Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez reshaped the Senate Appropriations Committee during a special session to boost chances for his bill that would narrow and rebalance the state’s first-in-the-nation artificial intelligence law set to take effect in February. According to The Colorado Sun, the unusual mid-session membership change expands Democrats’ edge on the panel from 4-3 to 5-2.
Committee shake-up and stalled bill
Rodriguez, a Denver Democrat and co-author of last year’s AI statute, replaced members on the Appropriations Committee to move Senate Bill 4 to the Senate floor after it stalled amid uncertain votes. State Sen. Jeff Bridges, a Democrat and chair of the Joint Budget Committee who is running for state treasurer, was removed and viewed as a potential “no” vote. Progressive Sens. Katie Wallace and Mike Weissman were added and said they will vote to advance the measure.
The committee is scheduled to consider the bill on Sunday, with changes expected. The move comes after a days-long standoff within the Democratic majority over AI policy, with tech groups and schools on one side and consumer protection groups and unions on the other. Senate Bill 4 would shift some regulatory burden from deployers—such as companies, schools, local governments, and law enforcement—onto AI developers.
Negotiations and timeline
Rodriguez told The Colorado Sun the pace of the special session and the workload in Appropriations necessitated the reshuffle, though advancing the AI bill was the clear motive. He said he is still negotiating with the governor’s office and the tech industry on amendments but indicated he is not willing to fully meet requests to ease regulations. “We’re trying” to reach a deal, he said. “I just don’t know what that deal is.”
Competing proposals in the special session
The special session, which began Thursday and was initially expected to end Saturday, will now run at least through Tuesday unless efforts to change the AI law are abandoned. Gov. Jared Polis asked lawmakers to revisit the AI statute as they convened primarily to address a $750 million budget shortfall linked to federal tax policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Another measure, House Bill 1008, introduced by a bipartisan group and backed by the Colorado Independent AI Coalition and Ibotta, Inc., was initially pitched as a tech-friendly alternative relying on existing civil rights and consumer protection laws and largely taking effect in 2027. On Friday, House sponsors gutted the bill to simply push the existing AI law’s effective date to October 2026, arguing more time is needed for a comprehensive rewrite during the 120-day regular session beginning in January. HB 1008 awaits preliminary House debate after a postponement to Sunday. Two Republican-led AI bills were rejected in their first committees. Lawmakers return at 10 a.m. Sunday to continue work.
