State Legislative Sessions: Colorado Vetoes, West Virginia Session Wrap-Up, Kansas Session Opens

Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed 12 bills during the state's 2026 legislative session, according to two independent reports, surpassing his previous single-session record of 11 vetoes set in 2025. This occurred despite Democrats controlling both chambers of Colorado's General Assembly. Of 626 bills introduced during the session, 449 passed the legislature and Polis signed 436 into law, leaving 12 vetoed and roughly one additional bill unaccounted for in the reported totals. Separately, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey completed action on 306 bills passed during that state's 60-day regular legislative session, which ran from January 14 to March 14, 2026. Morrisey vetoed 12 bills and allowed several others to become law without his signature, finalizing his decisions just before the midnight deadline. One report indicates Morrisey also touted more than a dozen legislative victories from the session, including a 5 percent across-the-board income tax cut and full funding for the HOPE Scholarship program. In Kansas, the 2026 legislative session began in January with lawmakers from both parties outlining policy priorities ahead of Governor Laura Kelly's final State of the State address. Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins gaveled in the session, which may be their last as legislative leaders since both are reportedly seeking other offices. Details on specific policy agendas, bill counts, or outcomes from the Kansas session were not provided in available reporting. The Colorado veto figures and the specific bills targeted, including criticism from at least one state senator over an unspecified veto, remain limited to single-source detail beyond the corroborated totals.