Co state senator - cathy kipp

CO State Senator - Cathy Kipp

Party: Democrat | District: Senate District 14 (Fort Collins)

President Pro Tempore: In February 2026, Senate Democrats elected Kipp as President Pro Tempore, replacing Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet who resigned.
Transportation bill: Kipp introduced transportation-related legislation that was voted down in the Senate Transportation and Energy committee. She stated she intends to reintroduce it next session.
Tax code decoupling: Kipp is working on legislation to de-couple Colorado's tax code from four business tax breaks created or expanded by the federal H.R. 1 bill, including write-offs and deductions for interest expenses on debt for multinational corporations.
2026 legislative session: Fort Collins legislators including Kipp broke down top priorities for the 2026 General Assembly in February, and the legislature is now in its final days with hundreds of bills still unresolved as of early May.

Data center bill (SB 26-102) fails: Kipp's major data center regulation bill — which would have required data centers to source up to 100% of their electricity from renewables and imposed utility and community protections — failed in the final days of the 2026 legislative session (session ended May 13). In a last-ditch effort Kipp rewrote the bill to add tax incentives for data centers, but it still could not win enough votes. She requested the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee vote to postpone it indefinitely; the committee did so unanimously. Kipp stated the effort will return next session.

Post-session town hall: Co-hosted a legislative wrap-up event at the Fort Collins Old Town Library (3–4:30 p.m.) with Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, Sen. Janice Marchman, Rep. Yara Zokaie, and Rep. Lesley Smith, recapping the 2026 session, which adjourned May 13.

SB 107 (CORA reform) killed: Kipp's Colorado Open Records Act reform bill — co-sponsored with Sen. Janice Rich — was shot down in committee amid concerns it could prevent transparency and infringe on citizens' right to information. This is Kipp's second consecutive year attempting CORA reform; a similar bill in 2025 was vetoed by Gov. Polis.
HB 1222 (tax decoupling) also killed: Kipp co-sponsored legislation to decouple Colorado's income tax code from certain federal tax provisions in the reconciliation bill. She asked the Senate Finance Committee to kill it, stating: "It is clear that this bill will be vetoed unless we agree to reducing the state income tax, something that I believe is irresponsible."
Session reflection: With three of her major bills dead — SB 102 (data centers), SB 107 (CORA), and HB 1222 (tax code) — Kipp reflected: "This was a rough session. A lot of bills died."