Colorado, employees are severely limited in their ability to seek justice when their rights are violated.  As a result, Colorado’s anti-discrimination law cannot meaningfully be enforced.

Colorado is one of only a handful of states – including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi — that provide no meaningful state remedies for employees who are not protected under federal law (14 or fewer employees).  Forty-three other states offer these types of protections.

The coalition will work to support the introduction and passage of a bill in the 2013 Colorado General Assembly to modernize and strengthen the civil rights law.