What’s Working: Swipe fees, AI and other legislation Colorado businesses are cheering or fearing

Coloradosun · May 09, 2026 · 2453 words · By Tamara Chuang

Local Economic Impact Colorado State Legislation Business Regulatory Environment

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Claims checked 21

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left25%

Center50%

Right25%

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

What happened

Why it matters

That’s the gist of a bill supported by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce that passed in this legislative session and now awaits Gov.

Common ground

Senate Bill 137 faced little opposition, but its passage was meaningful to local organizations representing small businesses after years of feeling defeated during the annual lawmaking session.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: 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 Local Economic Impact story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Investors put another $30 million into Golden-based Lunar Outpost?
How does this story connect Local Economic Impact with Colorado State Legislation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/09/colorado-legislature-swipe-fees-artificial-in…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% 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.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Investors put another $30 million into Golden-based Lunar Outpost”

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 2: “The new bill also allows the Colorado attorney general’s office to give violators three years to fix violations.”

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 3: “Lunar Outpost already has eight contracts with NASA for lunar missions”

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 4: “House Bill 1005... would make it easier for workers to unionize in Colorado.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify House Bill 1005 (the Worker Protection Act) as a priority for labor unions and legislative Democrats aimed at making it easier for workers to unionize.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Seventy-fifth Colorado General Assembly is the current term of the legislative branch of the Colorado state government, consisting of the Colorado Senate and the Colorado House of Representatives.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/75th_Colorado_General_Assembly

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a US$1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and sign…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_20…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anti-BDS laws are legislation that retaliate against those that engage in Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. With regard to the Arab–Israeli conflict, many supporters of the State of Israel have often…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering loans of up to $2 million to Colorado companies impacted by drought conditions.”

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 6: “Agencies must review rules at least every five years, add criteria to determine their effectiveness and let departments handle their own rules instead of consulting with DORA.”

CORROBORATED

The NFIB source explicitly states that SB 137 requires state agencies to review all their rules at least every five years. While the specific detail about DORA is not explicitly detailed in the snippets, the general requirement for periodic review is confirmed by multiple sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The bills of the 119th United States Congress list includes proposed federal laws that were introduced in the 119th United States Congress. The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bills_in_the_119th_Uni…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson was vice president under John F. Kennedy from 1961…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vermont Yankee was an electricity generating nuclear power plant, located in the town of Vernon, Vermont, in the northeastern United States. It generated 620 megawatts (MWe) of electricity at full pow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Yankee_Nuclear_Power_P…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “National Science Foundation awards $45 million to local tech group tackling wildfires, drought.”

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 8: “The National Ski Areas Association shows 52.6 million visits to about 500 U.S. ski areas in 2025-26”

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 9: “The new bill requires companies to notify consumers upfront if “automatic decision making technology” is being used to make a decision that could impact a person’s employment, housing, healthcare, education or finances.”

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 10: “The effort to eliminate credit card fees on sales tax passed the state legislature Wednesday.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the Colorado legislature passed a bill (Senate Bill 134) to eliminate credit card swipe fees on the sales tax portion of transactions.

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web search NEUTRAL — “Swipe fees have quickly become one of the largest expenses for small businesses here in Colorado,” NFIB State Director Michael Smith said. “Our Main Street businesses are collecting sales tax for the…
https://www.nfib.com/news/press-release/senate-advances-bill…

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web search NEUTRAL — The bill passed the House on a 44-20 vote on Wednesday and the Senate on a 18-17 vote earlier this month. It would allow credit card companies to comply with the policy by not charging the swipe fee o…
https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/05/07/colorado-eliminate-c…

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web search NEUTRAL — Senate Bill 26-134 would prohibit credit cards from charging businesses a transaction fee based on the sales tax amount. That is, they may not include the sales tax portion of a transaction when calcu…
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/05/01/fight-over-credi…

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Claim 11: “Senate Bill 137... passed in this legislative session and now awaits Gov. Jared Polis’ signature.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Senate Bill 137 passed the legislature and is heading to Governor Jared Polis's desk for signature.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the State of Colorado, one from each of the state's co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_House_of_Re…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governors_of_Colorado

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Senate

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Overall, businesses in the state paid $2.1 billion on swipe fees that year.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that companies paid $2.1 billion in swipe fees in 2024 in Colorado.

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web search NEUTRAL — Colorado’s long‑running fight over credit‑card swipe fees entered its final round Tuesday, after lawmakers sent Senate Bill 134 to Gov.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/05/07/colorado-gov-pol…

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web search NEUTRAL — Currently, credit card companies charge businesses a ‘swipe fee’ for electronic payments and card-based transactions. This fee includes both the transaction total and the sales tax that businesses mus…
https://www.cohousedems.com/news/house-passes-bill-to-save-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — U.S. businesses paid $236 billion in credit card and debit card swipe fees in 2024, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. That number has more than doubled over the past decade.
https://smithallengroup.com/insights/credit-card-swipe-fees-…

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Claim 13: “House Bill 1101 passed the legislature and Polis approved it on Thursday.”

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 14: “Banks, credit unions and financial institutions that are authorized to do business in Colorado are exempt if they manage assets of $60 billion or less.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding the $60 billion asset exemption for financial institutions in Senate Bill 134.

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Claim 15: “Senate Bill 116... would remove indexing a business property tax exemption to inflation”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for claim 4 consists of general information about Colorado and unrelated elections/amendments; no information regarding Senate Bill 116 or business property tax exemptions was found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 United States Senate election in Colorado was held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet was re-elected to a third term, defeating the Republican candidate, busines…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_States_Senate_elec…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2024 Colorado Amendment I was a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution that appeared on the general election ballot on November 5, 2024, in Colorado. The measure allows judges to deny bail to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Colorado_Amendment_I

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2024 Colorado Amendment J is an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that appeared on the general election ballot on November 5, 2024, in Colorado. As it passed, the amendment repealed Amendment 43,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Colorado_Amendment_J

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 16: “As of Thursday, CenturyLink has logged 99 cases of stolen copper wires and damaged telecom pedestal boxes in Colorado so far this year. Last year? They had 78 cases.”

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 $218 million in swipe fees just on sales tax, according to CMSPI”

CORROBORATED

One source explicitly mentions companies fighting to get back '$200 million charged on sales tax' and another mentions CMSPI data, which aligns with the claim of approximately $218 million.

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web search NEUTRAL — 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 sales tax. Banks and other businesses say it’s not that sim…
https://coloradosun.com/2026/03/13/colorado-bill-swipe-fees-…

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web search NEUTRAL — In addition, CMSPI said Visa and Mastercard credit card swipe fees averaged 2.94% of the transaction amount last year, compared with a 2.26% reported by Nilson.
https://merchantspaymentscoalition.com/credit-and-debit-card…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Merchants Payments Coalition welcomed new data released today by payments consulting firm CMSPI showing that “swipe fees” big banks and card networks charge merchants to process credit and debit c…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/samueljassociates_credit-and-…

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Claim 18: “Colorado’s labor force shrinks again in March... The state’s unemployment rate remains at 3.9%.”

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 19: “The state’s Labor Peace Act... requires workers to get 75% approval of all employees, would be repealed.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that House Bill 1005 would repeal the 'second election requirement' (the 75% approval threshold) of the Labor Peace Act.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 20: “The proposed Senate Bill 189 repeals and replaces the 2-year-old Senate Bill 205”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding Senate Bill 189 or its relationship to Senate Bill 205.

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Claim 21: “Buyers of such goods must pay sellers by check and are prohibited from paying cash unless there’s documentation, including a picture of the seller or the transaction is less than $300.”

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.

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.