Kent Lambert

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Kent Lambert
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 10, 2007
Preceded by	David Schultheis
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gretchen
Profession	retired Air Force officer
Religion	Presbyterian

Kent Douglas Lambert is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. An United States Air Force veteran, Lambert was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2006. He represents House District 14, which encompasses northern Colorado Springs, Colorado.^[1]

Contents 1 Military career 2 Political career 2.1 2004, 2006 legislative campaigns 2.2 2007 legislative session 2.3 2008 legislative session 2.4 2008 election 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Military career

Lambert attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he served on the Cadet Wing Staff and was Chairman of the Cadet Professional Ethics Committee.^[2] He was commissioned from the Academy in 1974, earning a B.S. in military history.^[3]

Lambert served as a B-52 instructor pilot and director of battle staff for a B-52 wing. He rose from scientific analyst to division chief within the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency at The Pentagon and worked on policy studies for major military systems including bomber and ICBM forces. He was Deputy Defense Intelligence Officer for Europe in the Defense Intelligence Agency.^[2] Lambert then worked as an attache at several international postings, serving as Deputy Chief of Military Assistance Program, in Amman, Jordan and as Chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation, Stockholm, Sweden.^[4] He was assigned to Air Force Space Command in 2001 as Deputy Director of the Space Analysis Division, where his duties included support for investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.^[2]

While in the military, Lambert graduated from the Air War College, earned a masters' degree in international relations from the University of Southern California^[2] in 1981^[4], a masters' in strategic and tactical sciences from the Air Force Institute of Technology^[2] in 1983^[4], a graduate studies certification in command, control, and communications from Air Force Institute of Technology.^[2] His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with star, and the Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster.^[4] He is also a lieutenant colonel with the Colorado Civil Air Patrol.^[5]

Lambert and his wife, Gretchen, have three children — Christopher, Michael, and Melissa — and three grandchildren. He has served as an elder/deacon at Colorado Springs' First Presbyterian Church and was an Eagle Scout as a youth.^[2] Lambert is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, as are his two sons..^[6]

[edit] Political career

Bills Introduced in 2007 by Rep. Lambert (for which Rep. Lambert is the primary originating sponsor)
BILL	TITLE	OUTCOME
HB07-1086	Concerning the creation of a fund in the state treasury for the implementation of [ Amendment 41 ] to be funded with moneys that would otherwise be expended by state agencies for lobbying purposes.	Postponed indefinitely in House committee
HB07-1110	Concerning remedies for the owner of private real property for diminution in the value of the property caused by land use regulations imposed by public entities.	Postponed indefinitely in House committee
HB07-1116	Concerning a prohibition on governmental entities acting as a conduit of money for political purposes and [...] prohibiting the deduction from governmental employees' wages of moneys for political purposes.	Postponed indefinitely in House committee
HB07-1226	Concerning a creation of a felony for drunk driving [...]	Postponed indefinitely in House committee
HB07-1267	Concerning the prohibition of discrimination against employees based upon labor union participation.	Postponed indefinitely in House committee

[edit] 2004, 2006 legislative campaigns

After retiring from the Air Force at the rank of colonel in 2004,^[2] Lambert entered Colorado politics, challenging Mike Merrifield for the 18th house district seat in central Colorado Springs, losing with 42 percent of the vote.^[7] He served as legislative assistant to representatives Dave Schultheis and Keith King^[3] and helped found the Republican Study Committee of Colorado, serving as its executive director until 2005.^[2]

In 2006, Lambert ran to succeed David Schultheis, who was elected to the Colorado Senate that same year. Lambert faced Colin Mullaney in the Republican primary, in which he garnered the endorsements of the Minutemen PAC, the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, and a homeschoolers PAC.^[8] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Karen Teja with over 68 percent of the popular vote.^[1]

[edit] 2007 legislative session

During the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Lambert sat on the House Finance Committee and the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee.^[9].

In the his first year in the legislature, Lambert was noted for his socially conservative stances on legislation. He was the primary house sponsor of a senate bill that would have criminalized abortion in Colorado —the bill died in the Colorado State Senate — ^[10] and he spoke out against a measure that would have allowed adoption by homosexual couples.^[11][12] All five bills introduced by Lambert were defeated in House committees, including measures to make Colorado a "right-to-work" state and to prohibit labor unions from deducting fees from government employees' paychecks.^[13]

During the legislative session, Lambert filed a formal ethics complaint against the Colorado Education Association, arguing that emails sent by the CEA lobbying in favor of a property tax freeze to bring in additional revenue for public schools included deceptive statements.^[14] The complaint was called "frivolous" by the CEA and was dismissed by the Colorado Legislative Council's Executive Committee on a vote that was boycotted by Republican leaders.^[15][16][17]

For the session, the fiscally conservative Colorado Union of Taxpayers gave Lambert its "Taxpayer Champion" award.^[18] Lambert, along with Rep. Douglas Bruce, was also noted for rarely supporting nonbinding resolutions in the legislature.^[19]

[edit] 2008 legislative session

In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Lambert sits on the House Finance Committee, and the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. ^[20] He has introduced legislation to create a specialty license plate commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.^[21]

In April 2008, Lambert filed a campaign finance complaint against Gov. Bill Ritter, alleging that Ritter's 2006 campaign manager, Greg Kolomitz, improperly used inaugural committee funds to pay himself and pay off campaign debts.^[22][23]

[edit] 2008 election

Lambert is expected to run for a second term in the Colorado House of Representatives; Democrats have nominated Chyrese Exline to oppose him.^[24]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Colorado General Assembly profile
• Campaign website