The governor may have vetoed this bill, but he did not veto the growing public understanding that surveillance should not be used to squeeze consumers and workers
Yesterday, Governor Polis vetoed Democrats’ marquee affordability legislation, which would have shielded Coloradans from surveillance-based price and wage setting. Colorado House Bill 1210 would have protected small businesses from unfair competition, consumers and workers from wealth extraction by dominant corporations, and all Coloradans from increasingly invasive corporate surveillance.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Bacon, Rep. Javier Mabrey, Sen. Mike Weissman, and Sen. Iman Jodeh, passed both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly after months of stakeholder engagement and amendments. The final bill would have protected loyalty, discount, and rewards programs, as well as performance-based wage setting, geographic incentives, and seniority in compensation decisions. All while reducing the influence of personal, irrelevant, or inaccurate data in price or wage setting algorithms.
“We worked closely with the business community to craft a bill that protects Coloradans without undermining our strong business climate,” said Senator Iman Jodeh. “Vetoing a bill built on that kind of thoughtful compromise is a missed opportunity.”
While legislators and advocates expressed disappointment with the governor’s decision, they emphasized that the legislation’s passage through both chambers helped elevate public awareness of surveillance price and wage-setting and laid the groundwork for future action in Colorado and nationally.
“One year ago, the idea that corporations were using our search histories, locations, and personal data to determine the highest price we would pay or the lowest wage we would accept was barely part of the public conversation,” said Rep. Jennifer Bacon. “Today, it has been debated on the House and Senate floors, covered across the country, and passed by the Colorado legislature. That progress matters. The governor may have vetoed this bill, but Colorado will continue to lead on this issue.”
“Nearly eighty percent of Coloradans support banning the use of their personal data — their browsing history, financial circumstances, or location — to set the prices they pay,” said Representative Javier Mabrey. “This veto ignores the clear will of the vast majority of Coloradans.”
“Dominant corporations with massive data and infrastructure advantages are already pushing smaller competitors out of the market,” said Senator Mike Weissman. “Surveillance price and wage setting technology supercharges those advantages. Fewer competitors means fewer choices — and fewer choices means higher prices for every Coloradan.”
“Basing prices or wages on sensitive personal information — browsing history, financial circumstances, political affiliations — hits hardest the people already struggling most,” said Nina DiSalvo, Policy Director with Towards Justice. “No mother’s salary should be set based on how desperate she is to find health insurance for her disabled child. It should be set based on the value of her work. That’s what this bill was about, and what we will keep fighting for.”
“Governor Polis had an opportunity to stand with working Coloradans, but instead chose to side with the dominant corporations using invasive surveillance data to pick their pockets,” said Pat Garofalo, Director of State and Local Policy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “The legislators who sponsored this bill worked hard to craft strong, fair protections for Colorado families, and we look forward to continuing to support them in the future.”
Media Contact
Nina DiSalvo, Towards Justice
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