Waters-Woods' World: "I Simply Don't Discriminate"

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by: Colorado Pols

Sen. Laura Waters-Woods.

The Colorado Independent's Tessa Cheek reports on action Monday in the GOP-controlled Colorado Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee to advance freshman Sen. Laura ~~Waters~~ Woods' first priority as a lawmaker: repealing the 2013 Colorado Civil Rights Enforcement Act, which gave workers in businesses under 15 employees remedies closer to those aready available under federal law to larger businesses. The 2013 law also extended job discrimination protections to LGBT employees:

The Act, which just took effect this January, expanded existing federal employee nondiscrimination protections, such as restitution of legal fees and damages, to include small businesses with fewer than 15 employees. In addition, the new protections added coverage for complaints of age- and sexual orientation-based discrimination.

Sen. Laura Woods, R-Arvada, sponsored the repeal, saying the law puts small businesses at too much risk. Her SB 69 would remove the entire state Civil Rights Act, except for the provision protecting employees 70 years or older.

“For most small businesses, just one claim that has to be investigated is all it would take to force a company out of business,” said Woods, noting that just defending against a claim can cost as much as $100,000.

It's worth noting that the law still requires job discrimination claims to be filed with the Colorado Civil Rights Division for investigation before plaintiffs are allowed to seek relief in court. Plaintiffs who bring frivolous cases can also be made to pay attorneys fees. Despite Woods' concern about the cost of defending against a discrimination suit, much of the case for repealing the 2013 Civil Rights Enforcement Act seems to rest on the fact that the Civil Rights Division has found many job discrimination claims to be without probable cause–even though that's evidence of the division doing its job preventing frivolous claims more than it is evidence of abuse.

Physician and Senator Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, equated that statistic to the number of malpractice lawsuits with merit, arguing that nobody really wants a medical system without any remedies for poor practice.

“I guess I think my role is to represent my constituents, and my constituents are people, not businesses,” said Aguilar. “So I’d have a disagreement with you about who I’m here to protect.”

The fact is, this law has only been in effect since January, part of the compromise that allowed it to pass two years ago. That delayed implementation means there have been no "victims" either way–either discrimination victims or supposed victims of frivilous lawsuits–which supporters argue is a pretty good reason to not repeal anything until the law's effects can be evaluated.

But as you can see in the clip above, none of that troubles Sen. ~~Waters~~ Woods–because she "simply doesn't discriminate!" She says she doesn't discriminate, and "most small businesses" don't discriminate, and on the strength of her word, you can trust that small business employees (not to mention gays and lesbians at all sizes of businesses) don't need the same protections against job discrimination everybody else has.

Still not convinced? You must hate small business too.

13 thoughts on “Waters-Woods’ World: “I Simply Don’t Discriminate””

Gilpin Guy says:

February 11, 2015 at 3:27 pm

Another extremist reactionary bill that is going to go nowhere. Republicans have spent a lot of taxpayer money to accomplish nothing which was known at the outset of these Kabuki proceedings.

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1. BlueCat says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 3:32 pm
  
  Isn't that always the case?
  
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FrankUnderwood says:

February 11, 2015 at 3:43 pm

Juat like I said on the other thread today, they should pass the budget and adjourn until January 2017 because nothing will ever clear both chambers.

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Moderatus says:

February 11, 2015 at 4:27 pm

I see you neglected to point out that a Democrat, Sen. Cheri Jahn, also voted for this bill.

But that would confuse your partisan hit piece, so I understand why you didn't. But do you realize that all of yoour criticism of Woods also applies to a fellow Dem? Silly Pols.

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1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 4:56 pm
  
  Actually, Moderatus, I think you're a bit off base here. I live in Cheri Jahn's district. She doesn't always toe the Dem party line, but I'd suspect that her reasons for voting for the bill are likely different than Woods. Regards, C.H.B.
  
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2. Gilpin Guy says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 9:41 pm
  
  So "one and done" is it going to be signed into law or left to rot like the rest of the extremist agenda that the Republican Senate has spewed forth for the last month?
  
  DOA
  
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mamajama55 says:

February 11, 2015 at 4:30 pm

“I guess I think my role is to represent my constituents, and my constituents are people, not businesses,” said Aguilar. “So I’d have a disagreement with you about who I’m here to protect.”

Really love Senator Aguilar. A class act all the way;

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1. Voyageur says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 6:11 pm
  
  Hey watch it! Corporations are people.
  
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  1. BlueCat says:
    
    February 11, 2015 at 7:02 pm
    
    Yeah. "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?". Oh wait. That's not corporations. That's Jews. Corporations don't do any of those things.
    
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    1. mamajama55 says:
      
      February 11, 2015 at 7:09 pm
      
      Do not go Gentile into that good night.
      
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2. Gilpin Guy says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 9:41 pm
  
  I liked that comment too. People vs corporations. Nice observation.
  
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3. notaskinnycook says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 10:17 pm
  
  She's my senator and I'm lucky to have her, though I do still miss Sen. Steadman whom I lost in the redistricting.
  
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PaulieStraguzzi says:

February 12, 2015 at 12:40 pm

EEOC protects every U.S. worker with fifteen or more employees from discrimiation based on race, sex, national origin, etc. In many states, state, county and local EEO/HR agencies cover businesses with less than fifteen employees. I'm happy to see Laura Woods-Waters introduce legislation to curb Colorado's statute which overburdens small businesses. Having worked in this business, I know that these laws cause smalltime companies undue hardship and steep attorney's fees. About 90% of employment discrimination complaints filed against all employers, eevn those filed with federal egencies, are determined to be baseless, neverheless the trail of harm to these businesses is steep. Much of this stuff is colossally wasteful and trivial. A typical case in a latrge city is something like this: "I am a San Salvador native who works in a store operated by a Guatemalan. I believe that I have been discriminated against due to my national origin because my boss, Santo, asked me to work on Friday's where I am employted elsewhere." We could eliminate aabout 90% of all of these wasteful EEO agencies..

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