Gov. Jared Polis completed action on the 2026 legislative session June 12, the constitutional deadline to sign or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly. He signed approximately 430, vetoed a personal-record 12, and let none become law without his signature. Polis is term-limited and leaves office in January 2027. The legislature adjourned May 13 and does not reconvene until a new governor is seated. The High Country Advocate reviewed every bill in the governor’s 2026 action log and rated each Good or Bad: Good reduces government size, strengthens constitutional rights, or protects property rights; Bad expands government, imposes mandates, restricts rights, or increases spending.
Polis issued his commutation of convicted election tamperer Tina Peters on May 15, two days after the legislature adjourned. The Colorado Democratic Party’s State Central Committee voted 89.8% to censure him five days later, barring him from speaking at or attending official party events as a featured guest. The timing of the commutation was consequential — Democratic lawmakers had discussed a legislative censure vote if Polis acted before session ended. He waited until they were gone. His office said he acted on the facts of the case and noted that a state appellate court had found Peters was improperly sentenced in part for her political beliefs. The legislature has no vehicle to respond. A special session requires either a governor’s call or a written petition signed by two-thirds of all members — a power that has never been exercised in Colorado history.
Polis retains full executive authority through January 2027. He can issue executive orders, make appointments to boards and commissions, direct agency rulemaking, manage federal funding disputes, and issue pardons and commutations. A new governor can rescind his executive orders on day one. The 430 bills he signed are a different matter — those require new legislation to undo.
The 12 vetoes were the most in a single session for Polis, breaking his 2025 record of 11. Ten of the 12 rate Good under the HCA framework. House Bill 1005, the Worker Protection Act, would have abolished the Labor Peace Act’s requirement that 75% of workers approve before unions can require dues from all employees. Polis vetoed the same bill in 2025. He vetoed it again May 29. Senate Bill 5 would have created a state-level civil cause of action against federal immigration agents who violate constitutional rights during raids, stops, and arrests. Polis said the narrow focus on immigration enforcement carried preemption risk — if a court struck the law down, it could weaken existing protections. Senate Bill 134, the most-lobbied bill of the session, would have barred credit card companies from charging swipe fees on the sales tax portion of transactions, a policy sponsors said would save retailers $217 million annually. The Electronic Payments Coalition spent $6 million opposing it. Polis wrote in his veto letter that ongoing federal litigation over a similar Illinois law showed the bill might never take effect in Colorado. House Bill 1210 would have banned corporations from using behavioral data to set individualized prices or wages, part of Democrats’ affordability platform. Polis said the bill was too broad and would restrict common consumer discounts. House Bill 1418 would have imposed a 5% fee on in-game video game purchases to fund youth mental health services. Polis said it exposed the state to Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights litigation. House Bill 1255 would have required social media platforms to report flagged content to law enforcement within 24 hours. Polis cited First and Fourth Amendment concerns, the same reasoning he used to veto a similar bill in 2025. He had already signed Senate Bill 11 in March, a narrower version requiring platforms to respond to search warrants within 72 hours. House Bill 1286 would have required licensed truck drivers in the cab of any commercial vehicle with an automated driving system. Polis vetoed a nearly identical bill in 2025. House Bill 1236 would have reformed arbitration rules, giving consumers more recourse when terms-of-service agreements waive their right to sue. Polis said it was too vague and would push disputes into litigation, raising costs for consumers and businesses. Senate Bill 146 would have required restaurants to stop automatically providing plastic utensils and condiment packets unless a customer requests them. Polis said the decision belongs to local governments, not the state.
Two vetoes rate Bad. House Bill 1355 would have cut the out-of-school time grant program by $1.75 million as part of the session’s budget-balancing package. Polis vetoed the cut, preserving the full appropriation. Senate Bill 184 would have expanded the types of cancer classified as occupational diseases for firefighters under workers’ compensation. Polis said he worried the expansion would discourage fire departments from participating in the existing firefighter cancer trust fund.
The signing record is heavier. The $46.8 billion main appropriations bill, House Bill 1410, became law May 8. It cut Medicaid and other programs to address a $1.5 billion structural shortfall, but the total appropriation is the largest in state history. Alongside it, Polis signed 24 department-level supplemental appropriations covering every state agency, each adding to current-year spending. House Bill 1223 eliminated the state sales tax exemption for downloadable software, redirecting an estimated $92 million annually. A three-bill package that sought to roll back $555 million in business tax breaks died under veto threats; this bill survived in amended form. Senate Bill 155 created a new grant program for hail-resistant roofs funded by a 0.5% fee on every homeowners’ insurance policy sold in Colorado, with insurers prohibited from passing the fee to policyholders. House Bill 1430 restructured transportation funding to offset Initiative 175, a citizen ballot measure set for the November election that would redirect automobile sales tax revenue to roads. If voters approve the initiative, HB 1430 cuts gas taxes, vehicle fees, and road-use surcharges by an equivalent $700 million, leaving roads with no net gain. Backers of the initiative said the bill gutted the measure before voters could weigh in. House Bill 1272 requires the state to collect data on temperature-related workplace injuries and develop a model prevention plan for employees working in extreme heat or cold. A 2025 version sought mandatory water and shade requirements and died in committee. This version was stripped to data collection, though sponsors said in a news release it lays the groundwork for future regulation. On firearms, Polis signed House Bill 1144, banning the manufacture and possession of 3D-printed firearms and components, and House Bill 1126, imposing new requirements on licensed firearms dealers. Senate Bill 150 overhauled the Regional Transportation District. Senate Bill 172 created the Front Range Passenger Rail District. Senate Bill 189 established a new regulatory framework for automated decision-making systems and artificial intelligence. House Bills 1081, 1225, and 1226 imposed new requirements on electric utilities covering transmission upgrades, distributed energy resources, and emissions management at coal plants facing federal orders to stay open. House Bills 1276 and 1283 restricted state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The Good signings are fewer but documented. Senate Bill 137 requires state agencies to conduct regular reviews of their own regulations, the Colorado Chamber of Commerce’s priority bill for the session, which passed both chambers 90-8. Polis signed it the day after adjournment. House Bill 1250 reformed civil asset forfeiture procedures, strengthening property protections against government seizure. House Bill 1421 allows fee-sharing with nonlawyers in legal practice, loosening restrictions on legal service delivery. Senate Bill 173 exempted barre and Pilates teacher training programs from occupational licensing requirements. A cluster of budget orbital bills repealed specific state programs outright, including the Pay for Success Program, the Science Teacher Professional Development Program, the Employment Support Job Retention Program, and the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program.
Polis entered his final session having been censured by his party before it ended. He leaves it with full executive powers, no legislature to send him bills, and seven months remaining in office.
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