COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

“If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride.”
-Unknown
 
This week, we’re back in the saddle as the legislature officially kicked off the second legislative session of the 75th General Assembly. This week was also the first full week of the National Western Stock Show – a beloved Colorado tradition that celebrates agriculture and Western heritage with livestock competitions, rodeos, vendors, and auctions. In short, we call it the “Best 16 Days in January”. 
 
This year, the Stock Show celebrates its 120th anniversary, and has been hosted in Denver since its inception in 1906. It is one of Colorado’s biggest economic events each year, attracting roughly 700,000 visitors from across the country and bringing in between $150 and $180 million for the Denver metro area. 
 
Through four main funding events, the organization also provides scholarships to students studying agriculture. Since their scholarship program was formed, over $10 million has been raised and over 1,800 scholarships have been awarded to students. 
 
For those of us who are local, the Stock Show always takes a little sting out of getting back to work for another legislative session. So with that, read on for more about the first few days back in the saddle. 
 
State of the State
 
Yesterday, Governor Polis delivered his final State of the State address. Throughout his address, Polis highlighted Colorado’s sesquicentennial, marking 150 years of statehood in 2026. Much of his speech reflected on the last seven years, highlighting his proudest accomplishments across several sectors including education, healthcare, housing, and public safety. Polis also dedicated a section of his speech to take aim at the Trump Administration. 
 
Turning toward the upcoming session, Governor Polis outlined his goals of removing barriers to affordable housing, continuing efforts toward Colorado’s clean energy goals, and enhancing public safety by addressing Colorado’s competency laws. Also on the Governor’s wish list for this year’s session is an incorporation of more workforce development efforts in the higher education space.
 
It’s also worth noting what did not receive a lot of airtime in the address. Although the governor briefly touched on the state’s budget crisis, there wasn’t much more commentary after that. Another topic that falls under this category is the Labor Peace Act, which was the labor unions’ priority bill last year, but was ultimately vetoed by Governor Polis. It’s been reintroduced this year but this wasn’t mentioned at all during the State of the State address.
 
Governor Polis made sure to mention Taylor Swift a grand total of three times. Shortly after the speech, House Minority Leader Caldwell took to social media to point out that Polis mentioned Taylor Swift more times in his speech than he mentioned Colorado’s agriculture industry, which was only mentioned twice.  
 
Read more – Gov. Jared Polis’ final address draws mixed reaction 
 
Opening Day Speeches
 
Senate
In his Opening Day speech, Senate President Coleman stated, “we are not as divided as some might want you to believe”. This attitude was reflected in both Coleman’s speech and Minority Leader Simpson’s speech, as both leaders called on their colleagues to practice mutual respect and partnership this year. 
 
Coleman’s speech included an outline of Democrat priorities for this year such as affordable housing, stabilizing healthcare premium rates, and workforce development. Simpson’s speech called for affordability through making responsible decisions with taxpayer money this year. That being said, the tone of both speeches was refreshing and not necessarily focused on policy – there was a genuine focus on cooperation and respect for colleagues. 
 
Read more – Senate friendship, shared grief set tone for opening day of Colorado’s 2026 session
 
Full Transcript of Senate President Coleman’s Speech
Full Transcript of Minority Leader Simpson’s Speech
 
House
Speeches from leadership on the House side were considerably more focused on partisan issues than the Senate side. This was Speaker McCluskie’s final Opening Day speech, as this is the final year of her last term. Much of McCluskie’s speech focused on “protecting the progress” that has been made by Democrats in recent years. Her speech also outlined Democrat goals for the session which were very similar to the Senate. 
 
In his speech, Minority Leader Caldwell also outlined priorities for his caucus including parental rights related to education and healthcare, as well as calling for a stop to increased regulation. Caldwell also expressed gratitude to Democrats who have been willing to work across the aisle with Republicans.
 
Read more – Democrats pledge to protect Coloradans from Trump policies in 2026 legislative session 
 
Full Transcript of Speaker McCluskie’s Speech
Full Transcript of Minority Leader Caldwell’s Speech
 
What to Watch 
 
So far, 94 bills have been introduced since Wednesday. If this first batch is any sign of what’s to come the next 117 days, we’re in for a very busy session. Amongst the introduced bills so far, there are a couple big proposals which are likely to be a hot topic for most of the session. This includes House Bill 1005, a repeat of last year’s Labor Peace Act, which was ultimately vetoed by the Governor; and House Bill 1012 which is very similar to last year’s price gouging bill.
 
However, most of the anticipated big-ticket proposals have yet to be introduced. Several of these are expected to deal with artificial intelligence, as well as other topics such as Medicaid, workers’ rights and employer issues, data centers, and Colorado’s clean energy goals. 
 
Read more – First-day bills seek to expand price gouging prohibitions, incentivize data centers
 
Vacancy Appointments
 
House District 29
On Sunday, a vacancy committee convened to appoint Lori Goldstein to represent House District 29, which was former Representative Shannon Bird’s seat. Goldstein was the only candidate running for the vacancy and therefore was selected unanimously. Goldstein brings an education background to the legislature and is currently the president of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education.
 
Representative Goldstein will be serving on the Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources committee, as well as the Energy and Environment committee.
 
Read more – School board president Lori Goldstein picked to replace Shannon Bird in Colorado House
 
House District 33
On Monday evening, a vacancy committee convened to appoint Kenny Nguyen to represent House District 33, which was Senator William Lindstedt’s old House seat until he was appointed to the Senate a few weeks ago. He beat Heidi Henkel, who had also thrown her hat in the ring for the appointment. Both Nguyen and Henkel are filed to run for this seat in the Democrat primary in June of this year. 
 
Nguyen is currently a Broomfield City Council member and is the first Vietnamese-American to serve in the legislature. Previously, he served on Lieutenant Governor Primavera’s staff. He is also the 28th member of the General Assembly to have been appointed to a seat. 
 
Representative Nguyen will be serving on the State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs committee, as well as the Transportation, Housing, and Local Government committee.
 
Read more – Kenny Nguyen selected to represent Colorado House District 33
 
What’s Next
 
So far, we’re on Day Three and just under one hundred bills have already been introduced. Roughly 500 more bills are also expected to be introduced. 
 
Next week, the Capitol will be closed on Monday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On Tuesday, joint committees of reference will pick back up holding SMART Act hearings and the Joint Budget Committee will begin to review supplemental budget requests for the current fiscal year.
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