2026 Legislative wrap-up, part 1

2026 Legislative wrap-up, part 1

by Karly Kaufman | Jun 5, 2026

Consumer Protections, Education, Family Economic Security, federal action, Health, Housing, Immigration, Income, Legal Advocacy, Legislative Updates, News, Research and Policy Analysis, Testimony, Work Requirments, Workers, Workforce

Introduction

The 2026 legislative session came to an end on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. As with the past few years, Colorado struggled to balance the state's budget because of a $1.5 billion deficit of our own making due to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR. TABOR restricts taxes and revenue in the state, limiting lawmakers' ability to fund departments and programs. With limited money in the state budget, advocates scrambled to cut fiscal notes, seek funding through alternative methods like tax credits, or focus on legislation without allocated funds entirely.

2026 is also an election year, meaning Coloradans saw an increase in campaigns, both for elected officials and ballot measures. CCLP is a part of one such campaign with Protect Colorado's Future (PCF). PCF is a diverse group of community, grassroots, and policy organizations working to enact a fairer tax code that enables Colorado to invest in the things families need - education, child care, health care, and economic opportunity, the exact areas being hit with funding cuts year after year.

The legislative session continued to be an "all hands on deck" effort to ensure Coloradans meet their basic needs and become self-sufficient. Advocates and lawmakers worked diligently to address the actions and policy changes at the federal level, including federal immigration enforcement and implementation of HR 1, the federal reconciliation bill. Even though the session came to an end, the work never does. CCLP continues to advocate for the rights of every Coloradan.

CCLP's 2026 legislative session

For the 2026 legislative session, CCLP advocated for advancing economic justice, defending public programs, and strengthening consumer rights. We sought to make real change with other advocacy groups, community members, legislators, and state leaders through these three policy areas.

CCLP took a position on 52 bills this year - 40 support, seven oppose, one monitor, and four amend. Of these 52 bills, 32 bills passed and 20 lost or were postponed indefinitely. Within our policy priority areas, CCLP identified seven priority bills on which we could make a unique contribution:

• SB26-121, Overtime Threshold for Agricultural Employees
• SB26-140, Exempt Drugs from Prescription Drug Affordability Board Reviews
• HB26-1221, Tax Expenditure Adjustments
• HB26-1222, Modify Tax Expenditures
• HB26-1223, Modifying Certain Tax Expenditures
• HB26-1267, Limitations on Collection Actions for Medical Debt
• HB26-1289, Modification of Certain Tax Expenditures

CCLP provided testimony on 23 bills, including some from Colorado's Skills2Compete Coalition, all of which can be read here.

Advancing economic justice

Our first policy priority focused on advancing economic justice. We advocated for tax reforms that would ensure corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share and reduce burdens on working Coloradans. CCLP took a position on 17 bills in this area, the most of all our policy priorities, including many of our priority bills.

CCLP strongly supported Colorado Fiscal Institute's 2026 fiscal policy package, making it one of our priorities for the 2026 legislative session. The package included four bills focused on mitigating harm caused by the federal changes to tax law under H.R. 1, closing inequitable and ineffective tax loopholes, and ensuring that Colorado families benefitted from Colorado's tax code. HB26-1223 and HB26-1289 were signed into law and together with create a new refundable tax credit to help families with kids, based on their income and the ages of their children. These bills would be funded by charging sales tax on most downloaded software in 2027. (Currently only software purchased in brick and mortar stores are subject to sales tax in Colorado.) Unfortunately, HB26-1221 and HB26-1222 were laid over. Charlie Brennan, CCLP's Income and Housing Policy Director, provided testimony in support of HB26-1221, which would have scaled back two corporate tax breaks to go to the new tax credit to help families with kids.

CCLP once again went to bat for Colorado farmworkers. We supported SB26-081, Increase Agricultural Employee Overtime Protections and opposed SB26-121. SB26-081 would have increased overtime protections for farmworkers after 40 hours per week, ensuring consistency with other workers in Colorado for overtime pay. Brennan testified in support of the bill, but unfortunately it was postponed indefinitely. SB26-081 was in direct opposition of SB26-121, which ended up passing instead, raising the threshold from 48 hours to a staggering 56 hours. Brennan gave testimony against the bill, arguing that raising the overtime threshold does not protect farms and farm workers from economic harm, according to Colorado's own data. The bill was signed into law and goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

CCLP's focus on protecting workers was shown in our support of HB26-1005, Worker Protection Collective Bargaining, also known as the Worker Protection Act. The bill would have allowed workers to form a union without requiring Colorado's unique-in-the-nation "second election," a mechanism designed to prevent workers from organizing. CCLP Research & Policy Analyst Chris Nelson provided testimony in strong support of the bill, arguing it would help address the root cause of economic inequality by strengthening workers' collective bargaining power, a primary tool for low-wage workers to improve their economic conditions. For the second year in a row, Governor Jared Polis sided with billionaire CEOs and corporate lobbyists over Colorado's working families[1] and vetoed the Worker Protection Act after it passed.

CCLP also supported HB26-1054, Protections for Workers Safety, which would have allowed Colorado to step in to address declining workplace safety standards due to federal rollbacks and decline in enforcement. Nelson provided testimony in support of the bill, arguing it would create a meaningful private right of action, allowing labor organizations and individual workers to file civil actions when their rights are violated. Unfortunately, this bill lost on the Senate Floor.

CCLP also supported bills that sought to eliminate barriers for older adults in the workforce, students in educational opportunities, and workforce development programs. HB26-1010, Older Adult Support & Representation in Workforce will increase participation, representation, and support older adults in the workforce, beginning at 55 years of age. CCLP Emeritus Advisor Chaer Robert provided testimony on behalf of the Colorado Skills2Compete Coalition. The bill was signed into law and goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

HB26-1143, Non-Employment Educational Opportunities Background Check Information, addresses the background check barrier for educational opportunities, like clinical nursing practice or mental health and social sciences internships. This bill requires an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number be used in lieu of a Social Security Number when required for these background checks. Milena Tayah, CCLP Policy Advocate, shared testimony on behalf of CCLP Litigation Director Annie Martínez, arguing that it is an unnecessary barrier blocking qualified students from completing clinical requirements.

House Bill 26-1317, Unified Postsecondary Talent Development System, creates a postsecondary talent development committee to merge the Department of Higher Education with workforce development programs. CCLP originally took an amend position because of our concerns with HR-1's new work requirements for public benefit programs and the lack of state supports, which Brennan shared in his testimony. Robert also gave testimony on behalf of herself, while CCLP Advocate Laura Ware provided testimony on behalf of the Colorado Skills2Compete Coalition. The bill was signed into law and goes into effect on July 1, 2028.

Click here to read our 2026 Legislative wrap-up, part 2.

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[1] https://www.seiu105.org/political/wpa-veto-26/

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