The giant tax-cuts-and-spending package passed by Congressional Republicans will have major ramifications for every state in the country, but Colorado is one of the first place it's really being felt. Thanks to the state's unusual way of handling its finances, the federal tax cuts immediately threw Colorado's finances way out of whack.

That was the main reason lawmakers recently came back to the Capitol in August for a high temperature, high stakes special session. But grueling fights over AI regulations and a painful public confrontation between House leaders at times made the budget debates feel like a secondary concern.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland, The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods discuss the bills that did, and did not, make it past the finish line over the six-day special legislative session. They also dig into the growing chasm between the two caucuses in the House, and what it could mean for the regular session in the new year.

Read CCNA special session coverage:

• From CPR News: Colorado House condemns former GOP lawmaker for unprofessional behavior
• From The Colorado Sun: What the Colorado legislature did during its special session to tackle a $750M budget hole
• From KUNC News: Colorado Democrats move to protect SNAP benefits and Planned Parenthood care
• From The Colorado Sun: Colorado lawmakers abandon special session effort to tweak AI law, will push back start date to June 2026
• From CPR News: Are legislative special sessions even special any more?

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 and its editor is Megan Verlee, sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner.

House Republicans sharing locker room jokes about a Democratic colleague's outfit in a group chat. A former Democratic senator charged with a felony for allegedly forging letters of defense in an ethics probe. A representative accused of bullying and harassing women before taking office.

Workplace misconduct at the Colorado State Capitol isn’t new. But this year has contained more allegations and revelations than usual.

Nearly a decade since the #MeToo movement led lawmakers to adopt new policies and protections for those who serve in, and work with, the legislature, some are questioning whether those efforts are due for an update.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland, The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and The Denver Post’s Seth Klamann have all covered various aspects of workplace conditions at the State Capitol. They discuss the efforts the legislature has taken in recent years to improve circumstances and what lawmaker misconduct means for governance, especially now, on the cusp of a special session.

Read their reporting:

• In private group chat, GOP lawmakers made crude jokes about a Democratic colleague’s clothing
• A Colorado lawmaker charged gas to his campaign. Then he asked taxpayers to reimburse his mileage
• Two women accuse Republican state lawmaker of making unwanted sexual advances. He denies the allegations
• A Colorado lawmaker charged gas to his campaign. Then he asked taxpayers to reimburse his mileage
• Colorado House member faced investigation over ignored harassment complaint, aide mistreatment
• Colorado lawmaker faces ‘bullying’ claims from past Larimer County post, complaint from fellow legislator
• Democratic lawmaker apologizes for Trump tweet, while others debate role of rhetoric in inflaming violence
• Lawmakers and lobbyists accuse Steve Lebsock of sexual harassment; speaker calls for his resignation

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 and its editor is Megan Verlee, sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner.

There’s a secure room in the State Capitol filled with the lost treasures of generations of Coloradans: baseball cards, war medals, even a large yellow diamond ring. Unclaimed property that has come into the custody of the state over the decades.

All told, Colorado holds around $2 billion in unclaimed assets, some physical, but even more in the form of abandoned accounts, uncashed checks and overlooked tax refunds. Colorado’s Treasury Department is tasked with returning assets to their rightful owners. But the fund is also an attractive target for lawmakers looking to pay programs in the face of a cash-strapped state budget.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland and CPR's Stephanie Wolf look at how the fund is intended to work, what it takes to reclaim property and why lawmakers dipping into it can be a messy situation.

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.

This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner.