Colorado Lawmakers Close 2026 Session With Greater Government Control And Higher Fiscal Risk

By Jake Fogleman | Complete Colorado

The Colorado legislature officially adjourned May 13, after weighing more than 600 bills over the course of 120 days.

Lawmakers entered the 2026 legislative session facing a set of familiar problems: another billion-dollar budget deficit, rising voter frustration over affordability, and growing concerns about Colorado’s economic competitiveness and business climate. Yet despite those warning signs, the Democrat-dominated legislature largely doubled down on the same governing philosophy that has increasingly defined the Capitol in recent years—more fees, more special interest tax benefits at the expense of other taxpayers, and more attempts to carve revenue streams out from under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).

To be sure, not every proposal succeeded. Several of the session’s most aggressive ideas died under time constraints, fiscal pressure, or gubernatorial resistance. And in a few policy areas, lawmakers even showed some signs of moderation, particularly on energy reliability and artificial intelligence regulation. But the broader tenor of the session remained unmistakable: an activist legislature searching aggressively for new revenue sources and new regulatory authority at a time when many Coloradans are already struggling with rising costs.

Here’s a (non-exhaustive) look at some of the notable bills Independence Institute followed closely this year and how they ultimately fared as the session wrapped up.

TABOR, taxes, and spending

Despite the above-mentioned billion-dollar deficit, lawmakers still managed to pass, and Governor Polis signed, a $46.8 billion balanced budget into law. For reference, that’s 62 percent larger than the state’s budget the year before Polis’ tenure in office began.

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