What is a Legislative Session?

In the state of Colorado laws are made by legislators during legislative sessions. Legislative sessions are when state representatives and state senators gather at the Capitol to propose, amend, and pass state laws. There are two types of legislative sessions: regular sessions and special (sometimes called “extraordinary”) sessions.

Regular legislative sessions in Colorado happen each year between January and May. This is required by our State constitution, and is when most of our state laws are created (or, at least introduced) and our state budget is created for the next year.

Special legislative sessions are rare, and happen when specific policies or issues need to be addressed immediately outside of the regular session.

How Does a Special Session Start?

There are only two ways that a special legislative session can happen in Colorado. The Governor can call for a special session by writing and publishing a proclamation. This is the most common way for special sessions to happen. The state legislature (the house of representatives and the senate) can also call for a special session. For this to happen, the majority (two-thirds) of the house and majority of the senate must submit a written request for a session. Special sessions last a minimum of 3 days.

The 2025 Special Session: Why Was It Called?

On August 6th, 2025, Governor Polis called for a special session of the state legislature. He called the special session by writing an Executive Order. A special session was called this year because of gaps in the state budget that were caused by a federal budget bill called H.R. 1. This bill brought many tax policy changes, which created a $750 million gap in our state budget. The Governor called for a special session so that law makers could work together to fix this gap without cutting funds from healthcare, education, and other service programs.

You can learn more about H.R. 1 and how it impacts Coloradans with disabilities here.

The 2025 Special Session: What Happened?

State lawmakers and Governor Polis chose three ways to close the $750 million budget gap in Colorado:

1. Closing tax loopholes for large corporations: This means that the Governor and lawmakers want to make sure that big businesses are paying necessary taxes to the state. There were 4 bills passed in this session that change tax policies for businesses.
2. Limiting use of the general reserve fund: The general reserve fund is a portion of the state’s money that is specifically saved to protect the state against unexpected costs and negative economic events. Colorado’s budget office says that the changes made to protecting this fund during the special session will save the state approximately $325 million dollars.
3. Reducing state spending: Governor Polis hopes to change how much money the state is spending and where funds are going. Through this, the state could save approximately $350 million dollars.

In total, the governor passed 9 bills into law this special session. More information on these bills, and how they impact the state, can be found here. Governor Polis also declared funding cuts from a number of state agencies that provide important disability-focused programs, including the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), the Department of Human Services (CDHS), and the Department of Higher Education (CDHE). You can find more information about these cuts, and which specific programs they impact, in this Executive Order. These cuts are in effect until November 30, 2025.

The 2025 Special Session: What Happens Next?

State agencies and programs will now work with state leadership and staff to implement these funding cuts and tax changes. More information on these changes, and how they will specifically affect Coloradans, will be available in the coming weeks and months.

State legislators will spend the coming months preparing for the regular legislative session, which will begin in early January. These cuts and changes will impact what laws are introduced and passed in the spring, and how much funding will be available for new initiatives and policies.