Colorado’s legislative session ended with some imbalance: while lawmakers managed to pass about 120 bills, more than 150 others collapsed along the way, undone by political disagreements, budget pressures, or simple lack of time before adjournment on May 13.

The failed measures spanned a variety of policy areas, from taxes and health care to technology, elections, and criminal justice, offering a revealing look at where consensus broke down in a year dominated by fiscal constraints and veto threats.

Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest bills that failed to make it to the governor’s desk this year:

Taxes

House Bill 1221: Tax expenditure adjustments

What it does: Sponsored by Reps. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, and Emily Sirota, D- Denver, and Sens. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Katie Wallace, D-Longmont, House Bill 1221 sought to limit several corporate tax deductions and operating loss write-offs.

The bill also created a new tax credit for families in addition to the state’s child and family affordability tax credits.

What happened: The bill passed the House, but Amabile and Wallace ultimately asked the Senate Finance Committee to kill it just days before the end of the session after realizing they didn’t have the votes to pass it.

House Bill 1222: Decoupling from federal tax code

What it does: Sponsored by Reps. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, and Karen McCormick, D-Hygiene, and Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, House Bill 1222 sought to decouple the state’s income tax code from certain federal tax provisions established under H.R. 1.

The bill also included a provision on the proposed tax credit outlined in House Bill 1221, which would be allocated to low-income families depending on the number and age of their children.

What happened: Kipp asked the Senate Finance Committee to kill the bill due to veto concerns. “It is clear that this bill will be vetoed unless we agree to reducing the state income tax, something that I believe is irresponsible,” she told the committee.

Health care

Senate Bill 008: Adult mental health services

What it does: Sponsored by former Sen. Dafne Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, and Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, D-Denver, Senate Bill 008 would have created an adult mental health services program that would reimburse providers for up to six therapy sessions for Colorado adults. Michaelson Jenet sponsored legislation in 2021 establishing a similar program for kids, known as I Matter.

The bill also established a grant program for online therapy providers, to be funded through fees collected from internet service account holders.

What happened: The bill was killed by the House Health and Human Services Committee in April. Michaelson Jenet had resigned from the legislature two months earlier, leaving the measure without a Senate sponsor.

House Bill 1365: equine therapy Medicaid reimbursements

What it does: Sponsored by members of the Joint Budget Committee, House Bill 1365 sought to decrease an estimated $180,000 in spending on Medicaid reimbursements for equine therapy for individuals with disabilities. The measure was one of many cuts proposed by the JBC to close an over $1 billion budgetary deficit.

What happened: Advocacy groups strongly opposed the bill, arguing it would leave vulnerable people without care. Opponents also argued that the money the state would save if the bill passed was almost insignificant when compared to the massive budget deficit. It was ultimately killed by the House Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 1301: Tax increases for alcohol, marijuana

What it does: Sponsored by Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, would have referred a measure to the November ballot proposing an excise tax increase of $0.0733 per gallon on beer and hard cider, $0.08 per liter of wine, and $0.6026 per liter of spirits, as well as an increase of 0.42 percentage points for marijuana.

Under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, any tax increase must be approved by voters.

“This is a dire need that we’ve identified for years, and no one’s ever just pulled the trigger and moved forward,” Marshall told the bipartisan, bicameral Capital Development Committee in March.

What happened: Following a recommendation from the Capital Development Committee, the House Health and Human Services Committee killed the bill, citing concerns about targeting an industry that’s already being squeezed financially and increasing taxes statewide to fund projects that would only benefit certain parts of the state.

House Bill 1271: Alcohol impact and recovery enterprises

What it does: Sponsored by Reps. Jamie Jackson, D-Denver, Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Sens. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, House Bill 1271 sought to create three separate “enterprises” and establish fees of $0.05 per gallon of beer and cider, $0.07 per liter of wine, and $0.35 per liter of spirits manufactured and distributed in Colorado. Each enterprise would have funded a different treatment aspect: prevention, community and jail-based services, and treatment programs.

A similar measure introduced in the Senate in 2024 passed through its first chamber but died in the House Finance Committee.

What happened: The bill failed to pass through the HHS Committee, with members expressing concerns about imposing new fees on the alcohol industry, especially small businesses.

Government and elections

Senate Bill 107: Open Records Act changes

What it does: Sponsored by Sens. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, and Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, and Reps. Matt Soper, R-Delta, and Michael Carter, D-Aurora, Senate Bill 107 proposed changes to the Colorado Open Records Act, or CORA.

Kipp and Rich introduced a similar bill last session, which passed through both chambers but was vetoed by the governor.

The bill would have extended the response time for fulfilling CORA requests from to five working days and, under extenuating circumstances, from seven to 10 days. If the custodian missed the deadline, the requester would have gotten a free hour of research and retrieval time for each day the request was late.

What happened: The bill was shot down in committee, with members expressing concerns that it could prevent transparency and infringe on citizens’ rights to information.

House Bill 1137: Civil suits against campaign consultants

What it does: Sponsored by Reps. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, and Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Evergreen, House Bill 1137 established a right to sue when a campaign consultant represents competing candidates without the candidates’ knowledge or permission.

The bill also prohibited campaign consultants from disclosing confidential information about a candidate to their opponent in cases where they are representing both individuals.

