The Colorado Union of Taxpayers (CUT) has released its 2026 Ratings Report, our rating of how every member of the Colorado Legislature voted during the Second Regular Session of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, which adjourned May 13, 2026. You can read and download the full report now at https://coloradotaxpayer.org/cut-ratings/. This is your short "CUT" to know what is happening at the Colorado State Legislature.
What the Report Covers
CUT took positions on 178 of the 714 bills and resolutions proposed during the 2026 session, using the CUT Pledge as our guide. We analyze each bill for how it affects the taxpayer, TABOR (Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights), property rights, and parental rights. Every week of the session, we sent our positions to all senators, all representatives, and the governor, so that no vote could be cast without knowing where CUT stood. From that work, the CUT board selected 30 bills for the centerfold scorecard grid that shows how every legislator voted on Third Reading. The report also carries key bill summaries, the full Senate and House scorecards ranked high to low, legislator phone numbers, and the CUT Pledge form.
How the Chambers Scored
The overall Senate score was 34.79%, up from 31% last year. The overall House score was 23.43%, down from 36% last year. Governor Jared Polis scored 23.33%. The report's "How Did the Parties Score?" table tells the sharper story. Senate Democrats averaged 17.83% and Senate Republicans 67.28%, while House Democrats averaged 15.85% and House Republicans 75.54%. That gap is the record of the votes.
The 2026 Taxpayer Protectors
The CUT board set the award tiers this year at 90% or better for a Taxpayer Champion, 80% or more for a Taxpayer Guardian, and 70% or more for a Taxpayer Warrior. Two senators earned Champion honors. Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson of El Paso County scored 92%, and Sen. Mark Baisley scored 90%, representing Chaffee, Custer, Douglas, Fremont, Jefferson, Lake, Park, and Teller Counties. Sen. John Carson of Douglas County earned Senate Warrior. In the House, eight members earned Taxpayer Guardian honors, led by Reps. Stephanie Luck and Ron Weinberg at 86% and Brandi Bradley at 85%, and eight more earned Taxpayer Warrior, among them Reps. Dusty Johnson, Chris Richardson, and Max Brooks. These are the legislators who stood with taxpayers when the votes were counted.
The Themes We Are Watching
The 2026 session showed patterns that every Coloradan should see. The Safety Clause appeared on 205 pieces of legislation. That clause blocks We the People from petitioning a law to a vote, and it is meant to be used sparingly, for genuine emergencies. Sixty-three bills carried Gifts, Grants, and Donations (GGD) wording, which CUT warns is dangerous because interested parties can fund their agendas using government force and taxpayers' money. Colorado's budget is now $46.8 billion, up from $43.9 billion in 2025. The board is pleased to report that 42 of the onerous bills on which CUT voted "NO" did not become law this session, a reminder that pressure from informed taxpayers still holds the line against the PBIs, the Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Interested Parties.
Read the Report
The full 2026 CUT Ratings Report is ready for you to read and download at https://coloradotaxpayer.org/cut-ratings/. See how your own senator and representative voted, find their phone numbers, and hold them to the record. CUT is an all-volunteer organization, and we have rated the Colorado Legislature every year since 1977. Membership dues are $25 a year, and every dollar goes to the work of watching the Capitol on your behalf.
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