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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber of Commerce today highlighted key victories for business at the conclusion of the 2026 legislative session, including the passage of bipartisan regulatory reform following the Chamber’s report that Colorado is the sixth most regulated state in the nation. The Chamber also celebrated the defeat of 13 out of 15 bills on its opposition agenda that, if passed, would have further deteriorated our business climate.
“The Colorado Chamber’s focus over the last several years has been to assess our strengths and weaknesses as a state and find areas of common ground to address our key challenges,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman. “It’s become abundantly clear that in order to improve our competitiveness as a state, proactive regulatory reform had to be our top priority. Thanks to the partnership of legislative leadership, we’re proud that after years of research and bipartisan collaboration, regulatory relief is coming for the Colorado business community, workers, and local communities across the state. This is a critical step in improving our economic climate and positioning Colorado as a top state for business once again.”
Senate Bill 137 was the Colorado Chamber’s top legislative priority for 2026. It creates more robust standards and criteria for how state agencies review existing regulations, improving transparency and good governance. The bipartisan legislation was sponsored by leadership from both parties in the House and the Senate. It continues the Chamber’s work in the prior legislative session with SB 25-306, which placed certain state agencies under regular performance audits.
The passage of SB 137 follows a series of Colorado Chamber studies assessing the state’s competitive landscape, including a groundbreaking report released last month on corporate relocations and lost opportunities. The report found that Colorado has experienced a net loss of 34 public company headquarters since 2022 and documented nearly 100 company moves to other states since 2019. While Colorado’s regulatory climate is a primary driver of these relocations, other major factors include the state’s tax policies, talent pool concerns and more favorable business climates in other states.
The Colorado Chamber also successfully advanced House Bill 1421, another key priority for the 2026 session in partnership with the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. The bipartisan legislation strengthens existing rules prohibiting non-lawyer ownership of law firms and fee-sharing with non-lawyers, while closing loopholes that allow private equity firms to influence legal outcomes through complex business arrangements.
The Colorado Chamber’s leadership on AI governance for Colorado over the last two years helped shape Senate Bill 189, the bipartisan legislation updating Colorado’s artificial intelligence law. The bill was developed following recommendations from the governor’s Artificial Intelligence Impact Task Force, which included Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman, and reflects months of collaboration between legislators, industry leaders and the business community.
“In light of concerning trends on Colorado’s competitiveness and business climate, it’s more important than ever for state lawmakers to ‘do no harm’ and show restraint when it comes to creating new burdens on the business community,” said Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Meghan Dollar. “This year we identified a record number of 15 bills on our opposition agenda that would have further driven jobs out of state and increased costs for consumers and businesses alike. From preventing historic tax hikes of $468 million on business to maintaining regulatory certainty in the labor and employment space, the Chamber continues to deliver for the statewide business community.”
In March, the Colorado Chamber launched its “Job Killers” and “Wallet Watchdog” bill lists, identifying proposals that threaten the state’s business climate, economic opportunity and future growth while also worsening Colorado’s cost of living crisis. Since then, all six targeted bills on the Job Killers list have been defeated or amended. Of the nine bills on the Wallet Watchdog list, so far seven have been defeated or amended, pending veto requests with the governor.
In the coming weeks, the Colorado Chamber will be requesting a veto on House Bill 1005, which would overhaul the state’s longstanding Labor Peace Act and threatens worker choice in union due deductions, as well as House Bill 1210, which would regulate how businesses use certain automated systems and data when setting prices or making employment decisions.
Due to the challenging budgetary environment in the 2026 session, not all of the Chamber’s priorities passed this year. Specifically, Senate Bill 49, which would have paved the way for lower homeowners insurance rates statewide, was unable to move forward due to broader fiscal constraints and competing budget priorities at the Capitol. Improving Colorado’s affordability and cost of living is critical to the Chamber’s long-term strategic vision and will remain a key focus of future legislative efforts.
The Colorado Chamber will release its 2026 Annual Report in June, which will provide an overview of legislation impacting the business community in full detail.
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The Colorado Chamber of Commerce champions free enterprise, a healthy business environment and economic prosperity for all Coloradans. It is the only business association that works to improve the business climate for all sizes of business from a statewide, multi-industry perspective. What the Colorado Chamber accomplishes is good for all businesses, and that’s good for the state’s economy. It was created in 1965 based on the merger with the Colorado Manufacturers’ Association.