From immigration to gun control and transgender rights, Colorado state lawmakers debated long list of controversial issues this session
The 75th General Assembly adjourned Wednesday after debating more than 650 bills over the last 120 days in Colorado.
Efforts to close a $1 billion budget shortfall consumed much of the session and a plan to spend $4 million on new furniture for lawmakers became a flashpoint.
The furniture budget was ultimately cut in half. Budget writers slashed funding for dozens of programs -- ranging from food banks to workforce development -- while increasing funding for K-12 schools, higher ed and Medicaid. They also found more funding for safety net providers, especially rural health care clinics.
With money tight, Democrats floated new fees on auto, homeowners and health insurance. All of them failed, along with Republicans' efforts to repeal the retail delivery and plastic bag fees. But a bill banning hidden or junk fees - including in rental contracts - passed.
Lawmakers also passed bills to increase affordable housing, including measures to expedite manufactured housing by creating regional building codes, and incentivize condo development by limiting lawsuits over construction defects.
While legislators approved warning labels for gas stoves, they nixed them for gas pumps. And while they killed a bill to require age verification for online porn sites, they passed a measure that criminalizes deep fake porn -- or digitally altering pictures of real people to create fake nudes.
Maybe no bill generated more debate than a measure expanding transgender rights. It makes mis-gendering -- or using a name other than a transgender person's chosen name -- a form of discrimination.
A measure expanding protections for undocumented immigrants also drew fire. It passed the house the day after the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state over what it called sanctuary policies.
A spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis says Colorado is not a sanctuary state and says the governor's office worked with bill sponsors to ensure their measure doesn't interfere with federal law enforcement partnerships.
A scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation prompted the biggest criminal justice bill of the session. It ensures defendants and victims are notified if DNA evidence in their case may have been tampered with. It passed both chambers unanimously.
Colorado also now has one of the most restrictive gun bills in the country. It prohibits the sale of most semi-automatic firearms without additional background checks and training.
And thanks to a bill offering millions of dollars in tax credits, Boulder will be the new home of the Sundance Film Festival in 2027.
The session ended with drama over an artificial intelligence law.
The governor, attorney general and even some members of Congress urged lawmakers to delay implementation of the nation's first artificial intelligence law, but an effort to move implementation from January of 2026 to January 2027 failed in the waning hours.
Among the final bills to get approval were a measure that regulates rideshare companies and a bill that makes it easier to unionize. Polis has expressed concerns about both bills. He's already vetoed bills regarding social media regulations and open records requests, and lawmakers were unable to override those vetoes.
