DENVER–Governor Jared Polis last week vetoed a half-dozen bills passed in the recently adjourned legislative session, most significantly on Friday rejecting Democrat-backed legislation eliminating Colorado’s decades old two-vote process for private sector unionization, and calling out both business and labor for failing to reach a compromise on the issue.
As previously reported by Complete Colorado, Polis rejected an identical measure in 2025.
House Bill 1005 would have eliminated the second election required under Colorado’s 83-year-old Labor Peace Act, which requires a simple majority vote to form a union, with a subsequent supermajority vote of 75 percent of employees to allow “security agreements,” which force all workers — even the 25 percent that said no — to pay union dues.
Labor unions have long argued the dual-election requirement is an unnecessary burden, while business groups counter that it protects workers from having dues extracted from their paychecks by a bare majority of colleagues.
HB 1005 passed through the Democrat-controlled legislature on a strict party line vote, with every very Republican saying no. Despite this, Polis distributed blame evenly in his veto letter, expressing frustration that neither side pursued the consensus he called for after his 2025 veto.
“I would have hoped that both business and labor leaders could have worked to craft a long-term and durable agreement on this matter,” wrote Polis. “Unfortunately, because that did not happen, this issue will likely come up again next year and every subsequent year until it is addressed, which creates uncertainty for both workers and businesses.”
Polis acknowledged the law may need changing, having previously suggested lowering the 75% threshold as a possible middle ground, but insisted scrapping the second election entirely was unacceptable. He warned that failing to reach consensus creates ongoing uncertainty heading into a gubernatorial transition, as he is term-limited.
Other vetoes
The governor also vetoed Senate Bill 147 on Friday. It would have required state departments that lobby on bills to disclose their agency’s posture toward legislation, just like any other lobbyist working at the Colorado Capitol. The bill would also have prohibited former statewide elected officials and members of the legislature from serving as a legislative liaison for a state office for two years after leaving office.
On Thursday, Polis separately vetoed four bills, including House Bill 1418, which would have imposed a 5% fee on in-game video game purchases to fund youth mental health programs. Polis raised Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) concerns, noting the fee lacked a clear connection between the purchases being taxed and the programs being funded — an objection that fiscal conservatives have made for years about “fee” structures designed specifically to circumvent voter approval for new taxes as required under TABOR.
Polis also vetoed House Bill 1255, that would have required social media platforms to report threatening posts to law enforcement, citing free speech concerns.
House Bill 1286, which would have required a licensed commercial driver to be present in any autonomously operated large vehicle, was also nixed by Polis, having vetoed similar legislation last year as well.
And, in a rare reversal of a legislative budget decision, Polis vetoed House Bill 1355, restoring $1.75 million in after-school program funding trimmed from the state budget, citing an improving revenue forecast.
