Colorado 2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 9 D · 1 R cosponsors

SB 87 — Create Legislative Leave Job Protection for General Assembly Members

Last action — Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Adhere

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 10, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a moderate chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 58% · high confidence

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 13 sponsors

    4 primary, 9 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (9 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Mixed recorded votes

    3 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

The bill authorizes legislative leave and job protection for qualified members of the general assembly (qualified members) who are engaged in employment outside of their duties related to the general assembly. More specifically, the bill states that , beginning January 1, 2027 :A qualified member can take a leave of absence from their outside employment during regular and special legislative sessions;A qualified member's outside employer has discretion to grant legislative leave as paid, unpaid, or partially paid;A qualified member's outside employer cannot terminate the qualified member's outside employment on the basis that the qualified member requests or takes legislative leave; andWhen a qualified member returns to their outside employment following legislative leave, the qualified member is entitled to be restored to the same or an equivalent employment position.     The bill excepts that qualified members actively serving a 4-year term at the time the bill takes effect are only eligible to take legislative leave beginning January 1, 2029.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

34 added · 26 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 87 includes two significant amendments aimed at clarifying provisions related to legislative leave for certain members of the General Assembly. These changes ensure that legislators can take time off from their outside jobs during the legislative session without risking their employment. This matters because it helps make sure that lawmakers can focus on their legislative duties, improving their effectiveness while in session and allowing for better representation of their constituents.

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Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REVISED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted on Second Reading in the Second House LLS NO.
Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REREVISED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the Second House LLS NO.
26-0137.01 Renee Leone x2695 SENATE BILL 26-087 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Wallace and Pelton B., Coleman, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Lindstedt, Marchman, Weissman HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Nguyen and Lindsay, Senate Committees House Committees State, Veterans, & Military Affairs State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs i 26 A BILL FOR AN ACT a 2 S e , C ONCERNINGAUTHORIZINGLEGISLATIVELEAVEFROMEMPLOYMENT U d 3 H 2 c DURINGALEGISLATIVESESSIONFORCERTAINMEMBERSOFTHE d a d M GENERAL ASSEMBLY .
26-0137.01 Renee Leone x2695 SENATE BILL 26-087 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Wallace and Pelton B., Coleman, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Lindstedt, Marchman, Weissman HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Nguyen and Lindsay, Stewart R.
e m A Bill Summary d (Note:
d d e a 2 S n 2 U g 2 H d r e A Senate Committees House Committees R State, Veterans, & Military Affairs State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs 3 n 6 A BILL FOR AN ACT d 0 S e 2, C ONCERNINGAUTHORIZINGLEGISLATIVELEAVEFROMEMPLOYMENT U R 3 H n c DURINGALEGISLATIVESESSIONFORCERTAINMEMBERSOFTHE d a d M GENERAL ASSEMBLY .
This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does d e 2 notreflectanyamendmentsthatmaybesubsequentlyadopted.Ifthisbill E a 2 passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that T U 6 N g 1 applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at S d r http://leg.colorado.gov.) e a d M The bill authorizes legislative leave and job protection for qualified members of the general assembly(qualified members) who are engaged in employment outside of their duties related to the general g assembly.
n m A Bill Summary e (Note:
This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does n 6 notreflectanyamendmentsthatmaybesubsequentlyadopted.Ifthisbill m 0 T n , passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that A U 1 applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at E i h S a r http://leg.colorado.gov.) R M r The bill authorizes legislative leave and job protection for qualified members of the general assembly(qualified members) who are engaged in employment outside of their duties related to the general n assembly.
d e 2 ! A qualified member can take a leave of absence fromtheir E R 2 A n 3 N 2 h Shading denotes HOUSE amendment.
d 6 e 0 ! A qualified member can take a leave of absence fromtheir T R , A n 3 E d h Shading denotes HOUSE amendment.
S e r Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.n a Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
S e r Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.n M Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
m M A outside employment during regular and special legislative sessions;
m A outside employment during regular and special legislative sessions;
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Action History

