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Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Public Health Legislation

The second session of the 75th General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation regarding public health. While not all of the public health legislation fell into these groups, three major themes for public health were public health labeling and education, water testing, and immunization.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Health Care & Health Insurance
  • Human Services
  • Public Health

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Business and Economic Development Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to business and economic development.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Business & Economic Development
  • Financial Services & Commerce
  • General Assembly

Staff Publications

Comparing Child Sex Trafficking Penalties Across the 50 States

Child sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking that occurs when a child under the age of 18 is advertised, solicited, or exploited through a commercial sex act. This memorandum discusses the penalties in Colorado for this crime, and provides information on the penalties in other states for comparison

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement

Staff Publications

History of TABOR Refund Mechanisms

This memorandum provides background information on current and past statutory mechanisms used to refund state revenue in excess of the spending limit established in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). TABOR allows the state to use “any reasonable method” to distribute refunds. 

The General Assembly has created and repealed various mechanisms to refund the state TABOR surplus. In total, 27 refund mechanisms have existed in statute since the passage of TABOR in 1992.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Fiscal Policy & Taxes
  • State Revenue & Budget

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 K-12 Education Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a wide range of measures pertaining to K-12 education in Colorado. The legislature adopted bills related to school funding, governance and administration, student success, and teacher licensure.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12)
  • General Assembly

Staff Publications

2027 Deadline Schedule

Deadline Schedule for the 2027 Colorado General Assembly.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly



Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Water Legislation

In 2026, the General Assembly passed several water-focused bills, which addressed revegetation, water vessel registration, and funding for water projects and species conservation. Additional bills focused on water issues in the energy sector, including injection wells, geothermal energy, and data centers. 

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Natural Resources & Environment
  • Water

Staff Publications

A Brief Overview of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights' Revenue Limit

The Colorado Constitution includes an amendment called the “The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights,” also known as TABOR. This memorandum presents introductory information on TABOR as it impacts state government, including the TABOR revenue limit, and mechanisms for retaining or refunding revenue collected above that limit. 

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Fiscal Policy & Taxes
  • State Government

Staff Publications

2026 Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee Final Report

Pursuant to Section 37-98-102, C.R.S., the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee’s (WRARC) purpose is to oversee the conservation, use, development, and financing of Colorado's water resources and to identify, monitor, and address Colorado agriculture issues. House Bill 26-1331 limited the committee’s meetings and ability to request legislation. The committee met one time during the 2026 interim and did not take any field trips or request any legislation. This memorandum includes a summary of the topics that the committee discussed in 2026. 

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Natural Resources & Environment
  • Water

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Labor and Employment Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered various measures related to labor and employment, including measures related to wage and hour laws, workforce development, worker protections, and worker’s compensation. 

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Labor & Employment

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Health Care and Insurance Legislation

The General Assembly considered several pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance during the second session of the 75th General Assembly. Most of the legislation fell into the following categories: changes to Medicaid, artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, adjustments to scope of practice, and changes to insurance coverage.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Health Care & Health Insurance

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 State Government and Immigration Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered bills concerning the state government and immigration matters, including legislation addressing state employees and agencies, government transparency, the General Assembly, and capitol grounds.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Immigration
  • State Government

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Higher Education Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a variety of measures related to higher education in Colorado. Specifically, the legislature adopted bills related to workforce development, health and wellness, funding, board representation, and performance and oversight.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Higher Education

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Behavioral Health Legislation

The 2026 General Assembly introduced numerous behavioral health bills around licensing and transparency, particularly as they relate to facilities, continuity of care, and administration. 

Additional bills from 2026 address the allocation of resources for behavioral health.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • General Assembly
  • Health Care & Health Insurance
  • Human Services
  • Public Health

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Civil Law Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly considered several measures related to civil law. Specifically, the legislature passed bills that made changes to civil asset forfeiture, conversion therapy, protection orders, name changes, social media content, uniform laws, and law firms.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Civil Law
  • Courts & Judicial
  • General Assembly

Staff Publications

Medicaid Legislation in Colorado (2022—2026)

This memorandum provides an overview of Medicaid-related legislation from Colorado’s last five legislative sessions (2022 to 2026). During this period, the General Assembly introduced at least 87 Medicaid-related bills of which 16 bills were lost (18.4 percent). Between 2022 and 2024, approximately 90 percent of all Medicaid-related bills passed. The bill passage rate dropped to 76 percent in 2025 and 65 percent in 2026. 

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Health Care & Health Insurance

Staff Publications

Sex Offender Housing Restrictions

This memorandum discusses sex offender residency restrictions in Colorado and additional factors that can influence where sex offenders are allowed to live. In some cases, sex offenders may live in supervised housing facilities, but many have completed their sentences and live independently.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Civil Law
  • Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement
  • Local Government

Summary of Major Legislation

Summary of 2026 Energy and Natural Resources Legislation

During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to energy and natural resources; including regulating utilities, improving electricity transmission, and promoting renewable energy.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Energy
  • Natural Resources & Environment


Staff Publications

Online Data Collection and Tracking Methods by Third Parties

This memorandum provides an overview of known online data collection and tracking methods often used by third parties, including data brokers. While the ecosystem of online data collection and tracking is vast, this memorandum primarily focuses on user side collection and tracking methods and briefly describes ongoing research regarding non-user-side third-party data tracking and brokerage.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Courts & Judicial
  • Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement
  • Telecommunications & Information Technology


Staff Publications

2026 Digest of Bills

The Office of Legislative Legal Services prepares the Digest of Bills and Concurrent Resolutions as required under section 2-3-504, C.R.S. The Digest consists of summaries of all bills passed by the Seventy-fifth General Assembly at its Second Regular Session ending May 7, 2025. The summaries include the dates upon which the Governor acted and the effective dates of the bills.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Office of Legislative Legal Services
Subjects:

Budget Related Publications

FY 2026-27 Appropriations Report

The Appropriations Report summarizes the final action of the General Assembly and the Governor on the budget and other legislation passed during the previous legislative session that contained an appropriation of moneys.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Joint Budget Committee Staff
Subjects:
  • State Revenue & Budget