Jennifer Veiga
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| Jennifer Veiga | |
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Member of the Colorado State Senate
from the 31st district |
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| In office July 28, 2003[1] – present |
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| Preceded by | Doug Linkhart |
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Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 3rd district |
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| In office January 1997 – July 21, 2003[2] |
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| Succeeded by | Anne McGihon |
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| Born | October 10, 1962 Long Beach, California[3] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic[3] |
| Website | jenniferveiga.com |
Jennifer L. Veiga (born October 10, 1962[4]) is a Colorado legislator. First elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1996, Veiga was appointed to the Colorado Senate in 2003 and subsequently elected to a full term in 2004. She represents the 31st Senate District, which covers downtown and north-central Denver.[5]
[edit] Biography
Graduating from Irvine High School in 1980, she went on to the University of Colorado at Boulder where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983. She then received a Juris Doctor from the National Law Center, George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1987.[4]
A practicing lawyer with the Denver law firm Hall & Evans, LLC specializing in civil ligitagation, Veiga was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1996 and re-elected three times, in 1998, 2000, and 2002. In 2003, she served as House Minority Leader, as well as a member of the Executive Committee and the Legislative Council.[4]
In July 2003, she was named by a Vacancy Committee to the 31st District seat in the Colorado Senate[4] following the resignation of Doug Linkhart.[6] She ran unopposed for election to the Senate seat in November 2004 and will face re-election in 2008.[5] She currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.[4]
A lesbian, she came out publicly in August 2002 and is the first ever openly gay person to serve in the Colorado legislature. [7] As a representative and then as a senator, Veiga introduced legislation every year to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, at first with little success.[8] In 2005 and then in 2006, Veiga's non-discrimination bill was passed by the legislature, but vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens;[9] in 2007, however, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter.[10] Today, she is one of two openly gay members of the legislature, serving alongside Rep. Mark Ferrandino (D-Denver).
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS2004A/csljournals.nsf/(jousen)/17491B26D4C7AC1387256E14005AF69F/$FILE/jour_001.pdf
- ^ http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS2004a/csljournals.nsf/3C2D62D305D3DAB18725698300768538/938CD80DED618BFF87256DDE0054D486/$FILE/Jn07.pdf
- ^ a b Project Vote Smart - Senator Jennifer L. 'Jen' Veiga - Biography
- ^ a b c d e http://www.jenveiga.com/test/?page_id=9
- ^ a b COMaps: State Senate District 31
- ^ GayWired.com - First lesbian in Colorado House Now First Lesbian in State Senate
- ^ Kyle Henley (2005-06-11). Gay, lesbian politicians are learning the basics. The Gazette (Colorado Springs). Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ http://jenveiga.com/test/?page_id=10
- ^ Western Equality | OutWest Newsletter May/June 2006
- ^ Press Release- May 25, 2007
[edit] External links
- Colorado State Senator Jennifer Veiga official government website
- Jennifer Veiga official campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Jennifer L. 'Jen' Veiga (CO) profile
- Follow the Money - Jennifer L Veiga
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| Current members of the Colorado State Senate |  |
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|---|---|---|---|
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1st: Greg Brophy (R) |
10th: Bill Cadman (R) |
19th: Sue Windels (D) |
28th: Suzanne Williams (D) |
| Democrat (20 seats) | Republican (15 seats) | |||
