Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline
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The time for lawmaking is over, and change is on the way.
Colorado’s 2026 legislative session concluded on Wednesday, May 13, after 120 days of lawmakers voting on over 600 bills. Many of the bills passed will simply delegate state funds or clean up existing statutes, but others will have major impacts, including establishing legal protections against conversion therapy and expanding abortion access for college students.
Though they were approved by legislators, some bills still need Governor Jared Polis’s okay before they can become law. He has thirty days to take action.
In the meantime, here are ten of the most interesting bills Colorado lawmakers passed this year:
ICE Agent Lawsuits
Immigration arrests have surged in Colorado since President Donald Trump began his second term with a focus on immigration enforcement and mass deportations. Senate Bill 26-005 allows Coloradans harmed during an immigration enforcement encounter with federal officers to sue for civil rights violations.
The bill passed with support from 61 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
Abortion on College Campuses
House Bill 26-1335 requires higher education institutions with on-campus student health centers to provide on-site abortion medication services by August 2027. Institutions with pharmacies on-site will be required to maintain a stock of abortion medication to dispense to students; those without pharmacies can submit a prescription to be filled at an off-campus pharmacy.
The bill passed with support from 64 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
AI in Therapy
House Bill 26-1195 restricts the use of artificial intelligence in psychotherapy services. The bill prohibits regulated professionals from using AI systems to diagnose a client, generate therapeutic recommendations or create treatment plans without review, or directly interact with clients in any form of therapeutic communication.
The bill passed with support from 97 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
Conversion Therapy Lawsuits
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a 2019 Colorado law that banned conversion therapy for minors. House Bill 26-1322 creates a new protection against the discredited practice, allowing patients harmed by conversion therapy to sue the mental-health professionals who subjected them to it at any time, without being subject to the typical statute of limitations.
The bill passed with support from 64 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
Karollyne Videira Hubert/Unsplash
3D-Printed Firearm Ban
House Bill 26-1144 prohibits using a three-dimensional printer to make a firearm or a firearm component. This builds on a 2023 law that banned the possession, sale or transfer of unserialized “ghost guns,” which are often a result of 3D printing.
The bill passed with support from 63 out of 100 lawmakers. Polis signed the bill into law on May 4.
Sports Betting Protections
Senate Bill 26-131 places several restrictions on online sports betting platforms intended to curb problem gambling, including banning platforms from accepting more than six deposits from an individual in one day, targeting advertisements towards individuals under the age of 21, and using push notifications or text messages to solicit bets or deposits.
The bill passed with support from 70 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
Personal Data in Price Setting
Have you ever noticed that the price for a flight or hotel increases the more you search for them online? House Bill 26-1210 makes that kind of practice illegal in Colorado. The bill bans the use of surveillance data to set individualized prices or wages, including the use of a person’s search history, location, past purchases and personal characteristics.
The bill passed with support from 60 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
Kidfluencer Protections
Internet-savvy parents rack up millions of views — and sometimes millions of dollars — by sharing their kids’ lives online. But in most states, there’s no guarantee that the children will ever see any of that money. House Bill 26-1058 requires certain parents and guardians who feature minors in monetized online content to set aside a portion of their earnings into trust funds for the minors.
The bill passed with support from 87 out of 100 lawmakers. Polis signed the bill into law on May 4.
Freepik
Retail Pet Sale Ban
House Bill 26-1011 prohibits pet stores from selling dogs and cats in Colorado. Supporters say the prohibition is intended to cut off demand for inhumane breeding mills, from which some pet stores source their animals.
The bill passed with support from 62 out of 100 lawmakers. Polis signed the bill into law on April 29.
Rideshare Safety
House Bill 26-1424 makes numerous changes to rideshare operations, such as Uber and Lyft, that are intended to improve safety. It requires large rideshare companies to conduct more frequent background checks on drivers, crack down on unauthorized driver account sharing, and ban individuals from being drivers if they have committed certain offenses. A similar bill passed last year but was vetoed by Polis.
The bill passed with support from 67 out of 100 lawmakers. It is still awaiting the governor’s consideration.
And a Few Failed Bills…
Here are some other interesting bills covered by Westword this session that ultimately failed to pass the state legislature:
- Child marriage ban — Senate Bill 26-048 would have required that individuals be at least 18 years old to obtain a marriage license.
- Extreme indifference murder — House Bill 26-1281 would have restricted charging individuals with first-degree murder with extreme indifference.
- Pet custody — House Bill 26-1131 would have set legal standards for establishing pet custody in divorce and separation proceedings.
- Underage scooter riding — House Bill 26-1125 would have imposed financial penalties on parents who allow their minor children to unlawfully operate electric scooters, bicycles, skateboards or motorcycles.
- Youth social media use — House Bill 26-1148 would have made numerous changes regarding how online services must handle minors who use their platforms to improve safety.