  1. Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Adhere

  2. House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  3. House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  4. House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor

  5. House Committee on State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole

  6. Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  7. Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs

  8. Senate Third Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor

  9. Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor

  10. Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 03/13/2026 - No Amendments

  11. Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 03/10/2026 - No Amendments

  12. Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 03/09/2026 - No Amendments

  13. Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole

  14. Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 88 not signed on · 40 voted No

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (88)

88 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 88 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

RECEDE

Failed 23 Yea · 41 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 221801
Republican 01900
Unaffiliated 1400
Total 234101
% of votes cast 35%63%0%2%
How each member voted (65)
Member Party Vote
Gonzalez R. — Nay
Stewart K. — Nay
Stewart R. — Yea
Winter T. — Nay
Garcia Sander — Nay
Alex Valdez Democrat Nay
Amy Paschal Democrat Nay
Andrew Boesenecker Democrat Yea
Bob Marshall Democrat Nay
Brianna Titone Democrat Yea
Cecelia Espenoza Democrat Nay
Chad Clifford Democrat Nay
Eliza Hamrick Democrat Nay
Elizabeth Velasco Democrat Yea
Emily Sirota Democrat Yea
Gretchen Rydin Democrat Yea
Jacque Phillips Democrat Nay
Jamie Jackson Democrat Nay
Javier Mabrey Democrat Yea
Jennifer Bacon Democrat Yea
Jenny Willford Democrat Yea
Julie McCluskie Democrat Yea
Junie Joseph Democrat Nay
Karen McCormick Democrat Nay
Kenny Nguyen Democrat Yea
Kyle Brown Democrat Yea
Lesley Smith Democrat Yea
Lindsay Gilchrist Democrat Yea
Lisa Feret Democrat Not Voting
Lorena Garcia Democrat Yea
Lori Goldstein Democrat Nay
Mandy Lindsay Democrat Yea
Manny Rutinel Democrat Yea
Matthew Martinez Democrat Yea
Meg Froelich Democrat Yea
Meghan Lukens Democrat Nay
Michael Carter Democrat Nay
Monica Duran Democrat Nay
Naquetta Ricks Democrat Nay
Regina English Democrat Nay
Sean Camacho Democrat Nay
Sheila Lieder Democrat Yea
Steven Woodrow Democrat Yea
Tammy Story Democrat Yea
Tisha Mauro Democrat Nay
Yara Zokaie Democrat Yea
Anthony Hartsook Republican Nay
Ava Flanell Republican Nay
Brandi Bradley Republican Nay
Carlos Barron Republican Nay
Chris Richardson Republican Nay
Dan Woog Republican Nay
Dusty Johnson Republican Nay
Jarvis Caldwell Republican Nay
Ken DeGraaf Republican Nay
Larry Don Suckla Republican Nay
Mary Bradfield Republican Nay
Matt Soper Republican Nay
Max Brooks Republican Nay
Rebecca Keltie Republican Nay
Rick Taggart Republican Nay
Ron Weinberg Republican Nay
Scott Bottoms Republican Nay
Scott Slaugh Republican Nay
Stephanie Luck Republican Nay

Official roll call →

BILL

Passed 33 Yea · 31 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 31901
Republican 01900
Unaffiliated 2300
Total 333101
% of votes cast 51%48%0%2%
How each member voted (65)
Member Party Vote
Gonzalez R. — Nay
Stewart K. — Yea
Stewart R. — Yea
Winter T. — Nay
Garcia Sander — Nay
Alex Valdez Democrat Nay
Amy Paschal Democrat Nay
Andrew Boesenecker Democrat Yea
Bob Marshall Democrat Nay
Brianna Titone Democrat Yea
Cecelia Espenoza Democrat Yea
Chad Clifford Democrat Yea
Eliza Hamrick Democrat Yea
Elizabeth Velasco Democrat Yea
Emily Sirota Democrat Yea
Gretchen Rydin Democrat Yea
Jacque Phillips Democrat Nay
Jamie Jackson Democrat Yea
Javier Mabrey Democrat Yea
Jennifer Bacon Democrat Yea
Jenny Willford Democrat Yea
Julie McCluskie Democrat Yea
Junie Joseph Democrat Yea
Karen McCormick Democrat Nay
Kenny Nguyen Democrat Yea
Kyle Brown Democrat Yea
Lesley Smith Democrat Yea
Lindsay Gilchrist Democrat Yea
Lisa Feret Democrat Yea
Lorena Garcia Democrat Yea
Lori Goldstein Democrat Yea
Mandy Lindsay Democrat Yea
Manny Rutinel Democrat Yea
Matthew Martinez Democrat Yea
Meg Froelich Democrat Yea
Meghan Lukens Democrat Nay
Michael Carter Democrat Nay
Monica Duran Democrat Nay
Naquetta Ricks Democrat Yea
Regina English Democrat Not Voting
Sean Camacho Democrat Yea
Sheila Lieder Democrat Yea
Steven Woodrow Democrat Yea
Tammy Story Democrat Yea
Tisha Mauro Democrat Nay
Yara Zokaie Democrat Yea
Anthony Hartsook Republican Nay
Ava Flanell Republican Nay
Brandi Bradley Republican Nay
Carlos Barron Republican Nay
Chris Richardson Republican Nay
Dan Woog Republican Nay
Dusty Johnson Republican Nay
Jarvis Caldwell Republican Nay
Ken DeGraaf Republican Nay
Larry Don Suckla Republican Nay
Mary Bradfield Republican Nay
Matt Soper Republican Nay
Max Brooks Republican Nay
Rebecca Keltie Republican Nay
Rick Taggart Republican Nay
Ron Weinberg Republican Nay
Scott Bottoms Republican Nay
Scott Slaugh Republican Nay
Stephanie Luck Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Refer Senate Bill 26-087 to the Committee of the Whole.

Passed 6 Yea · 5 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 0300
Democrat 6200
Total 6500
% of votes cast 55%45%0%0%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
Cecelia Espenoza Democrat Nay
Chad Clifford Democrat Yea
Jenny Willford Democrat Yea
Kenny Nguyen Democrat Yea
Lisa Feret Democrat Yea
Meg Froelich Democrat Yea
Michael Carter Democrat Nay
Naquetta Ricks Democrat Yea
Brandi Bradley Republican Nay
Scott Bottoms Republican Nay
Stephanie Luck Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

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Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 87 do?
The bill authorizes legislative leave and job protection for qualified members of the general assembly (qualified members) who are engaged in employment outside of their duties related to the general assembly. More specifically, the bill states that , beginning January 1, 2027 :A qualified member can take a leave of absence from their outside employment during regular and special legislative sessions;A qualified member's outside employer has discretion to grant legislative leave as paid, unpaid, or partially paid;A qualified member's outside employer cannot terminate the qualified member's outside employment on the basis that the qualified member requests or takes legislative leave; andWhen a qualified member returns to their outside employment following legislative leave, the qualified member is entitled to be restored to the same or an equivalent employment position.     The bill excepts that qualified members actively serving a 4-year term at the time the bill takes effect are only eligible to take legislative leave beginning January 1, 2029.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Who sponsors SB 87?
SB 87 is sponsored by R. Stewart, William Lindstedt (Democrat), Mike Weissman (Democrat), K. Nguyen, M. Lindsay, Katie Wallace (Democrat), James Coleman (Democrat), Julie Gonzales (Democrat), Nick Hinrichsen (Democrat), Iman Jodeh (Democrat), Cathy Kipp (Democrat), Janice Marchman (Democrat), and Byron Pelton (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 87?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 10, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 87?
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