The Colorado General Assembly’s 2026 session produced 87 bills the High Country Advocate classifies as Bad — legislation that expands government, imposes new mandates, or restricts individual rights. They await Governor Polis’s signature. He has 30 days from the May 14 adjournment to act. Bills he neither signs nor vetoes become law without his signature.
Health Care & Medicaid
HB26-1411 — Changes to Cover All Coloradans Program. Expands the state’s Medicaid program. BAD.
HB26-1235 — Updates to Medicaid. Expands Medicaid coverage and services. BAD.
HB26-1328 — Medicaid Nonemergency Medical Transportation. Expands state Medicaid transportation services. BAD.
HB26-1063 — Treating People with Behavioral Health Disorder. Expands state behavioral health programs. BAD.
HB26-1139 — Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care. Imposes new AI regulation mandates on health care providers and systems. BAD.
HB26-1195 — Psychotherapy Artificial Intelligence Restrictions. Bans certain AI tools in psychotherapy practice. BAD.
SB26-178 — Health Insurance Affordability Measures. Expands state health insurance affordability programs. BAD.
SB26-187 — Establishing Commission on Medicaid. Creates a new state commission to oversee Medicaid. BAD.
SB26-188 — Residential Treatment for Members in DHS Custody. Expands state residential treatment programs. BAD.
SB26-131 — Sports Betting Protections. Imposes new consumer mandates on sports betting operators. BAD.
HB26-1019 — Kidney Screening Mandatory Preventive Coverage. Requires insurers to cover kidney screening without cost-sharing. Insurance mandate. BAD.
Labor & Workforce
HB26-1005 — Worker Protection Collective Bargaining. Repeals Colorado’s 1943 Labor Peace Act, which required 75 percent of all eligible employees — not just those casting ballots — to vote in favor before a union shop could be established. Workers in unionized workplaces can now be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment. BAD.
HB26-1054 — Protections for Worker Safety. Imposes new workplace safety mandates on employers. BAD.
HB26-1272 — Extreme Temperatures Worker Protections. Requires employers to provide heat and cold protections meeting new state standards. BAD.
HB26-1010 — Older Adult Support & Representation in Workforce. Creates a state workforce program targeting older adults. BAD.
SB26-093 — Workers’ Comp Insurance Coverage Verification. Adds new employer verification requirements for workers’ compensation coverage. BAD.
SB26-160 — Personal Protective Equipment & Meatpackers. Imposes PPE mandates on meatpacking employers. BAD.
SB26-181 — Works Program Reserves & Cost of Living Adjustment. Expands WORKS program reserves and adds a cost of living adjustment. BAD.
Transportation & Energy
SB26-172 — Front Range Passenger Rail District. Creates a new state government district with authority to build and operate passenger rail along the Front Range. BAD.
SB26-002 — Energy Affordability. Expands utility mandates and community solar programs. BAD.
SB26-003 — End-of-Life Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries. Creates a state-mandated EV battery recycling program. BAD.
HB26-1225 — Distributed Energy Resources Requirements. Imposes new mandates on utilities for integrating distributed energy. BAD.
HB26-1226 — Manage Emissions from Electric Generating Units. Adds new emissions mandates on power generators. BAD.
HB26-1065 — Transit and Housing Investment Zones. Creates new state planning authority for transit and housing zones. BAD.
HB26-1269 — Transit Access. Expands state transit funding and mandates. BAD.
HB26-1102 — Funding for Colorado DRIVES Account. Diverts funds to grow the state DMV program. BAD.
HB26-1273 — Transportation Network Company Maximum Percent Fare Retention. Caps the share of fare revenue rideshare companies retain — a state price control on private companies. BAD.
HB26-1430 — Transportation Funding Adjustments. Diverts transportation funds and changes the allocation formula. BAD.
HB26-1043 — Transportation Network Company Discriminatory Practices. Imposes new mandates on rideshare companies regarding passenger discrimination. BAD.
HB26-1424 — Transportation Network Company Consumer Protection. Adds a new consumer mandate layer on rideshare companies. BAD.
SB26-150 — Modernizing Regional Transportation District. Expands the RTD government structure. BAD.
SB26-182 — Updated Clean Energy Plan Municipally Owned Utilities. Expands clean energy mandates on municipal utilities. BAD.
SB26-165 — Species Conservation Measures. Expands state species conservation mandates on landowners and agencies. BAD.
SB26-146 — Restrict Single-Use Food Serviceware Distribution. Mandates against single-use plastics and food serviceware. BAD.
Housing & Land Use
HB26-1038 — County Commissioner Redistricting. Changes the process by which county commissioner districts are drawn. BAD.
HB26-1313 — Adjust Requirements Statewide Affordable Housing Fund. Expands state affordable housing mandates and fund requirements. BAD.
HB26-1045 — Disability Housing Protections. Expands state regulation of housing and landlord obligations. BAD.
HB26-1224 — Protections for Mobile Home Park Residents. Adds new state mandates on mobile home park operators. BAD.
Education
SB26-023 — School Finance Act. Increases the state school funding formula and appropriations. BAD.
SB26-135 — State Public K-12 Education Funding. Increases state K-12 funding appropriations. BAD.
SB26-080 — Cradle to Career Grant Program Creation. Creates a new state grant program for cradle-to-career education initiatives. BAD.
