3 hours ago - Politics
The most lobbied bills at the Colorado Capitol this session
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
How a legislative session takes shape is often difficult to discern among the hundreds of bills and dozens of votes on any given day.
Yes, but: Two battles are set to define the 2026 term: corporations vs. workers and data centers vs. the environment.
State of play: The themes are evident in the often-overlooked data showing what lobbyists and organizations are watching.
- More than 200 companies and organizations hired lobbyists to track House Bill 1054, a worker safety measure, making it the most-watched legislation, according to an exclusive Axios Denver analysis.
- Nine other bills drew the attention of more than 100 organizations and lobbyists.
Zoom in: Here's a look at the most lobbied bills.
- Protections for Worker Safety (HB26-1054): If President Trump's administration repeals the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Colorado is ready to adopt its own rules, even more stringent than federal regulations.
- Extreme Temperatures Worker Protections (HB26-1272): The legislation would focus on temperature-related health impacts for workers and ask the state's labor division to develop relevant training.
- Worker Protection Collective Bargaining (HB26-1005): One of the session's most contentious debates, this bill would make it easier to form unions by eliminating a second election in the collective bargaining process. Gov. Jared Polis had promised to veto the measure as written.
- Data Center & Utility Modernization (HB26-1030): This legislation is designed to lure companies to build data centers in Colorado by offering them a tax break — collectively costing the state more than $58 million — if they follow certain rules.
- Large-Load Data Centers (SB26-102): A competing bill to the incentives measure that would impose new restrictions on data centers, making them meet rules regarding environmental impact, location and operation.
- Housing Developments on Qualifying Properties (HB26-1001): The flagship Democratic-led bill was signed into law on March 25 after negotiations over the rules for building housing on property owned by nonprofits, school districts, higher education institutions and transit districts.