Gov. Polis reflects on term, urges action on housing, cooperation in final address

DENVER | In his final State of the State address Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis offered a sweeping valedictory that mixed policy priorities, a defense of his record and sharp criticism of Washington, declaring that “the state of our state is strong” even as Colorado faces rising costs, housing shortages and federal headwinds.

Speaking to a joint session of the legislature, the two-term governor and former congressperson highlighted accomplishments from free universal preschool and full-day kindergarten to tax cuts, transportation funding and clean energy growth, while urging lawmakers to press ahead this year on housing affordability, transit, workforce reforms and public safety.

Polis, who is term-limited, reflected in his sweeping address on seven years in office marked by crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, mass shootings, divisiveness and economic upheaval.

He credited bipartisan cooperation for many achievements and said Colorado repeatedly delivered “bigger and bolder” results than critics expected.

“For all of us here, we’re going to bat for Colorado’s future,” Polis said. “To leave our great state even better than we found it.”

Polis highlighted major accomplishments from his tenure, including free universal preschool and full-day kindergarten, tax cuts and expanded tax credits, transportation funding and clean energy growth.

He said policies enacted under his administration helped “cut child poverty rates by nearly 41%,” saying, “Today, Colorado boasts the lowest childhood poverty rate in the nation,” Polis said.

Polis was citing a draft December 2025 report from Washington University and Appalachian State University researchers, as reported by the Denver Post.

Polis also pointed to eliminating the long-criticized Budget Stabilization Factor to fully fund K-12 schools, cutting income taxes three times and property taxes five times, and generating more than $470 million a year for roads, bridges and transit.

At several points, Polis returned to the theme of bipartisan cooperation.

“When we work together, we do big things,” he said, citing the passage of free preschool and statewide transportation funding during the pandemic.

Housing dominated the forward-looking portion of the speech. Polis said Coloradans across the state agree that “the high cost of housing makes it harder to live in the Colorado we love,” blaming outdated laws and excessive paperwork that “slow or stop new housing, new transit, and new clean energy from even being built.”

He highlighted recent laws allowing accessory dwelling units, reducing parking requirements, enabling new home designs and addressing construction defects liability to spur condo development. Polis said Proposition 123 has helped build more than 10,000 homes statewide, including in rural communities.

Polis and state lawmakers pushing statewide housing regulation mandates have gotten pushback and even lawsuits from cities like Aurora, which say land-use and other measures intended to spur building encroach on local rule authorities.

Still, he said, “there’s more to be done,” urging lawmakers to pass new measures to speed housing near transit, allow development on underutilized public land and fund the senior homestead property tax exemption.

The almost 90-minuted speech was sprinkled, sometimes littered, with quintessential Polis dad jokes, asides and pop culture references.

A self-proclaimed Swifty, Polis hinted at being available to officiate at the expected wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
“Now, letting our Broncos leave Denver would have been like getting an invite to Taylor Swift’s wedding and saying ‘no,'” Polis said. “Which is to say, not an option. And by the way, Taylor, I’m an excellent officiant, just ask Allie Kimmel.”

On transportation, Polis touted progress on roads, electric vehicles and transit. He said the state has repaved 2,500 miles of roads in five years and increased the number of electric vehicles from about 18,000 when he took office to more than 204,000 today.

“We got all of this done because of policy,” he said.

He announced plans toward increasing passenger rail, including planned daily service from Denver to Granby beginning next year and a Front Range rail partnership from Denver to Fort Collins. He also praised the growth of Bustang and other state-supported bus services, saying ridership has increased fivefold.

Education and workforce development were also a focus in the speech.

Polis called education “about opportunity and hope,” noting that Colorado now ranks third nationally in preschool enrollment after previously ranking 27th. He said per-pupil funding has risen from just above $8,000 in 2019 to nearly $12,000 today, while average annual teacher pay has increased by more than $13,000.

On workforce training, Polis said the current system is overly fragmented, calling it “a maze” of programs. He urged lawmakers to create a unified department to serve as a one-stop shop for skills training, apprenticeships and education, something lawmakers have agreed to address.

Health care, Polis said, remains the state’s most stubborn challenge. He lauded state initiatives with nearly $3 billion in savings for Coloradans but said “the incentives are simply FUBAR,” arguing that corporate interests continue to drive high costs. “Americans are getting screwed on health care,” he said.

While praising doctors, nurses and safety-net hospitals, Polis said rising Medicaid costs threaten the state budget and called for federal action toward a universal system that delivers “health care for everyone at lower costs.”

Polis has almost annually pushed for a truly “public option” for healthcare insurance, but such a system has not materialized.

On public safety, Polis cited a new state report showing violent crime down more than 13% in the past year and property crime down nearly 18%. He highlighted sharp reductions in auto theft and catalytic converter theft and praised voter approval of Proposition 130 to boost funding for local law enforcement.

National statistics reflect similar reductions in those crimes across much of the country.

Polis also emphasized wildfire preparedness, nonprofit and school security grants, and gun violence prevention measures, including the state’s so-called red flag law.

“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Polis said.

Polis repeatedly and sharply criticized the Trump administration, especially Trump tariffs, and congressional Republicans, accusing them of making life “more expensive and more difficult across our state.” He said federal actions have threatened or cut more than $1 billion in funding for Colorado, denied disaster relief and raised costs through tariffs.

Polis also singled out the Trump administration’s mass-deportation program.

“Tearing families apart with a costly and cruel immigration agenda is not the Colorado Way,” Polis said. “Today, nearly 75% of people held in immigration detention centers have no criminal history. In America in 2026, a culture of fear and chaos means families debate going to work or sending their kids to school out of fear they won’t come home. The words on the Statue of Liberty beckoning those who come to ‘breathe free’ ring hollow against the cruel realities we are facing today.”

Polis said he was worked to push back against thuggery and bigotry against a variety of issues since becoming governor.
“This is not who we are,” Polis said. “Since day one, I’ve worked to build a Colorado for All.”

Referencing the Saturday Night Live star who just last month stepped down, “In the words of Aurora Smoky Hill High School graduate Bowen Yang, “the only way forward is to be joyous and to celebrate each other.”