Legislation to help those convicted when they were minors to get jobs is on its way to Gov. Jared Polis after receiving final approval from the Colorado legislature on Friday.

If signed into law, House Bill 1383 would prohibit employers from asking applicants about criminal histories from when they were minors, including on applications or during interviews. The bill would also spend $1.1 million on expanding career training and technical education in juvenile detention centers.

“It is a good bill to help kids put their past behind them and move into the future,” said bill sponsor Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs. “To expand opportunities, break down barriers and give juveniles a path to move forward.”

The state Senate passed the bipartisan-sponsored bill in a 24-8 vote on Friday, following the House’s 43-22 approval last week. Polis will consider the bill in the coming days.

Though most juvenile criminal records are sealed, the bill sponsors said employers frequently ask applicants to disclose this private information and hold it against them during the hiring process.

Even after 10 years in the workforce, juveniles convicted of crimes are less likely to have full-time employment and less likely to have high-earning jobs, even when controlling for ability, education and general work experience, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

All Democrat lawmakers voted in support of the bill and nearly all Republicans voted against it. In the Senate and House, only six Republicans voted “yes” on the bill, including the bill’s sponsor Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron.

Holtorf said during his decades of running a cattle ranch farm, he hired many people with criminal backgrounds who came to the country seeking a fresh start.

“I was raised to always give somebody a chance. Despite the sins of the past, always take somebody on the merits of today and what they can offer tomorrow,” Holtorf said. “If you can help youth in the beginning, you can change the trajectory of their life forever.”

Some of the opponents said they were worried the bill would limit employers when questioning an applicant’s former job about, for example, if the prospective employee got into legal trouble while working for them.

The bill would not prevent employers from running background checks or accessing information about an applicant’s criminal history that is publicly available, such as juvenile records for sexual or violent crimes. The bill would also exempt licensed child care centers and law enforcement agencies from following the new requirements.