Gov. Jared Polis signs much-amended restaurant tipped wages bill, adding: Your move, Denver.

Colorado Gov Jared Polis signed a heavily amended restaurant wage bill this week while issuing a warning to local municipal leaders whose action it would take to make any changes reality With his pen Tuesday Polis passed into law one of the year s majority contentious pieces of ordinance which no one including the governor had been particularly enthused about And the discontent is likely to continue Aimed squarely at leaders in Denver and Boulder House Bill allows local governments to adjust the subminimum wage paid to tipped workers in restaurants Right now the tipped minimum wage is pegged at less than the standard minimum wage That means for places like Denver or Boulder that have increased their standard minimum wages above the state s the tipped minimum has gone up automatically too Should Boulder Denver and Edgewater which has also increased its minimum wage not make use of the new law by lower their tipped minimums Polis warned in a signing announcement the legislature may return to the issue again next year this time more assertively That s a reference to how much HB- had been watered down from its initial version The dining industry warning that it s still flagging after the pandemic and amid rising costs including wages had inquired lawmakers to directly cut the tipped minimum wage Initially HB- would ve directly cut wages in the places with higher minimums It was backed by Polis but the proposal split the Democratic caucus that controls the Capitol while drawing several Republican opposition too Particular Democrats backed the wage cuts as a needed balm for restaurants while others spurred on by deeply opposed labor groups blasted HB- s initial draft as a pay cut for workers on behalf of powerful business interests That opposition prompted the compromise that became HB- not a direct pay cut but a nudge to local governments to take action When the deal was reached earlier this spring both supporters like the Colorado Restaurant Association and opponents criticized it as either doing too little or too much In his report Tuesday Polis wrote that HB- was an major first step in addressing this issue and ensuring that restaurants across Colorado can thrive But he warned that he required the local governments to make use of the law and to lower the tipped minimum wage We heard through the process a desire to maintain local control so that localities can address this predicament themselves Polis wrote We ve given them that opportunity and now they must act to preserve this significant industry I will be closely watching progress in these two key jurisdictions where restaurants are facing particular difficulties It s unclear if that ll happen Denver Mayor Mike Johnston supported the initial version of HB- which would ve directly cut wages Members of his administration testified in sponsorship of it and two Denver-based Democratic lawmakers Reps Steven Woodrow and Alex Valdez were the primary sponsors But members of the City Council were vocally opposed and also testified against it Denver s minimum wage is higher than the state minimum per hour meaning the tipped minimum wage in the capital is Johnston spokesman Jon Ewing announced Wednesday that it was too early to say if the city would make use of HB- and follow through on Polis request We ll review the finished regulation and discuss with council to determine next attempts he mentioned What is clear is that more must be done to help the restaurant industry and we ll keep working to ensure businesses can hire a full staff and pay those employees a fair living wage Related Articles Colorado Treasurer Dave Young launches bid for hotly contested th Congressional District Colorado Gov Jared Polis signs law creating rape kit oversight board setting -day goal for processing As trial opens Mike Lindell s attorneys say he spread proposes about Dominion official because he was triggered Feds detain wife children of suspect in Boulder fire attack for deportation Colorado increases number of young people who can held in pre-trial detention in emergencies Shannon Aulabaugh a spokeswoman for the city of Boulder declared in an email that changes to the tipped minimum will be a political decision to be made by the City Council and it is inappropriate for us to speculate on how Boulder will respond Dan Maples Edgewater s city manager stated in an email that the City Council there hadn t investigated the new law yet He revealed the city will likely monitor what happens in Denver He declined to comment on Polis threat that the state would again step in if the cities don t act In a stronger show of advocacy than it had expressed when the bill was first amended the restaurant association praised the bill s passage Wednesday and urged cities to follow through on Polis ask This is a huge accomplishment for independent restaurants across Colorado Sonia Riggs the group s CEO and president disclosed in a comment It protects the traditional tipping model as a viable option which the bulk local restaurants utilize Now that local governments have the authority to increase their tip offset we hope to empower Denver City Council and others to help our industry thrive Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot