If Polis vetoed it, maybe Colorado should take a closer look

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project

I guess we can’t say Polis never vetoes, it’s just rare.

I wanted to share a couple of articles (one by Complete Colorado linked first below and the second by CPR) detailing some vetoes from Governor Polis this legislative session.

I’ll leave it to you to poke around in either or both articles, but there are a couple of notable things I wanted to mention.

There are some non-surprises such as modifications to the Labor Peace Act. No one figured he’d sign it; he’s been a vocal opponent of such efforts. The legislative Democrats are just biding their time for the next governor anyway.

There was one that is an update to an earlier post. HB26-1418 would have put a fee on video game transactions to provide more money to the seemingly bottomless “mental health” apparatus our state continually adds to and refines.

It would have also created another state enterprise to shuffle that money around, but there was a wrinkle here in that the state enterprise might have broken the rule the Colorado Supreme Court made up to differentiate enterprise fees from taxes (thus allowing the court to exempt said fees from TABOR limits): the benefit of this new enterprise may not have gone directly to those paying the fee.

This latter, plus some claptrap about artists and storytelling, seems to have given Polis pause. Quoting from the CPR article linked second below:

“Polis said he questioned the legality of the bill’s structure under TABOR and said this type of core government function should be funded responsibly, and not through gamer fees. ‘The fee imposed on these add-on transactions means that consumers would not only be charged extra for things like character costumes and upgrades, but also for storyline content for online games. This type of content represents digital storytelling and artistic expression, and I do not support such a fee,’ he wrote.”

Governor Polis is many things, but he has at times acted as a check on some of the worse abuses by his party. Not always, not anywhere near as often as I’d have liked, but he has pumped the brakes.

I shudder to think what will happen when our next (Democrat as it almost certainly will be) governor gets into the office.

As an odd side note, Boys and Girls Clubs would have almost certainly benefitted from this enterprise fee. This apparently was not enough to convince Polis to sign or let this bill go into law. Quoting from the Complete Colorado article with link intact:

“House Bill 1355, backed by the bipartisan budget committee, reduced money for a grant program for non-profit afterschool K-12 programs like the Boys and Girls Club. Polis said these types of programs are a high priority for his administration and greatly benefit students and families. He vetoed the bill and restored $1.75 million to fully fund it for the year.”

https://completecolorado.com/2026/06/01/gov-polis-veto-labor-peace-act/
https://www.cpr.org/2026/05/29/gov-polis-vetoes-first-bills-of-the-colorado-session/

What’s the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) up to in Colorado?

By the video I link at bottom, they seem to be raising the specter of militia groups on the rise.

SPLC has been in the news a fair bit with regard to the DOJ indictment against them and their fuss with the Trump administration. It feels like (I’ve never made any sort of organized, formal inquiry) that you don’t hear much about them in Colorado.

Never fear, however. The SPLC is here watching and protecting us all. Though they may be hard to track, the SPLC says militia extremists groups are on the rise.

No evidence is offered of this claim, of course, and the hard-hitting reporters are Fox21 News don’t offer any serious challenge to the claim (let alone any exploration outside of what the SPLC representative claims).** It’s also not noted at all in the story that the expert proffered by SPLC is not local. By her LinkedIn profile, she’s out of LA.

If you watch the video, besides veiled digs about military members in Colorado Springs, you’ll note that vagueness suffuses what the SPLC expert says. I can’t help but think that this is intentional.

Specific claims can be checked up on. Speific claims can be refuted.

If either of those were to happen, the SPLC might lose credibility. They might even risk losing some donor money from Blue Colorado. If all you do is wave the prospect of thugs hiding in the shadows, you can position yourself as a defender and be supported.

There’s something else I’d like to leave you with, since the thoughtful reporters over at Fox21 didn’t. I want to offer you criticism of the SPLC.

The third link below is to SPLC’s Wikipedia explainer. If you scroll down, you will see a lawsuit settled by the SPLC for labeling someone a muslim extremist as well as other mistakes they have had to correct.

The fourth link below is to the Alliance Defending Freedom’s (an ideological and political opponent) page on the SPLC.

SPLC has done good work in the past. That shouldn’t be forgotten.

They have also drifted from their mission, as well as from what might easily be labeled reasonable standards for what they do and say.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.