Colorado governor sets personal veto record in rejecting bills limiting credit card swipe fees, helping firefighters who get cancer

Coloradosun · 🇺🇸 public United States · Jun 03, 2026 · 1611 words · By Jesse Paul; Taylor Dolven

Gubernatorial Veto Power Public Safety and Worker Protections Small Business vs. Corporate Interests Civil Rights and Federal Accountability

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What to know about Gubernatorial Veto Power

Jared Polis vetoed three bills Wednesday, including one that would have prohibited credit card companies from imposing swipe fees on sales taxes starting in 2028.

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 2

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Jared Polis vetoed three bills Wednesday, including one that would have prohibited credit card companies from imposing swipe fees on sales taxes starting in 2028.

Why it matters

With the new round of vetoes — including measures helping firefighters who get cancer and letting people sue federal immigration agents for constitutional violations — the term-limited governor has now rejected 12 bills passed by the legislature this year,…

Common ground

The Electronic Payments Coalition, a credit card industry trade group, fought hard against the credit card swipe fees measure, the most-watched of the measures Polis rejected Wednesday.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Gubernatorial Veto Power story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Swipe fees typically cost merchants between 1% and 4% of a customer’s total bill?
How does this story connect Gubernatorial Veto Power with Public Safety and Worker Protections over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/03/jared-polis-vetoes-swipe-fees-firefighter-bil…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Swipe fees typically cost merchants between 1% and 4% of a customer’s total bill.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results discuss swipe fees. One specifically states they typically range from 2% to 4%, while others describe them as a percentage of the total price, generally aligning with the 1-4% range mentioned in the claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Swipe fees are a percentage of the total price, so when inflation spikes, so do swipe fees. When card usage increases, swipe fees take a bigger bite out of your wallet.
https://www.convenience.org/stay-current/conveniencecorner/w…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The swipe fee rate is set by the card network that collects the fee and then pays it out to the bank that issued the card. How high are swipe fees today? U.S. merchants pay the highest swipe fees in t…
https://nrf.com/blog/10-things-know-about-swipe-fees

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web search NEUTRAL — Swipe fees reached $187.2 billion in 2024, up from $172 billion in 2023, and have increased about 70 percent since the pandemic, according to industry data cited by the coalition. The fees typically r…
https://thehardwareconnection.com/swipe-fees-hit-record/

info

Claim 2: “the term-limited governor has now rejected 12 bills passed by the legislature this year, eclipsing the personal record he set in 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions Governor Polis setting a personal veto record in June 2026, but the specific number '12 bills' and the comparison to a 2025 record is not corroborated by a second independent source.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jared Polis won election to a second term, defeating Republican University of Colorado regent Heid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Colorado_gubernatorial_el…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Colorado gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Colorado. Incumbent Democratic governor Jared Polis is ineligible to seek re-election to a third con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colorado_gubernatorial_el…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jared Schutz Polis ( POH-liss; né Schutz; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist serving since 2019 as the 43rd governor of Colorado. From 2009 to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 3: “Weissman introduced a bill, Senate Bill 176, that would have allowed Coloradans to sue any federal official for rights violations, not just immigration agents.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “Senate Bill 184 passed the Senate by a 23-12 vote and cleared the House by a 42-23 vote.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “Firefighters suffering from an occupational disease, or their families, can claim medical and wage-loss benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act of Colorado.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 6: “The governor has until June 12 to sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “House Bill 1282 sought to remove tips and sales tax from the swipe fee calculation.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 8: “Of that amount, local businesses paid fees of $218 million just on sales tax.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific $218 million figure for fees on sales tax.

verified

Claim 9: “Airlines for America, formerly known as the Air Transport Association of America, was another big opponent of Senate Bill 134”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

A web search result identifies Airlines for America as an opponent of SB-134, and Wikipedia confirms that Airlines for America was formerly known as the Air Transport Association of America.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Air America was an American passenger and cargo airline established, originally under Civil Air Transport (CAT), in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_America_(airline)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Airlines for America (A4A), formerly known as Air Transport Association of America (ATA), is an American trade association and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C. that has represented major North…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airlines_for_America

