The end of the Colorado legislative session often is raucous and tense. But on Wednesday, the 2026 session’s conclusion was more muted — with no major last-minute deals and no major standoffs on pivotal policies as Gov. Jared Polis’ time in his position atop the legislature nears an end.
Instead, there was cake.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate plugged away with some final formal votes, in between lengthy and teary tributes to the members who are term-limited or otherwise not returning to the Capitol. Its halls, which in years past have taken on a party-like atmosphere as lawmakers and lobbyists celebrate the end of the session, were quiet and nearly empty by midday.
But that quiet final day betrayed the tough decisions — particularly around the budget — and fights that had roiled the state Capitol over the past four months.
“When you look at the challenges we had, with the budget and other things, I’m really just proud of the work we were able to do to be able to hold the line on K-12 funding,” said Rep. Andy Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat and the House’s speaker pro tem. He was standing on the House balcony with other lawmakers, one of whom was playing the guitar.
The end of the 120-day session of the 75th General Assembly still featured final votes on key legislation. Lawmakers finalized a bill that would shift transportation funding in a bid to neuter a coming ballot measure. They passed legislation reforming some parts of the arbitration process, killed bills related to gun barrel sales and workplace safety, and gave final approval to a ride-hailing app safety bill and another measure that would require college health centers to provide abortion medication.
A commission to study the state’s troubled Medicaid program cleared the Capitol on the final day, as did a bill that would provide tax incentives to support affordable housing and transportation improvements.
In some of its final votes of the year, the House created a new wild horse license plate and gave the go-ahead for people to sell a wider variety of homemade foods.
Transportation funding battle
On its final day, the Senate passed the bill that would undercut a proposed constitutional amendment concerning road funding. But first, the bill sponsors amended the measure in what one called a show of “good faith” to backers of the amendment.
Initiative 175, which is out for signature-gathering to qualify for the November ballot, would amend the state constitution to require the state to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on road funding. Among its backers is the Colorado Construction Industry Coalition.
Democrats in control of the legislature warn that it would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.
would rework some state funding and cut the gasoline tax to neutralize Initiative 175’s effect on the state budget, supporters of the bill said.
Sen. William Lindstedt, a Broomfield Democrat, introduced an amendment creating a new bucket of money in the state, specifically to go toward road maintenance, by sequestering some permit fees for oversized vehicles. He called it a show of “good faith” to supporters of the amendment that the legislature wants to prioritize road funding — and, Lindstedt and other Democrats hope, it might spur backers of the amendment to drop their push.
Republicans, however, continued their opposition to the measure.
Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, said she saw the bill as the legislature trying to impede people’s ability to petition their government. Sen. Byron Pelton, a Sterling Republican, urged supporters of the initiative to keep pushing the measure.
“The people of Colorado need to make a statement to make roads a priority,” Pelton said, comparing it to a constitutional amendment requiring a baseline of education funding that voters passed in 2000.
Notable bills die on last day
The Senate killed a bill that would mimic federal workplace protections at the state level when six Democrats joined Republicans in opposition.
would have enshrined federal standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in state law. Worker safety advocates said it was necessary in the face of likely rollbacks of worker protections under the Trump administration.
The bill died a rare death on the formal third-reading vote. None of the Democrats who voted against the bill — Sens. Judy Amabile, Matt Ball, Jeff Bridges, Lindsey Daugherty, Kyle Mullica and Marc Snyder — spoke from the floor about their opposition before the formal vote or during debate last week.
Earlier in the day, the House also killed a bill that would regulate the sale of gun barrels.
House Majority Leader Monica Duran on Wednesday moved to delay a final vote on until Thursday — effectively a death sentence, given that the legislature will not be in session then. The bill had languished on the calendar for weeks with no action.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Meg Froelich, had said she hoped for a final vote on the measure before adjournment. When Duran announced SB-43’s death, Froelich sat back in her chair in disappointment.
Had it passed, the bill would’ve required people who buy or sell detachable gun barrels to do so in person, and sales could generally only be conducted by a licensed firearms dealer.
The Senate passed the measure in early March and it cleared initial votes in the House shortly after. But it rolled along on the House calendar for weeks.
Its initial vote was delayed because key supporters were absent, Froelich said. The vote was then further delayed, in part, because Republican opposition meant it would take hours to debate — and in part because Polis intended to veto the measure, Froelich said.
