C.R.S. § 8-15.5-101 Short title
8-15.5-101. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Displaced Homemakers Act".
Displaced Homemakers
C.R.S. tit. 8, art. 15.5
in effectC.R.S. § 8-15.5-102 Definitions
8-15.5-102. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Department" means the department of labor and employment.
(2) "Displaced homemaker" means an individual who:
(a) Has worked in the home, providing unpaid household services for family members for a substantial number of years;
(b) Is not gainfully employed;
(c) Has had, or would have, difficulty finding employment; and
(d) (I) Has depended on the income of a family member and has lost that income; or
(II) Has depended on government assistance as the parent of dependent children, but who is no longer eligible for such assistance, or is supported, as the parent of minor children, by government assistance, but whose children are within two years of reaching the age of eighteen years.
(3) "Executive director" means the executive director of the department of labor and employment.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-103 Multipurpose service centers for displaced homemakers
8-15.5-103. Multipurpose service centers for displaced homemakers. (1) The executive director may establish multipurpose service centers for displaced homemakers and is authorized to enter into contracts with and make grants to agencies or organizations, public or private, to establish, organize, and administer the various programs enumerated in section 8-15.5-104.
(2) Each service center shall include the following services:
(a) Job counseling services which shall:
(I) Be specifically designed for displaced homemakers; and
(II) Operate to counsel displaced homemakers with respect to appropriate job opportunities;
(b) Job training and job placement services which shall:
(I) Develop, by working with state and local government agencies and private employers, training and placement programs for jobs in the public and private sectors;
(II) Assist displaced homemakers in gaining admission to existing public and private job-training programs and opportunities; and
(III) Assist in identifying community needs and creating new jobs in the public and private sectors;
(c) Health education and counseling services in cooperation with existing health programs with respect to:
(I) General principles of preventive health care;
(II) Health-care consumer education, particularly in the selection of physicians and health-care services, including, but not limited to, health maintenance organizations and health insurance;
(III) Family health care and nutrition;
(IV) Substance use disorders; and
(V) Other related health-care matters;
(d) Financial management services which provide information and assistance with respect to insurance, taxes, estate and probate problems, mortgages, loans, and other related financial matters;
(e) Educational services, including:
(I) Outreach and information about courses offering credit through secondary or postsecondary education programs, including bilingual programming where appropriate; and
(II) Information about such other programs which are determined by the executive director to be of interest and benefit to displaced homemakers;
(f) Legal counseling and referral services; and
(g) Outreach and information services with respect to employment, education, health, public assistance, and unemployment assistance programs which the executive director determines would be of interest and benefit to displaced homemakers.
(3) Supervisory, technical, and administrative positions relating to centers established under this article shall, to the maximum extent feasible, be filled by displaced homemakers.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-104 Selection and administration of centers
8-15.5-104. Selection and administration of centers. (1) In selecting sites for the centers established under section 8-15.5-103, the executive director shall consider:
(a) The location of any existing facilities for displaced homemakers and any existing services similar to those listed in section 8-15.5-103 which might be incorporated into a center;
(b) The needs of each region of the state for a center;
(c) The needs of both urban and rural communities.
(2) The executive director shall select a public or private organization to administer each center. The selection of such an organization shall be made after consultation with local government agencies and shall take into consideration the experience and capability of such organizations in administering the services to be provided by each center.
(3) The executive director shall consult and cooperate with the secretary or director of such agencies in the executive branch of the federal and state governments as the executive director considers appropriate to facilitate the establishment of centers under this article with existing state or federal programs of a similar nature.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-105 Evaluation
8-15.5-105. Evaluation. (1) The executive director, in cooperation with the administrator of each center, and in consultation with appropriate heads of executive agencies, shall prepare and furnish to the general assembly evaluations of the centers established under this article, including:
(a) A thorough assessment of each center;
(b) Recommendations covering the administration and expansion of such centers; and
(c) Data on the numbers of persons referred to and enrolled in the programs enumerated in section 8-15.5-103, and data on job placements and employment of persons enrolled in such programs.
(2) No later than January 1, 1981, the executive director shall submit to the general assembly an evaluation pursuant to this section. Subsequent evaluations shall be made every two years.
(3) The executive director, in consultation with the appropriate heads of executive agencies, shall prepare and furnish to the general assembly a study to determine the feasibility of and appropriate procedure for placing displaced homemakers in:
(a) Programs established under the federal "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act", 29 U.S.C. sec. 3101 et seq.;
(b) Work incentive programs established under section 432 (b)(1) of the federal "Social Security Act";
(c) Related federal and state employment, education, and health assistance programs; and
(d) Programs established or benefits provided under federal and state unemployment compensation laws by consideration of full-time homemakers as provided eligible for such benefits or programs.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-106 Advisory body
8-15.5-106. Advisory body. The executive director shall establish an advisory body to the department which shall consist of members who are representative of displaced homemakers, local service deliverers, appropriate state agencies, and the general public. The advisory body shall provide recommendations to the executive director regarding the planning, operation, and evaluation of the activities mandated by this article.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-107 Rules and regulations
8-15.5-107. Rules and regulations. The executive director shall promulgate rules and regulations to govern the eligibility of persons for the job training and other programs of the multipurpose service center, the level of stipends for the job training programs described in section 8-15.5-103 (2)(b), a sliding fee scale for the service programs described in section 8-15.5-103 (2)(c) to (2)(g), and such other matters as the executive director deems necessary.
C.R.S. § 8-15.5-108 Displaced homemakers fund - creation
8-15.5-108. Displaced homemakers fund - creation. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the displaced homemakers fund. All fees collected pursuant to section 14-10-120.5, C.R.S., shall be deposited in said fund. All moneys in the fund shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly and, commencing July 1, 1980, shall be available for carrying out the purposes of this article; except that, if the amount in said fund from fees collected pursuant to section 14-10-120.5, C.R.S., exceeds one hundred forty-five thousand dollars in any fiscal year, the excess of one hundred forty-five thousand dollars shall revert to the general fund.
(2) The executive director may apply for and accept any funds, grants, gifts, or services made available by any agency or department of the federal government or any private agency or individual, which funds, grants, gifts, or services shall be used to carry out the total program of this article. Funds and grants received pursuant to this subsection (2) shall be placed in the displaced homemakers fund in a separate account and shall not be included in computing the amount that will revert to the general fund pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-08.docxFetched: 10/6/2026