{"id":1108,"date":"2026-06-02T15:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1108"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:04:09","slug":"gov-jared-polis-vetoes-lobbying-transparency-bill-arguing-it-would-be-very-mean-to-future-governors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1108","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Jared Polis vetoes lobbying transparency bill, arguing it would be \u2018very mean\u2019 to future governors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bipartisan bill requiring Colorado\u2019s future governors to be more transparent in how they seek to shape legislation, rejecting a measure that lawmakers said was inspired by Polis\u2019 own approach to working in the Capitol.<\/p>\n

Read more How a Denver pastry chef came up with his unique creation, the \u2018bao-nut\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

In his veto letter Friday, the term-limited Polis argued that signing Senate Bill 147 and requiring lobbyists employed by the state to publicly disclose their positions on bills would be a \u201cvery mean thing to do to future governors, as it infringes on their ability to independently gather information and evaluate legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRequiring a governor to take formal positions prior to final action would impede his or her independent decision making, and make it more challenging for (the) governor\u2019s staff to do what they are often asked to do, which is provide counsel on legislation in the service of winning the governor\u2019s ultimate support,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Had it been signed into law, SB 147 would\u2019ve required legislative liaisons employed by the governor\u2019s office or by state agencies to act like private lobbyists and to formally list their position on the bills for which they\u2019re lobbying.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers said the measure was an attempt to reset the legislature\u2019s relationship with the governor\u2019s office after Polis\u2019 two terms, during which he became more involved in seeking to influence, amend and kill legislation than had his predecessor.<\/p>\n

Some lawmakers have said they appreciate Polis weighing in so they can know whether to amend their bills to satisfy his concerns or to voluntarily kill them. But others have chafed at his involvement and his frequent veto threats. Of the legislature\u2019s 100 lawmakers, only six voted against SB 147 during its journey through the Capitol.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this was saying was, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s not fun to go into committee and see the governor\u2019s team pulling people out into the hallway to get them to vote a certain way. So can we have a heads-up if you\u2019re going to go full bore against a bill?\u2019 \u201d Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, said Monday.<\/p>\n

SB 147 was both a response to Polis\u2019 unique approach to the legislature and an example of how that style has worked in practice. His office\u2019s staff told the bill\u2019s sponsors that Polis would veto it should it reach his desk, as they have done in the past to reshape or summarily kill bills. But legislators did not amend or voluntarily kill SB 147, and, had it been moved more quickly by House leadership, lawmakers had sufficient support to attempt to override the governor\u2019s looming veto.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe could\u2019ve changed this bill and preserved some of the other pieces in there,\u201d said Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat who also sponsored the bill. \u201cBut we ultimately decided that it was important \u2014 if he wants to kill this bill, then he\u2019s going to have to kill it. In public.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s passage through the House slowed in the final weeks of the session, and it missed key legislative deadlines that ended any chance of an override before the legislative session ended in mid-May.<\/p>\n

Read more Commission launches investigation into agency head as Colorado defense attorneys\u2019 complaints crescendo<\/a><\/p>\n

In his letter, Polis noted that no other state in the country places similar requirements on lobbyists employed by governors or state agencies. He also told lawmakers that they should hold themselves to the same standard and publicly disclose their positions on bills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an unequal and burdensome infringement that erodes separation of powers by elevating one branch of government over others, under the guise of transparency,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

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Froelich and Cutter scoffed at those arguments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely bananas to say that,\u201d Froelich said, noting that lawmakers\u2019 positions on bills are repeatedly recorded during votes. \u201cDude, my name\u2019s on the bill. How I vote in committee pretty much tells you how I feel, and I\u2019ll say on the mic how I feel about it. What other mechanism would there be? You want me to register with the (state) my position on my own bills?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cutter said lawmakers wanted to preserve the separation between the governor\u2019s office on the Capitol\u2019s first floor and the legislative chambers above it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the legislative branch, let us do the legislation,\u201d she said. \u201cWeigh in on it in a transparent way if you choose, but to work behind the scenes to influence our colleagues \u2014 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s equal. I don\u2019t have that kind of power, as his lobbyists do. \u2026 \u2018The governor is behind this, the governor doesn\u2019t want this to happen.\u2019 That means something to people. It\u2019s ludicrous to suggest that we\u2019re on an equal playing field if that\u2019s the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Cutter and Froelich are both leaving the legislature this year, they said that other lawmakers planned to bring SB 147 back next year.<\/p>\n

The veto was Polis\u2019 sixth of the year. Elsewhere Friday, he also rejected House Bill 1005, which would\u2019ve made it easier for organized workers to negotiate the provision of their union contract related to dues collection. Polis has until later this month to sign or veto bills, or to let them pass into law without his signature.<\/p>\n

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Gov. Jared Polis moves to appeal Denver judge\u2019s order blocking compliance with ICE subpoena<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bipartisan bill requiring Colorado’s future governors to be more transparent in how they seek to shape legislation, rejecting a measure that lawmakers said was inspired by Polis’ own approach to working in the Capitol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nGov. 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