Page 1 June 30, 2022 HB 22-1308 Legislative Council Staff Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature Final Fiscal Note Drafting Number: Prime Sponsors: LLS 22-0937 Rep. McCormick Sen. Donovan Date: Bill Status: Fiscal Analyst: June 30, 2022 Signed into Law Clare Pramuk | 303-866-2677 clare.pramuk@state.co.us Bill Topic: AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE SERVICES PROGRAM Summary of Fiscal Impact: ☒ State Revenue ☒ State Expenditure ☐ State Transfer ☐ TABOR Refund ☐ Local Government ☐ Statutory Public Entity This bill creates the Agricultural Workforce Services Program in the Department of Agriculture. The program consists of an online resource portal for agricultural employees and employers and a grant program to fund workplace improvements or changes to comply with labor and workplace standards. It increases state expenditures beginning in FY 2022-23 and may increase state revenue. Appropriation Summary: For FY 2022-23, the bill includes an appropriation of $142,859 to multiple state agencies. Fiscal Note Status: The fiscal note reflects the enacted bill. Table 1 State Fiscal Impacts Under HB 22-1308 Budget Year FY 2022-23 Out Year FY 2023-24 Revenue - - Expenditures General Fund $142,859 $73,838 Centrally Appropriated $13,981 $12,654 Total Expenditures $156,840 $86,492 Total FTE 0.9 FTE 0.8 FTE Transfers - - Other Budget Impacts General Fund Reserve $21,429 $11,076 Page 2 June 30, 2022 HB 22-1308 Summary of Legislation This bill creates the Agricultural Workforce Services Program in the Department of Agriculture (CDA). The program consists of an online resource portal for agricultural employees and employers. Online resource portal. Resources on the portal must help agricultural employers comply with labor laws and help agricultural employees understand their rights including links to relevant state agencies and nongovernmental organizations. The portal must include a wage and hour calculator, and explanations of the provisions of Senate Bill 21-1087 regarding wages and workplace protections. All resources must be available in English and Spanish. The CDA may consult with the Colorado Cooperative Extension Service in establishing and maintaining the online portal Funding. The bill includes a $100,000 General Fund appropriation to the CDA for FY 2022-23 to fund the online resource portal, which is continuously appropriated to the department and any unspent money at the end of the year does not revert back to the General Fund. The CDA may also seek, solicit, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations. Background Agricultural worker rights and protections. SB 21-087 granted agricultural workers the right to organize and join labor unions, engage in collective bargaining and strike, entitled them to meal breaks and rest periods, and to have visitors at employer-provided housing. It provided aggrieved employees, whistleblowers, and service providers ways to seek remedies and enforcement actions by allowing them to file claims in court and with the Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). It removed the exemption for agricultural workers from state and local minimum wage laws and overtime pay and required that wages be adjusted annually for cost of living, and that overtime pay be established. Employer requirements. SB 21-087 required that agricultural worker employers provide some workers access and transportation to key service providers, provide overwork and health protections, and increase protections and safety precautions during public health emergencies. State Revenue To the extent that the CDA receives gifts, grants, or donations, state revenue will increase. No source of these funds has been identified. These funds are not subject to TABOR. State Expenditures The bill increases state expenditures in CDA and CDLE by $156,840 in FY 2022-23 and $86,492 in FY 2023-24 from the General Fund. Expenditures are shown in Table 2 and detailed below. Costs for FY 2023-24 may change depending on whether the online portal is created and if created, how it is implemented. Page 3 June 30, 2022 HB 22-1308 Table 2 Expenditures Under HB 22-1308 Cost Components FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Department of Agriculture Personal Services $22,211 $29,615 Operating Expenses $675 $675 Capital Outlay Costs $6,200 - Portal Creation and Maintenance $70,914 $18,600 Centrally Appropriated Costs 1 $6,000 $7,667 FTE – Personal Services 0.4 FTE 0.5 FTE CDA Subtotal $106,000 $56,557 Department of Labor and Employment Personal Services $33,107 $22,071 Operating Expenses $675 - Capital Outlay Costs $6,200 - Software Licenses $2,877 $2,877 Centrally Appropriated Costs 1 $7,981 $4,987 FTE – Personal Services 0.5 FTE 0.3 FTE CDLE Subtotal $50,840 $29,935 Total $156,840 $86,492 Total FTE 0.9 FTE 0.8 FTE 1 Centrally appropriated costs are not included in the bill's appropriation. Department of Agriculture. The CDA requires 0.5 FTE in FY 2022-23 for a program coordinator to administer the Agricultural Workforce Services Program. Other costs include creation and maintenance of the online portal. Existing staff will collect stakeholder input, conduct rulemaking, contract for portal creation, work with the CDLE to develop and implement the resources for the online portal. Personal services costs are prorated for the General Fund pay date shift and assume a September 1, 2022, start date. Standard operating and capital outlay costs are included. Department of Labor and Employment. The CDLE requires a policy advisor beginning in FY 2022-23 to develop the wage and hour calculator and provide content on the provisions of SB 21-087 to the CDA for the online resource portal. This will be 0.6 FTE prorated to 0.5 FTE in FY 2022-23 and reduced to 0.3 FTE in FY 2023-24. Standard operating and capital outlay costs are included, as well as agency specific software licenses. Centrally appropriated costs. Pursuant to a Joint Budget Committee policy, certain costs associated with this bill are addressed through the annual budget process and centrally appropriated in the Long Bill or supplemental appropriations bills, rather than in this bill. These costs, which include employee insurance and supplemental employee retirement payments, are shown in Table 2. Page 4 June 30, 2022 HB 22-1308 Other Budget Impacts General Fund reserve. Under current law, an amount equal to 15 percent of General Fund appropriations must be set aside in the General Fund statutory reserve beginning in FY 2022-23. Based on this fiscal note, the bill is expected to increase the amount of General Fund held in reserve by the amounts shown in Table 1, which will decrease the amount of General Fund available for other purposes. Effective Date The bill was signed into law by the Governor on June 3, 2022, and takes effect August 9, 2022, assuming no referendum petition is filed. State Appropriations For FY 2022-23, the bill includes the following General Fund appropriations: $100,000 to the Department of Agriculture and 0.4 FTE; and $42,859 to the Department of Labor and Employment and 0.5 FTE. State and Local Government Contacts Agriculture Information Technology Labor Law The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit: leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.