Broad coalition warns bill backed by corporate mega-stores would harm small businesses, consumers, and working families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver, CO — May 4, 2026 — Following the Colorado Senate’s razor-thin 18-17 passage of SB26-134 last week, the Colorado House of Representatives now has the chance to protect local businesses and Colorado’s economy by preventing credit card chaos.
A broad coalition of credit unions, small business owners, labor unions, and community organizations is urging House members to reject the legislation. The coalition warns that SB26-134 would create confusion and higher costs for small businesses while delivering a windfall to corporate mega-stores.
Below is a sampling of that opposition:
Letter to the Editor: Reject Colorado swipe fees bill submitted by Daniel Doherty, owner of Jordinelli’s Sports Bar and Grill:
“The Colorado Restaurant Association’s own example involves a restaurant paying $167,500 annually in interchange fees, which would require processing well over $10 million in annual card sales. That is not your friendly neighborhood sports bar. That is a large chain or a big-box retailer, and those are exactly the kinds of businesses whose lobbying teams have been pushing versions of this bill across the country, including in Colorado.”
Op ed in Westword from the Reverend Tony Henderson, President of the Denver NAACP, and Bianka Emerson, President of Colorado Black Women for Political Action:
“Supporters of the legislation argue that it will create more competition and lower costs. But too often, policies that sound good on paper fail to account for how they will affect the people already living on the margins. These bills risk doing exactly that.”
Letter from Richie Johnsen, General Vice President, IAM Union — Air Transport Territory:
“By harming very popular credit card rewards programs, [this bill] would knock airlines off their solid financial footing at the very moment as they are fighting for improved contracts. It would also hamper carriers’ ability to purchase new aircraft, creating a devastating ripple effect for our fellow union members in the aerospace industry.”
“It’s really important for lawmakers to look under the rug on this to see how it undermines workers, hurts small businesses, and upends security for all of us as consumers […] Target, Walmart, and Home Depot — all with well-documented histories of union-busting — were among the primary proponents of this legislation last session, and are pushing it again in Colorado and dozens of other states.”
Op ed in Colorado Politics from Brett Wyss, President and CEO, Integrity Bank & Trust:
“Proponents of these bills often portray swipe fee reform as grassroots campaigns driven by neighborhood restaurants and small businesses looking to cut costs. In reality, though, nearly identical bills have surfaced in no fewer than 31 states, backed repeatedly by some of the largest retailers in the country.”
Shawn Osthoff, President of Bank of Colorado published an op ed in Bizwest:
“When interchange fees are reduced, the costs of the system don’t disappear; they shift to consumers, community banks, local businesses, and the workers and nonprofits who rely on fast, secure payment processing […]. Undermining that structure might pad corporate profits, but it won’t help Colorado consumers — and it certainly won’t keep our communities safe.”
For additional information, please visit GuardYourCard.com/Colorado
