DENVER–A Democrat-backed bill to force financial transparency on Colorado legislative caucuses died in committee Tuesday on a 3-2 vote. The bill was a continuation of a now months-old ethics controversy boiling under the gold dome.
Senate Bill 26-168, sponsored by Senator Mike Weismann and Rep. Yara Zokaie, would have mandated regular public disclosure of caucus fundraising and spending, failed in the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, with one Democrat joining the committee’s two Republicans in voting it down.
The legislation traces back to an October, 2025 retreat at a Vail hotel hosted by the Colorado Opportunity Caucus — a group of legislative Democrats considered “moderate” in comparison to the extreme far-left wing of the party, and whose donor list remains largely secret. The event, attended by lobbyists, sparked ethics complaints after the caucus refused to reveal who footed the bill for the swanky gathering.
The state’s Independent Ethics Commission is investigating whether caucus members violated Colorado’s gift ban by attending.
The lone Democrat no vote came from Sen. William Lindstedt of Broomfield — himself among the lawmakers facing scrutiny stemming from the Vail retreat. Lindstedt argued he’d prefer caucuses be brought under the Secretary of State’s existing campaign finance reporting system rather than be addressed through standalone legislation.
Republican committee members raised a different objection, arguing disclosure requirements could discourage minority-party lawmakers from joining legislative caucuses at all, with Sen. Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells saying the mandate would fall hardest on those outside the Democrat majority’s power structure.
The Opportunity Caucus has still not disclosed who funded the Vail gathering.
