Colorado bill increases farm workers' hour requirement for overtime pay

A bill is on the way to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis's desk that would require farm workers to work more hours before earning overtime.

Farmers say they've had to cap hours in order to stay afloat, leading many workers to leave the state.

Colorado is one of only four states that mandate overtime pay for farm workers. As it stands, overtime pay for farm workers in Colorado begins at 48 hours. This new bill will raise that to 56 hours.

The bill was sponsored by State Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez and State Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson.

"We're trying to recognize that we can work together and get common sense solutions. We didn't try to upset the apple cart," said Rodriguez. "We just tried to come up with a reasonable balance."

Simpson, who is a farmer and rancher, said, "So, this was like an incremental approach. But I truly helped both sides. If I thought this was unbalanced, hurt the workforce, I never would have supported it."

This has been one of the more controversial bills so far this session. Another bill would have lowered the threshold at which overtime pay kicks in for farm workers to 40 hours, but it failed.  

The bill passed the House by a single vote. The House amended the bill to increase penalties for wage theft, and the Senate concurred with the amendment on Friday.

The Agricultural Workers' Rights Coalition said the bill is "a step backward for fairness, for dignity, and for the health and safety of workers who already face some of the most demanding conditions in any industry."