2021 Immigration and Anti-Discrimination Bills
SB21-199 Removing barriers: restoring Access to Certain Public Opportunities
GBC Position: SUPPORT
This bill removes draconian language from Colorado’s state statute and allows undocumented immigrants to fully participate in our economy by removing barriers to professional and commercial licenses and other public benefits allowed by federal law. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes, support the social security program, and create jobs. Their numbers result from a broken U.S. immigration system that fails to provide any reasonable path to legal immigration for the labor force our economy requires. Until Congress addresses this issue, we as Coloradans must reckon with the reality that undocumented immigrants are part of our communities, and provide opportunities for them to participate and contribute openly. Not to do so only harms our economy, our health and safety, and our humanity. The bill will not conflict with federal law in terms of accessible benefits, nor will it provide preferential benefits, or require local governments to provide benefits.
According to the Colorado Business Coalition for Immigration Solutions, there are over 32,000 immigrant business owners who employ over 100,000 residents in Colorado. In 2018 there were over 800,000 undocumented entrepreneurs in the U.S., and in 2016 their total business income was over $15 billion. Current Colorado law harms one of our state’s primary drivers of growth and prosperity by preventing undocumented entrepreneurs from holding a business license that would allow them to pursue federal business relief funds, or secure other financing to stabilize their business and retain jobs. It often places them on the exploitable end of a lopsided business arrangement with a legally licensed partner. Further, commercial licensing restrictions in Colorado complicate undocumented business owners’ abilities to offer reasonable health and safety precautions, such as worker’s compensation.
GBC Member Alejandro Flores-Munoz of Combi Taco testified in support of the bill on April 13.
HB21-1108 Gender Identity Expression Anti-discrimination
GBC Position: SUPPORT
This bill would add “gender expression” and “gender identity” to the list of protected classes for employment, public accommodation and other areas where discrimination is prohibited by law. Other protected classes include race, religion, sex, and age, among others. The bill would also amend the definition of "sexual orientation" and add definitions of the terms "gender expression" and "gender identity".
Unemployment Insurance for Left Behind workers
This bill, which has not yet been introduced, would provide partial wage replacement for immigrant workers without authorization who become unemployed. Employers often pay unemployment insurance premiums for these workers as part of their payroll taxes, and yet they are excluded from this critical economic safety net. This means that industries and counties in Colorado that rely heavily on immigrant labor have lost out on much-needed economic relief. Not only do these workers not receive regular unemployment benefits, but they have also been denied further federal stimuli. Providing an unemployment-like benefit to workers without documentation would provide lifesaving relief to these workers and their families and would help stabilize local economies in hard hit areas across Colorado. As Colorado looks down the long road to recovery, providing relief to all workers hit hard by the COVID-19 recession, regardless of their immigration status, will be essential to stabilizing the state’s economy and creating a more prosperous future for us all.
GBC Position: REVIEWING