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Air Transport Association (IATA eye-AH-tuh) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Air_Transport_As…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 10: “Blue Bonnet paid $62,000 in swipe fees last year.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific swipe fees paid by Blue Bonnet Restaurant.

info

Claim 11: “Senate Bill 134 passed the Senate by an 18-17 vote and the House by a 44-20 vote.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for claim 5 contains general information about the US Senate and House but does not provide the specific vote counts (18-17 and 44-20) for Colorado Senate Bill 134.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, and the U.S. House of Representatives is the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. As of March 2026, there are 53 Republican senators, 45 Democratic senators, and two independent senators who caucus with th…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_State…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn about the varied and important roles played by women in Senate history, from the first women to gain key staff positions to the female senators who have held positions of power and influence.
https://www.senate.gov/

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Claim 12: “In 2017, the state also created a cancer trust fund that fire departments and fire districts can join”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “the governor also vetoed Senate Bill 5 on Wednesday. It would have allowed Coloradans to file state lawsuits against federal immigration agents who violate their constitutional rights.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Polis on Wednesday also vetoed Senate Bill 184, which would have expanded the types of cancer considered an occupational disease for firefighters.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “hired former U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, an Arvada Democrat, to serve on its team of lobbyists trying to kill the policy.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that the Electronic Payments Coalition hired former U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter to lobby against the policy is found in a web search result, and Perlmutter's identity as a former Representative for Colorado is verified by Wikipedia.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography (FCACP) is a coalition of credit card issuers and Internet services companies that seeks to eliminate commercial child pornography by taking action on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Coalition_Against_Ch…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Operation Desert Storm, the combat phase of the Gulf War, began with an extensive aerial bombing campaign by the air forces of the coalition against targets in Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait from 17 J…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War_air_campaign

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State (IS), in both the Syrian civil war and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its 2014 invasion of Iraq, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_against_the_Islamic_State

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 16: “A similar law in Illinois prohibiting swipe fees on the tax and tip portion of a bill passed two years ago.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “In 2024, Colorado merchants paid $2.1 billion in swipe fees, according to CMSPI”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state that according to CMSPI, Colorado merchants paid $2.1 billion in swipe fees in 2024.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 13, 2026 ... Companies paid $2.1 billion in swipe fees in 2024 for the right to accept credit cards. They're fighting to get back $200 million charged on ...
https://coloradosun.com/2026/03/13/colorado-bill-swipe-fees-…

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web search NEUTRAL — ... payment system has been focused on those borne by merchants. According to a 2024 CMSPI report, merchants in the U.S. paid over $224 billion in total fees in ...
https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/tax…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 1, 2026 ... The Colorado Sun reported in March that, according to CMSPI, a ... fees paid by merchants in Colorado totaled $2.1 billion. Opponents ...
https://www.longmontleader.com/colorado-news/what-is-colorad…

info

Claim 18: “The organization spent $6 million in March and April on ads opposing Senate Bill 134”

SINGLE SOURCE

A web search result explicitly states that the Electronic Payments Coalition spent $6 million in March and April on ads opposing Senate Bill 134. However, no other independent source confirms this specific dollar amount.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A double dissolution election was held on 2 July 2016 to elect all 226 members of the 45th Parliament of Australia, after an extended eight-week official campaign period. It was the first double disso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Australian_federal_electi…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An interchange fee is a fee paid between banks for the acceptance of card-based transactions. Usually for sales/services transactions it is a fee that a merchant's bank (the "acquiring bank") pays a c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interchange_fee

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 19: “Gov. Jared Polis vetoed three bills Wednesday, including one that would have prohibited credit card companies from imposing swipe fees on sales taxes starting in 2028.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web search results mention Governor Polis vetoing bills and the existence of SB-134, the specific detail about vetoing 'three bills Wednesday' including the swipe fee bill is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence. Only one search result mentions the veto record in June 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Colorado wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in Colorado.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colorado_wildfires

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic reached Colorado on March 5, 2020, when the state's first two cases were confirmed. Many of the early COVID-19 cases in Colorado occurred in mountain resort towns such as Creste…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Colorado

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former U.S. Army officer, serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023. Moore was born in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Moore

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.