Colorado has several new laws going into effect January 1. Among them:

Thousands of employees who get hurt on the job will be able to choose between at least two doctors under House Bill 1176, which takes effect Jan. 1.

…The state’s minimum wage will rise from $6.85 to $7.02 per hour. The minimum wage due employees who regularly receive tips, primarily restaurant workers, will rise from $3.83 per hour to $4.

There’s also a change in foreclosure laws:

Under the current system, delinquent borrowers had 45 to 60 days to “cure” their mortgages or get caught up before the public trustee sold their homes. They then had another 75 days to “redeem” their homes by paying off whoever bought their home at auction, typically the lender.

Under the new system, which takes effect on all foreclosures filed next year, the borrower will have 110 to 125 days to get caught up. If they fail to do that, the home will be sold and they will need to get out.

In an e-mail I received from the Colorado Senate Majority press spokesman, here are a few others:

  • HB 1269 repeals the casino exemption from the “Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act.” Colorado casinos will now be smoke free along with bars and restaurants.
  • HB 1349 creates the “Gambling Payment Intercept Act,” which ensures the gambling winnings of parents who owe back child support be put toward their
    outstanding child support obligation.
  • SB 57 which protects consumers from loan sharks. The “Uniform Debt-Management Services Act” requiries that debt management services, including pay-day loan companies, create fair debt repayment plans.
  • SB 211 establishes a committee to develop and oversee a plan to provide health care coverage for all low-income children in Colorado by 2010.