From another big budget shortfall to unsettled business over artificial intelligence to other pressing policy issues, like housing, the environment and surveillance, the 2026 legislative session kicks off in less than a week and Colorado lawmakers already have a lot on their to-do lists.

Plus, while Democrats continue to hold a wide majority in both legislative chambers, tensions between the more progressive and more moderate factions of the party threaten to bubble over. On top of all of that, a big election year that will deliver new leaders for the state.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland, KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods and The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul dig into the politics, the policy and the pressures expected to shape a new session.

Catch up on our latest coverage:

• Purplish: Budget balanced (for now), AI decisions punted, relationships ruptured: What went down during special session
• Purplish: Crude Signal chats, social media attacks, mistreated aides: lawmaker conduct is back in the headlines
• CPR: Trump cites Colorado in new executive order banning states from creating ‘cumbersome’ AI laws
• The Colorado Sun: How Medicaid became such a drag on Colorado’s state budget
• KUNC: Democrats, local governments are gearing up for another round of battles over housing in Colorado
• The Colorado Sun: Colorado Ethics Commission advances complaints against Democrats who attended dark money-funded retreat
• The Colorado Sun: Colorado state Sen. Faith Winter was legally drunk when she caused car crash that killed her, authorities say
• Purplish: Drinking at the Colorado Capitol
• CPR: Democratic Sen. Faith Winter changed State Capitol culture in the #MeToo era

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasting. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. Purplish’s theme music is by Brad Turner. Additional reporting for this episode from Taylor Dolven of The Colorado Sun and CPR’s John Daley.

Colorado, like the rest of the country, is experiencing more, and worse, climate disasters, wrecking havoc on people’s homes — and their homeowner’s insurance rates.

In the wake of devastating hail storms and massive wildfires, Coloradans face rising premiums, less choice and availability, and in some cases, getting dropped by insurers altogether. The state is now one of the top ten most expensive in the country for homeowners insurance. And escalating the issue is climate change.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Rocky Mountain PBS’ Andrea Kramar look at what’s happening with the home insurance market in Colorado, and what state lawmakers are trying to do to make sure that, when the flames approach or the hail falls, Coloradans don’t lose everything.

Plus stay tuned for a full-length documentary on this reporting. “Undercovered” airs on Rocky Mountain PBS Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. MST, and will be available to stream on the free RMPBS+ app and Youtube.

Purplish is produced by listener-supported CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Theme music is by Brad Turner. CPR’s executive producer of podcasts is Megan Verlee.

In statehouses across the country, the political playing field is being redrawn, as states wade into the murky waters of midcycle redistricting.

President Donald Trump kicked off this effort, when he urged Republicans in Texas to draw new Congressional maps, years ahead of schedule. Then came Missouri and North Carolina, and earlier this month, California voters agreed to put aside their independently drawn map and give Democrats more seats.

Colorado — a blue state with its congressional seats split evenly between the parties — is a tempting target as Democrats look to further offset Republican gains.

But not so fast.

CPR's Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim dive into the guardrails Colorado voters put in place years ago to keep politics out of the state’s redistricting process — and why changes to the process could be slow and costly. They’re joined by NPR’s Larry Kaplow, who has been covering this issue on the national level.

Read and listen to our redistricting coverage:

• As state after state weighs partisan redistricting, the people who drew Colorado’s map hope it stays out of the fray
• Should Colorado join the gerrymandering war? Attorney General Phil Weiser thinks so
• The man who helped Colorado and California take politics out of redistricting calls the race toward partisan gerrymanders a living ‘nightmare’
• Colorado officially has new state legislative maps
• Purplish’s 2021 redistricting miniseries: The Great Redraw

Purplish is produced by listener-supported CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee , and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Theme music is by Brad Turner. Big shout out to Rachel Estabrook, who has led the audio projects team this past year and is leaving CPR at the end of the month. Thanks for your leadership!

Editor's note: This episode has been updated to remove an inaccuracy about the current partisan split in the U.S. House of Representatives.