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THE GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER

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GOVERNOR'S WEBSITE


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PRESS RELEASES


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STATE JOB BOARD


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COLORADO BILL TRACKER



January 2, 2026

Happy New Year, Colorado!
Happy New Year, Colorado! I am incredibly proud to be ringing in 2026 with all of you and so honored to work for our amazing state. This past year Colorado has proven once again that we are the best place to live, work and play and that is a testament to every Coloradans dedication to building a strong economy, supporting each other and embracing “Colorado for All” spirit. I look forward to carrying all of our successes into the New Year, and continuing our work.


📜 476 bills signed

🏘️ 23 counties and 58 cities that I visited in Colorado

🤝 239 board positions appointed

🏆 #1 in EV sales, surpassing California

💛 #1 in the nation for people with disabilities

🎒 3 years of Universal Free Preschool

🚌 #3 in preschool enrollment nationally

🦃 2 turkeys pardoned

… and much more.


With this progress, I’m excited to head into 2026 as an even stronger Colorado.


This past year, the Polis Administration has delivered in many key areas by breaking down barriers to housing, improving public safety, fully funding Colorado schools, expanding freedoms, and making progress toward Colorado’s bold climate goals and improving air quality.



MORE HOUSING NOW: Governor Polis signed new laws to increase housing that Coloradans can afford.
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HB25-1273 - Residential Building Stair Modernization: This law will cut through red tape and make it easier to build more homes that Coloradans can afford.
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HB25-1272 - Construction Defects & Middle Market Housing: This law will break down barriers to building more townhomes in Colorado communities.
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SB25-002 - Regional Building Codes for Factory-Built Structures: This law will make it easier to utilize innovative modular housing to reduce costs and create more homes Coloradans can afford.
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SB25-006 - Investment Authority of State Treasurer for Affordable Housing: Bipartisan law to unlock home-ownership opportunities across the state.
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SB25-167 - Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities: This law helps break down barriers to housing for teachers, increase homeownership, and support Colorado’s schools and workforce.

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY: Colorado continued to make progress on the goal of becoming one of the ten safest states.
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SB25-310 - Proposition 130 Implementation: This law supports funding for local law enforcement agencies to help recruit peace officers by providing financial reimbursements and tuition assistance for initial and continuing education and training for peace officers, as well as pay incentives and bonuses. The bill also provides funding to ensure that the families of fallen officers get the support they need after losing their loved one in the line of duty.

EXPANDING TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS: Colorado is meeting Coloradans where they are at, and expanding transportation options.
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SB25-161 - Transit Reform: This law modernized RTD’s mission to align with statewide goals to increase transit ridership, increase service, and decrease GHG emissions. It also created an independent accountability committee to evaluate and make recommendations on topics including the governance structure and compensation of the board, representation of local governments, and workforce retention.
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SB25-030 - Increase Transportation Mode Choice Reduce Emissions: This new law helps increase transportation options to decrease pollution and congestion on Colorado roads.

DEFENDING COLORADO FROM RECKLESSNESS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL: Protecting key Colorado industries, federal funding, and support systems from federal attack.
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In August, Governor Polis called a Special Session to mitigate the devastating impacts of H.R. 1 to the state budget. During that session he signed
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a number of bills to mitigate the harm of H.R. 1 and balance Colorado’s budget, which was immediately thrown out of balance by this federal legislation. Here’s
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what Colorado leaders said following the Special Session.
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Since the beginning of the Trump administration, Colorado has
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successfully defended $868.08 million in federal funding that helps Coloradans access food, fund schools, protect public lands and natural resources, and keep Coloradans safe.

COLORADO LANDS SUNDANCE STARTING IN 2027:
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This year Colorado was
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named the new host of the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. Governor Polis signed
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HB25-1005 Tax Incentives for Film Festivals , to increase support and revenue for film festivals in Colorado and support the next generation of film makers.

SUPPORTING COLORADANS’ ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE: The Polis-Primavera administration is steadfast in expanding healthcare options for all Coloradans.
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In the face of federal inaction to extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Coloradans are preparing to see their health care costs rise. To blunt the rise of these costs, Governor Polis signed
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HB25B-1006 , but continues to call on Congress to take action and prevent a further increase in costs.
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Governor Polis
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took urgent action to ensure that Coloradans had access to the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine after the Trump administration made it more difficult for Americans to get.

