Gov. Jared Polis this morning delivers his annual check-up on Colorado to a joint meeting of the state Legislature in the House chamber. This is the governor’s last year in office because of term limits, so that means it’s his final State of the State address to lawmakers, cabinet members, statewide officials, other elected leaders and Colorado Supreme Court justices.
The speech comes as the state and country face pressing national and global issues, and Colorado prepares for mid-term elections later this year that will see new leaders take the helm.
The address will also be a chance for Polis to outline his priorities for the four-month-long session and reflect on his time in office. Colorado faces a $850 million budget shortfall and is dealing with strong pushback and proposed funding cuts from the Trump administration. Polis is also facing pressure to commute or pardon former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters
On the opening day of the legislature, lawmakers took the unusual step of changing the resolution that formally sets the date and time for the governor’s address to remove wording that referred to the governor as “his excellency”. It was replaced with “his honor.” Lawmakers said using the term his excellency was too hierarchical; “we don’t have kings in this country or state,” said one member.
The 2026 State of the State will be available to watch in this article; it's set to begin at 11 a.m.
This article will be updated.
