HB26-1010 • 2026

Older Adult Support & Representation in Workforce

The act increases participation, representation, and support for individuals 55 years old or older in the Colorado workforce and in organizations related to employment and the workforce by: Beginning

Education Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Rep. J. Jackson, Rep. J. Willford, Sen. J. Danielson, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. A. Boesenecker, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. S. Camacho, Rep. C. Clifford, Rep. M. Duran, Rep. R. English, Rep. M. Froelich, Rep. L. Goldstein, Rep. E. Hamrick, Rep. J. Joseph, Rep. R. Keltie, Rep. S. Lieder, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. J. Mabrey, Rep. B. Marshall, Rep. J. McCluskie, Rep. K. Nguyen, Rep. A. Paschal, Rep. J. Phillips, Rep. M. Rutinel, Rep. E. Sirota, Rep. T. Story, Rep. B. Titone, Rep. S. Woodrow, Sen. A. Benavidez, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. L. Cutter, Sen. T. Exum, Sen. N. Hinrichsen, Sen. I. Jodeh, Sen. C. Kipp, Sen. W. Lindstedt, Sen. J. Marchman, Sen. R. Rodriguez, Sen. M. Snyder, Sen. T. Sullivan, Sen. K. Wallace
Last action: 2026-06-02
Official status: Governor Signed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Older Adult Support and Representation in Colorado Workforce

This law requires state groups to meet, share data, and include older adults on their boards to support workers aged 55 or older.

What This Bill Does

Requires the State Work Force Development Council, the Colorado Commission on Aging, and other entities to meet twice a year starting in 2027.
Directs these groups to collect data about people aged 55 or older who are working.
Orders the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Human Services to jointly submit an annual report with this data to lawmakers beginning in 2028.
Requires the Department of Labor and Employment to summarize the report during its yearly 'SMART Act' hearings for certain legislative committees.
Mandates that specific governing boards include at least one member who is aged 55 or older and has an interest, knowledge, or experience in advocating for individuals 55 years old or older.

Who It Names or Affects

Workers in Colorado who are 55 years old or older
The State Work Force Development Council and the Colorado Commission on Aging
The Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Human Services
The Commission on Higher Education and its advisory committee

Terms To Know

State Work Force Development Council: A state group that meets to work collaboratively on issues related to individuals in the workforce who are 55 years old or older.
Colorado Commission on Aging: A state entity required to meet and collect data regarding workers aged 55 or older.
SMART Act hearings: Annual meetings where the Department of Labor and Employment summarizes reports for certain legislative committees.

Limits and Unknowns

The official effective date is listed as blank in the provided source.
The text does not specify penalties if groups fail to meet or report requirements.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU Business Affairs & Labor

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment lowers the age requirement from sixty to fifty-five for older adults covered by this bill.

Changes the minimum age from sixty years old to fifty-five years old in multiple sections of the law.
Adds language requiring that staff or appointed members be included when collecting information.

The amendment text does not explain exactly what activities, benefits, or groups are affected by changing the age from sixty to fifty-five.
It is unclear which specific 'existing resources and platforms' will be used for data collection without reading the full bill.

L.005

SEN Business, Labor, & Technology

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment removes a specific section of the bill that was located on page 5, lines 7 through 20.

Deletes all text found between line 7 and line 20 on page 5 of the original bill.

The provided amendment only shows that a section was removed but does not include the actual words or rules from that deleted section, so it is impossible to explain exactly what specific support for older adults was taken out.
Because the content of the removed lines is missing, we cannot describe how this change affects participation or representation in the workforce.

L.004

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule requiring that one member of Colorado's higher education advisory committee must be at least 55 years old and experienced in supporting older adults.

It changes the law to require exactly one new type of member on the advisory committee for higher education.
That specific member must be at least 55 years old when they are selected.
The member must either work actively or have knowledge and experience in helping older adults involved in higher education.

The amendment text is very technical because it describes how to edit a previous report rather than stating the final law directly, so some details about other committee members are not included here.
It does not explain what happens if no qualified older adult volunteers for this specific seat.

Bill History

2026-06-02 Governor
Governor Signed
2026-06-01 Governor
Sent to the Governor
2026-06-01 Senate
Signed by the President of the Senate
2026-06-01 House
Signed by the Speaker of the House
2026-05-07 House
House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
2026-05-05 House
House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily
2026-05-04 Senate
Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
2026-05-01 Senate
Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee
2026-04-28 Senate
Senate Committee on Business, Labor, & Technology Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole
2026-03-03 Senate
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Business, Labor, & Technology
2026-02-26 House
House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
2026-02-25 House
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor
2026-02-24 House
House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
2026-02-19 House
House Committee on Business Affairs & Labor Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
2026-01-14 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to Business Affairs & Labor

Official Summary Text

The act increases participation, representation, and support for individuals 55 years old or older in the Colorado workforce and in organizations related to employment and the workforce by:
Beginning in 2027, requiring the state work force development council (council), the Colorado commission on the aging, and other entities to meet twice a year, collect data, and work collaboratively on issues related to individuals in the workforce who are 55 years old or older;
Beginning in 2028, and each year thereafter, requiring the department of labor and employment and the department of human services to jointly submit a report compiling the data collected by the council, the Colorado commission on the aging, and other entities to the general assembly and requiring the department of labor and employment, during the department's annual 'SMART Act' hearings, to summarize the report to certain legislative committees; and
Requiring that the council, the commission on higher education, and the advisory committee to the commission on higher education, or their successor entities, each have at least one member serving on their governing entity that is at least 55 years old and either is actively involved in or has interest, knowledge, or experience in advocating for the interests of individuals who are 55 years old or older as related to the functions of each entity.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)