FREE STATE OF COLORADO: From health care to voting and Kei trucks, Governor Polis signed legislation to protect Coloradans’ freedom.
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SB25-001 - Colorado Voting Rights Act: This law will strengthen Colorado’s gold-standard elections system and help more Coloradans make their voices heard at the ballot box.
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HB25-1281 - Title Register & Drive Kei Vehicles: This law gives Coloradans the freedom to own and drive Kei vehicles, supporting better air quality and choice for Coloradans.
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SB25-014 - Protecting the Freedom to Marry: This law enforces the ballot measure approved by Colorado voters that protects every Coloradan’s right to marry who they love.
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SB25-129 - Legally Protected Health-Care Activity Protections and
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SB25-183 - Coverage for Pregnancy-Related Services : This past November, voters from every corner of Colorado overwhelmingly voted to enshrine reproductive freedom into our state constitution. Gov. Polis and the legislature aligned state law with the will of voters
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to strengthen access to reproductive care, protect Coloradans’ privacy from Washington, DC, and safeguard freedoms.

FULLY FUND SCHOOLS AND SUPPORT COLORADO’S WORKFORCE: Governor Polis took major steps this past year to ensure all Colorado students and educators are successful.
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HB25-1320 - School Finance Act: This law implements Colorado’s student-focused school finance formula without bringing back the budget stabilization factor. It also increases per-pupil funding again to $11,864, an increase from FY24-25 of $412 per student, or an average of $9,000 per classroom.
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SB25-315 - Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs: This law realigns Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness administration and funding to ensure all students have the opportunity to graduate high school with postsecondary credit, an industry-recognized credential, or work-based learning experience.

UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT SUCCESS:
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Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program (UPK) has seen success in the 2026-2027 enrollment. As of December 29th of this year, families have submitted 14,856 total 4-year-old applications for the 2026–27 program year. On the first day of enrollment alone, families submitted 5,913 applications, compared to 3,977 applications on opening day last year—an increase of 1,936 applications, representing a 48.7% uptick.

BOLD CLIMATE GOALS AND IMPROVING AIR QUALITY: Colorado continues to be a national leader in Electric Vehicles, clean energy, and protecting our natural resources.
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HB25-1267 - Support for Statewide Energy Strategies: This law builds on our EV success by empowering the Division of Oil and Public Safety to adopt retail EV charging rules to promote consistency and provide for a more seamless EV charging experience.
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HB25-1269 Building Decarbonization Measures: This law will make it simpler for buildings to comply with statewide standards by complying with a local standard and will help achieve the administration’s 2030 carbon emission reduction targets.
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HB25-1165 - Geologic Storage Enterprise & Geothermal Resources: This law helps strengthen access to low-cost geothermal energy in Colorado.

UNVEILING NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST WILDLIFE OVERPASS:
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Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Transportation completed
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the I-25 Greenland Wildlife overpass near Larkspur , which is North America’s largest wildlife overpass.

KEEP COLORADO WILD PASS:
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In 2021, Governor Polis signed SB21-249 which created the
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$29 Keep Colorado Wild Pass , which offers car, bike, and foot entry into all
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Colorado state parks at a lower cost while also giving back to Colorado’s outdoor community. In
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its second year being on sale , more than 1.5 million Coloradans purchased a pass raising $41 million to support Colorado state parks, local search and rescue volunteers and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
FIRST GENTLEMAN'S CORNER



First Gentleman Marlon Reis is hosting regular educational events at the Governor’s Mansion. Subject matter experts will present on the issue briefly, with time for audience Q&A afterwards.

Please join the upcoming Speaker Series focusing on reducing bird-window collisions.

- WHEN: Tuesday, January 13th from 10:30am - 12pm
- WHERE: The Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, 400 E 8th Ave, Denver, CO, 80203
- ABOUT: Join us to learn more about how to reduce bird-window collisions.
- Please
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RSVP via the registration form if you plan to attend.

EVENTS & NEWS CORNER


📰America 250- Colorado 150 Newsletter Sign-Up


As we continue building momentum toward Colorado’s 150th and America’s 250th anniversaries in 2026, we encourage everyone to stay informed and engaged with the latest America 250 - Colorado 150 news, events, and opportunities. This newsletter is designed for a statewide audience; anyone who signs up will receive updates, stories, and ways to participate in the commemoration on the first of each month:
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Link to sign up for the newsletter.

JOB OPENINGS


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Digital Content Manager

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Serve CO Deputy Finance and Compliance Officer

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Policy Coordinator

PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS


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Happy Holidays! (December 22)

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Wishing Coloradans A Happy Thanksgiving (November 21)

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Polis Pardons A Pair of Lucky Turkeys (November 12)

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Balanced State Budget & November Updates (November 4)

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Helping Feed the Hungry (October 23)

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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (October 13)












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