SB26-103 — At-Risk Public School Program & Public School Accountability. Expands state school accountability programs. BAD.
SB26-125 — Disability Rights Protections in Public Schools. Expands mandates on schools for disability compliance. BAD.
HB26-1006 — Thriving Institution Designations for Higher Education. Creates a new state designation and compliance regime for higher education institutions. BAD.
HB26-1028 — Second Language Education Program for High School Students. Creates a new state language education program. BAD.
HB26-1029 — Student Representation Commission on Higher Education. Creates a new state commission. BAD.
HB26-1317 — Unified Postsecondary Talent Development System. Creates a new state workforce training coordination system. BAD.
HB26-1345 — Higher Education Funding Allocation Model Changes. Alters the higher education funding formula in ways that increase state control. BAD.
HB26-1428 — Administration of Publicly Funded Education Programs. Expands state control over publicly funded education programs. BAD.
SB26-170 — Task Force to Expand Effective Public Schools. Creates a state task force focused on public school expansion. BAD.
HB26-1016 — Continuation of Open Education Resources Program. Continues a state education program. BAD.
HB26-1141 — Discriminatory Practices in Public Schools. Expands anti-discrimination mandates and compliance requirements on public schools. BAD.
HB26-1335 — Abortion Medication Access on College Campuses. Requires state college campuses to make abortion medication available. BAD.
HB26-1417 — Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act Testing Entities. Expands CADA to include testing organizations, adding new compliance mandates. BAD.
Children & Family
HB26-1260 — Updates to Child Care Assistance Programs. Expands state child care subsidy programs. BAD.
SB26-020 — Child Care Provider Licensing & Quality. Expands state licensing and quality mandates on child care providers. BAD.
HB26-1147 — Host Home for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities. Expands state disability services programs. BAD.
HB26-1075 — Child Welfare Prevention Services Funding. Expands state child welfare funding and programs. BAD.
HB26-1322 — Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors. Creates a new private right of action against conversion therapy, with state-defined parameters. BAD.
Criminal Justice & Surveillance
SB26-005 — Rights Violation in Immigration Enforcement Remedy. Creates a private right of action against law enforcement for immigration enforcement activity. BAD.
HB26-1276 — Protect Safety of Individuals Who Are Immigrants. Restricts law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. BAD.
HB26-1255 — Social Media Duty to Report & Search Warrants. Expands government search warrant and surveillance authority over social media. BAD.
SB26-051 — Age Attestation on Computing Devices. Mandates age verification on computing devices. BAD.
SB26-152 — Changes Automated Vehicle ID System Usage. Expands government use of automated license plate readers. BAD.
SB26-189 — Automated Decision-Making Technology. Imposes new government mandates on private companies’ use of algorithms and AI in employment decisions. BAD.
SB26-190 — Release Info About Peace Officer Use of Force. Mandates public disclosure of officer use-of-force data, including records previously protected. BAD.
HB26-1263 — Conversational AI Service Operator Requirements. Imposes new state regulation mandates on AI service operators. BAD.
HB26-1286 — Automated Driving System Commercial Vehicles. Creates a new state regulatory framework for autonomous commercial trucks. BAD.
SB26-156 — Change Practices of Work Force Development Council. Restructures the state workforce development council. BAD.
Miscellaneous Mandates & Programs
HB26-1412 — HCPF Statistical Sampling & Extrapolation. Expands the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing’s audit and cost recovery authority. BAD.
HB26-1008 — Colorado Outdoor Opportunities Act. Expands state outdoor recreation programs and appropriations. BAD.
HB26-1109 — Sign Language Consumer Protection Study. Creates a state study and commission. BAD.
HB26-1111 — Pesticide Product Disposal & Container Recycling. Creates a state pesticide disposal mandate and enterprise. BAD.
HB26-1113 — Modifications to Elections. Expands government election administration and weakens certain integrity requirements. BAD.
HB26-1132 — Practices to Support Pollinators. Creates a state pollinator protection program and mandates. BAD.
HB26-1069 — Availability of Emergency Medical Services. Expands state mandates on EMS providers. BAD.
HB26-1206 — Improved Funding to Support Development. Expands state economic development funding. BAD.
HB26-1207 — Disclosure of Demographic Workforce Data. Imposes new employer demographic reporting mandates. BAD.
HB26-1236 — Arbitration Reform. Restricts the use of arbitration and expands the role of government courts. BAD.
HB26-1421 — Fee Sharing with Nonlawyers in Legal Practice. Creates a new government-supervised legal practice model. BAD.
SB26-113 — Require Recovery Residences to Obtain BHA License. Imposes new state licensing requirements on recovery homes. BAD.
SB26-134 — Payment Card Networks’ Fees. Imposes government price controls on credit card interchange fees. BAD.
SB26-147 — Lobbyist Regulation. Expands state lobbyist reporting requirements. BAD.
SB26-149 — Pathways for Individuals with Mental Health Disorder. Expands state mental health diversion programs. BAD.
SB26-193 — Local Ordinances & State Employees. Overrides certain local government ordinances for state employees. BAD.
HB26-1342 — Negligently Luring Bears. Creates a new wildlife-related criminal offense for property owners who attract bears. BAD.
HB26-1318 — Traffic Safety Near Schools. Adds new government mandates and spending for school traffic safety. BAD.
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