One of the most expensive fights of the 2026 Colorado legislative session is barreling toward the House, and The Denver Gazette’s Marianne Goodland lays out the whole lobbyist stampede. The issue is Senate Bill 26-134, a proposal to stop credit card companies from charging swipe fees on the sales tax portion of a transaction. Simple enough, right? Naturally, the Capitol turned it into a full-contact money scrum.
The Denver Gazette reports that 175 lobbyists and lobbying firms have signed up on the bill, with about half for it and half against it. That is not a policy debate. That is a cage match with expense accounts. When nearly 200 lobbyists show up for one bill, the stakes are high, the grift is good, and somebody’s ox is about to get barbecue-sauced.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Senate Bill 26-134 would prohibit credit card companies from calculating their swipe fees on the sales tax portion of a purchase. In plain English: stop charging businesses a fee on money they are collecting for the government.
- Supporters include restaurants, breweries, small businesses, retailers, and the big box crowd like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot. Nothing says “Main Street relief” quite like Main Street standing next to three corporate aircraft hangars.
- Opponents include banks, credit card companies, unions, and chambers of commerce, who argue the big winners would be the big box retailers. Apparently, everyone suddenly found religion on protecting the little guy, right after hiring lobbyists by the busload.
- The Secretary of State’s website showed 175 lobbyists and firms working the bill, including a dozen who signed up just since Monday. That is not grassroots. That is Astroturf with a concierge.
- The bill barely survived the Senate, passing 18-17 after procedural drama, vote reconsideration, and Sen. Julie Gonzales saying the whole thing looked like a proxy war between financial institutions and businesses. Well, yes. That is usually what it means when the hallway smells like catered shrimp and desperation.
My Bottom Line
This bill may be framed as relief for small businesses, and there is a fair argument there. If a business is collecting sales tax for the government, why should a card company get to skim a percentage off that tax? That feels less like free enterprise and more like charging a toll on someone else’s driveway.
But let’s not kid ourselves. When 175 lobbyists descend on one bill, this is not some humble coffee shop owner pleading for mercy while holding a tip jar and a dream. This is big banks, big retailers, unions, chambers, nonprofits, and political operators all trying to steer the tractor before it rolls over their side of the field.
The funniest part is watching everyone dress up their financial self-interest as civic virtue. Banks say they are protecting consumers. Retailers say they are helping small business. Unions say they are worried about jobs. Nonprofits are worried donations might shrink. Everybody has a halo, and every halo comes with an invoice.
So here is the test: does the savings actually reach consumers, workers, or small businesses? If yes, good. If no, this is just another Capitol knife fight where the public gets the press release and the connected class gets the check. And if you really want to help your local coffee shop, Sen. Gonzales had the most practical advice in the whole article: pay cash.
Source: The Denver Gazette
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