What happened: The bill passed through the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee but failed on the House Floor on a 26-35 vote.

House Bill 1140: Local government impact hearings

What it does: Sponsored by Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, and Sen. Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells, House Bill 1140 would have required “local government impact hearings” for certain bills, in which representatives from local governments could testify on how the bill would impact their community.

What happened: The bill passed through the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, but was laid over on second reading on the House Floor.

House Bill 1149: Testimony under oath

What it does: Sponsored by Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, and Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, House Bill 1149 would have required witnesses to take an oath before providing testimony to a legislative committee.

What happened: The bill failed in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on a 4-7 vote.

Technology

Senate Bill 070: Automatic license plate readers

What it does: Sponsored by Sens. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Lynda Zamora Wilson, R-Colorado Springs, and Reps. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, and Kenny Nguyen, D-Broomfield, Senate Bill 070 sought to prohibit government agencies from accessing databases that contain individuals’ historical location information, such as GPS or license plate reader data.

Zamora Wilson was also the sole sponsor of Senate Bill 071, which would have only allowed law enforcement agencies to store personal data for a set period of time and prohibited them from selling that information to third parties. That bill also failed.

What happened: The bill passed through both the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees, but Amabile and Zamora Wilson ultimately pulled it due to veto threats from the governor.

Senate Bill 102: Large-load data centers

What it does: Sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, and Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, Senate Bill 102 was one of a pair of bills introduced this session to address large-load data centers.

Under Senate Bill 102, operators of new large-load data center facilities would have been required to secure 100% annual renewable energy matching by 2031, cover full infrastructure costs through long-term contracts, and conduct community impact analyses.

The other measure, House Bill 1030, sought to draw investment through sales-tax exemptions while requiring operators to assume full cost of service, meet job creation and wage standards and use water-efficient cooling technology. That bill was sponsored by House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, and Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton.

What happened: Kipp asked the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee to kill her bill in the final days of the session, though she said she plans to bring it back next year.

House Bill 1030 was killed four days earlier in the House Energy and Environment Committee on an 11-2 vote.

Other failed bills

Senate Bill 075: Human trafficking offenses

What it does: Sponsored by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, and Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, Senate Bill 075 would have changed sentencing requirements for human trafficking offenses and required enhanced sentencing for pimping or trafficking at-risk individuals, such as those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, seniors, and minors.

The bill also sought to change the terminology related to child prostitution to commercial sexual activity.

What happened: The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 5-2 vote but failed to pass the Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 1337: Nuclear energy projects

What it does: Sponsored by Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, and Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, House Bill 1337 would have designated the Colorado Energy Office as the state’s permitting coordinator for nuclear energy projects. Valdez and Winter sponsored a successful bill last session establishing nuclear energy as a clean energy source, making nuclear projects eligible for clean energy project financing.

Under House Bill 1337, the Energy Office would have been charged with coordinating with nuclear project developers, building administrative and coordination capacity to prepare for federal funding opportunities, and recommending factors for the Public Utilities Commission to consider when determining whether to approve the acquisition of a nuclear energy project.

The bill also required Xcel Energy to solicit requests for information from communities it serves that may be interested in hosting a nuclear energy project and to identify potential sites for nuclear projects.

Additionally, the bill would have established a goal of identifying at least one nuclear energy project site in the state by 2035, with construction to begin no later than 2040.

What happened: While the bill passed the House Energy and Environment Committee on a 7-6 vote, opposition from environmental groups and some Democrats stalled it in the House Appropriations Committee. It ultimately failed to pass by the end of the legislative session.

Senate Bill 048: Exception to marry with judicial approval

What it does: Sponsored by Sens. Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, and Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, Senate Bill 048 would have repealed an exception in state law that allows 16 and 17-year-olds to get married with approval from a judge, therefore requiring individuals to be at least 18 to obtain a marriage license.

Both Republicans and reproductive rights groups opposed the bill, with the former arguing the government shouldn’t intervene in personal decisions like marriage and that teens experiencing unexpected pregnancies should be able to get married, while the latter argued marriage can provide protections for minors who may be living with abusive parents.

What happened: While the bill passed through both the Senate and House, a House Amendment changed the bill to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to obtain a marriage license with judicial approval, as long as the individual they’re marrying is no more than 10 years older than them.

The Senate voted 11-24 to not concur with the House’s amendment, killing the bill. Hinrichsen voted in favor of concurring, while Marchman voted against.

Senate Bill 043: Firearm barrels

What it does: Sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan, D‑Centennial, and Reps. Kyle Brown, D‑Louisville, and Meg Froelich, D‑Englewood, Senate Bill 043 would have required firearm dealers to keep records of all barrel sales and transfers for at least five years.

“By requiring in‑person sales and maintaining basic purchase records, we are closing a loophole that allows dangerous firearms to be assembled anonymously,” Brown said. “The bill balances public safety with responsible gun ownership, ensuring that hobbyists, collectors, and firearm owners can continue to legally purchase and replace barrels without unnecessary restrictions.”

What happened: The bill passed through the Senate but stalled for nearly two months after passing through the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Brown and Froelich ultimately pulled it, saying they didn’t have Gov. Jared Polis’s support.

Marianne Goodland and Scott Weiser contributed to this story.