House Panel OKs Making Wage-Theft Findings Open To Public

DENVER (AP) — A House committee has unanimously endorsed a bill to allow the public to know when Colorado labor officials determine that employers have cheated their workers on wages.

The Judiciary Committee voted 11-0 Thursday to include such violations under Colorado's open records law.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jesse Danielson, goes to the House floor for debate. It would allow citizens to know if they are patronizing or considering employment with an offender.

Under a century-old law, state wage-theft investigations are considered trade secrets — even when an employer has been fined — and are off-limits under the open records act.

Danielson's bill would make that information available to the public after an employer has exhausted all appeals.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)