DENVER ‒ Colorado Gov. Jared Polis delivered his final State of the State speech to the Legislature on Thursday morning, simultaneously taking a victory lap for his two terms in office and laying out his priorities for this year’s lawmaking session.
His 82-minute address covered the strides his administration made in housing, education, health care and the environment. As he spoke in front of a House chamber packed with lawmakers and state officials, his husband, child, parents, sister and dog, Gia, sat in the front row.
Among achievements he touted were the establishment of universal preschool in the state, the Sundance Film Festival’s upcoming move to Boulder, the elimination of a budget gap for public schools, housing affordability policies and the cutting of the state’s income tax rate.
“When it comes to turning my bold agenda into a better daily life for Coloradans, we haven’t always succeeded on our first try,” he said. “But we’ve always stepped back up to the plate, because that’s what we do in Colorado.”
“The state of our state is strong,” he said. “Resilient, loving, kind, innovative, free and ever bright with the promise of a Colorado for all.”
Polis blasted the tenor of politics in Washington, D.C., and the decisions of the Trump administration when it comes to tariff policy and withholding federal dollars to the state. He said that while the state has defended about $900 million through the courts, there is still $1 billion lost or at risk from “illegal Trump administration cuts.”
“Washington Republicans, once the self-proclaimed party of states’ rights and small government, today are too often the party of socialism, overreach and intrusion into people’s daily lives in ways wholly out of the scope of government,” he said.
He also criticized Trump’s recent veto of a bipartisan bill to fund the Arkansas Valley Conduit project, which is planned to deliver clean water to cities east of Pueblo, and his denial of disaster relief funding for wildfires and flooding.
Polis, who is term-limited, said he hopes his “commitment to a compassionate, kind Colorado for everyone” will continue beyond his tenure as governor. Voters will choose his replacement this fall, and two heavyweight Democrats – Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet – are running for the seat. Whoever wins the Democratic primary election is likely to win the general election.
“In words and actions, we must reject the politics of division and the poison of blind hatred by doubling down on respect, kindness, compassion and truly learn to disagree better,” he said.
The Trump administration’s “costly and cruel immigration agenda is not the Colorado way,” he said, noting that the majority of immigrants in detention centers do not have criminal convictions. In his address to lawmakers last year, he said he welcomed detention and deportation against immigrants with violent and dangerous criminal histories, but that was before Trump’s mass deportation effort began.
“In our Colorado for all, we welcome immigrants and refugees who follow our laws and seek to build a better life here, who strengthen our economy and enrich our communities under the shelter of our democracy,” he said.
Polis is once again hoping the Legislature can pass land use and housing policy that would encourage more residential construction and ease the development process. It has been a major theme for him, especially since winning reelection in 2022. Addressing the state’s housing shortage has been a major theme for him, especially since winning reelection in 2022. A state analysis last year estimated Colorado has a shortfall of more than 100,000 homes, which leads to escalating costs.
In previous years, he has signed laws that automatically allow accessory dwelling units on many properties, alter the construction defect liability statute, ease the construction of modular housing and authorize a single staircase in apartment buildings.
This year, he wants to give local governments resources to build housing near transit and also improve local bus and train stations. He also gave a shoutout to a bill that would let schools, transit agencies and certain nonprofits build housing on unused land they own. A similar bill that also would have included faith organizations like churches did not pass last year.
“We so often hear folks saying ‘Yes we need more housing, but it needs to be affordable,’” Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat running this year’s bill, said Thursday at the Capitol. “What we’ve done this year is really prioritize those pieces to empower nonprofits or public housing authorities to utilize the administrative review process to build housing at a process that is faster.”
Polis doubled down on his pitch to sell Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s worker compensation insurer, in order to raise funds for programs at risk during a tight budget year, such as the senior homestead exemption. Lawmakers did not go for the privatization plan last year.
On health care, he emphasized that Colorado cannot afford to grow its Medicaid program at its current rate. The program is a primary driver in the state’s budget shortfall. Since last year’s legislative session Polis tapped a consulting agency to study the state’s strategy and suggest policy ideas to ease the fiscal burden. He also wants lawmakers to raise the Medicaid budget next fiscal year by less than it needs to maintain current service.
“The reality is that health care expenses are rising far faster than the rest of our budget,” he said. “We must take action to bring Medicaid costs to a sustainable level and protect access for the 1.2 million Coloradans who rely on Medicaid.”
At the same time, he said states cannot solve the problem on their own, and he called for Congress to work toward a structural change to the nation’s health care system, such as a social insurance model like the proposed Medicare for All.
Regarding the state’s environmental policy, Polis reaffirmed his commitment to achieving 100% clean energy, and he said emerging technologies will need to be considered to meet environmental goals. Colorado did not meet its greenhouse gas emission goal at the end of last year. Polis tied climate issues with transit needs.
“We’ve made progress, but the reality is that until we have a world-class metro-area transit agency, we cannot meet our climate or affordability goals,” he said. “This begins with governance changes, increased accountability and transparency and a stronger partnership between the cities it serves and the transit agency.”
Polis finished his final speech at the Capitol by encouraging lawmakers to pass bills they know he will agree with, such as lowering the state income tax and supporting cryptocurrencies. He vetoed a personal record-setting 11 bills last session, and he joked about handing out commemorative veto pens to bill sponsors.
“On issues you know I disagree with you on, let’s work together to find agreement,” he said.
One topic Polis did not mention during his address was whether he is considering granting clemency to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of felonies related to a breach of the security of her election system. He told CBS News last week that Peters’ nine-year sentence is “harsh.” Trump has repeatedly called for Peters’ release from state prison and even issued her a pardon, despite not having the power to forgive state-level convictions.
Polis repeatedly declined to answer reporters’ questions after his speech about whether he has spoken with the Trump administration about a pardon or sentence reduction for Peters. He did say he had not spoken with the administration about releasing Peters in exchange for something else.
“There’s so many people who have opinions on clemency, but I’m the one who decides and weighs the actual factors in the crime and sentence,” he said.
House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, a Colorado Springs Republican, said the speech’s tone was misaligned with the everyday experience of Coloradans. Polis made repeated pop-culture references, as he often does, and the overall mood was retrospective and celebratory.
“We hear farmers and ranchers mentioned two times in the whole speech, but Taylor Swift getting mentioned three times. Our constituents aren’t OK with that,” he said. “They see the governor making jokes while they’re struggling to pay bills, they can’t afford their utilities and they’re losing their jobs. They don’t find it funny.”
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