| Satveer Chaudhary | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 50th district |
|
| In office January 7, 2003 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Debbie Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Barb Goodwin |
| Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 52nd district |
|
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 6, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Steven G. Novak |
| Succeeded by | Michele Bachmann |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 52A district |
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| In office January 7, 1997 – January 2, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Skip Carlson |
| Succeeded by | Barb Goodwin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 12, 1969 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Political party | DFL |
| Spouse(s) | Dee Chaudhary |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Fridley, Minnesota |
| Occupation | attorney, business consultant |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Website | http://www.chaudhary.org, http://www.chaudharylawoffice.com |
Satveer Singh Chaudhary (born June 12, 1969) is an American politician and a former member of the Minnesota State Senate who represented District 50, which includes portions of Anoka and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.[1] He was the first South Asian American to hold an elected office in Minnesota, and also one of the youngest senators in the history of that state.[2]
On August 10, 2010, Chaudhary was defeated by former Rep. Barbara Goodwin in the Minnesota primary election, receiving 30.09% of the total votes.[3] He left office on January 4, 2011, when his successor was sworn in.[4] With his departure, and the 2010 retirements of Senator Mee Moua and Representative Cy Thao, there are no individuals of Asian descent currently serving in the Minnesota Legislature.[5]
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Chaudhary was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1969 to Jat ethnicity[6] parents from Haryana,[7] India. He grew up in Fridley, Minnesota where in 1987 he graduated from Columbia Heights High School. He received his B.A. from St. Olaf College in Political Science, and then proceeded to Oxford University where he studied British and American foreign policy.[1] Chaudhary continued his studies in law at the University of Minnesota Law School where he received his J.D.
Chaudhary was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent Skip Carlson and netting 53% of the vote. When he was elected state representative, Chaudhary became the first Asian-American member of the Minnesota Legislature, and only the fourth Asian-Indian elected to a state legislature in U.S. history. While in the House, he made expansion of healthcare access and education a priority. He also worked on crime and public safety issues, particularly DWI penalties and youth driving regulations. He was a member of the Minnesota Conservation Federation.[8]
When he joined the Senate in 2000 at age 31, Chaudhary was the youngest senator,[2] and became the first Asian-Indian senator in American history. In 2001, Chaudhary was chosen to be a delegate by the American Council of Young Political Leaders to Argentina and Uruguay. He has been the vice-chair of the Game and Fish Committee, chief author of the LCMR 2005 (Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources) reform bill, and co-authored legislation on clean air and water.[9][10] In 2001, he had the honor of escorting the Dalai Lama during his visit to Minnesota. In 2006, he was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson to serve on the newly created Legislative and Citizen’s Commission on Minnesota Resources.[9] He was re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2006.
During his tenure at the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate, Chaudhary served on numerous committees and subcommittees, often in a leadership role. These include:[11]
• Chair, Environment and Natural Resources Committee • Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division • Capital Investment Committee • Agriculture & Veterans Affairs Committee • Legislative-Citizen Commission on MN Resources • Legislative Energy Commission • School Trust Fund Advisory Committee • Game and Fish Fund Oversight Committee • Chair, Education Technology Subcommittee • Chair, DWI Subcommittee • Vice-chair, Transportation and Public Safety Budget and Policy Division • Finance Committee • Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee • E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division • Early Childhood Finance Division • Higher Education Finance Division • Education Facilities Commission • Education Efficiency and Innovation Subcommittee • Vice-chair, Civil and Family Law Subcommittee • Correctional Facilities Commission • Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee • Land-use Planning Commission
Chaudhary was also credited with authoring or co-authoring several key pieces of legislation over his fourteen years in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate. Senator Chaudhary authored and led the passage of a new constitutional amendment permanently dedicating funding to clean water, wildlife, parks and cultural programs.[11] This became commonly known as the known as the Legacy Amendment or Outdoor Heritage Amendment, and was passed by Minnesota voters on November 4, 2008. Chaudhary claimed that this was the highlight of his legislative career.[12]
Other important legislation authored or co-authored by Chaudhary includes:[11]
• Enhanced wetlands, shoreline, and ATV protections • Plethora of hunting and fishing rights protections • Innovation and standards for public education • Tougher penalties for drunk drivers • Permanent property tax relief and reform • Better prescription drug coverage for seniors • Expansion of the Crime Alert Network • Enhanced penalties for bias crimes • Tougher penalties for financial and internet crimes and child pornography.
All in all, Chaudary authored or co-authored a list of legislation more than forty pages long.[11]
In his legal career, Chaudhary was named 2004 Alumni of the Year for the U of M Law School. Chaudhary has also been an invited speaker by the Harvard Law School, UCLA Law School, and the University of California Law School. Later in 2004, the worldwide Asian-Indian community recognized his dedicated work, naming Chaudhary to the top-50 non-resident Indians in the world (NRI World magazine). His commitment to public service also earned him an invitation to New York shortly after September 11 to extend a message for American unity.[13] Chaudhary also reported in his biographical data that he served as Special Assistant, Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, had received the Governor’s Certificate of Commendation-Legal Aid Society of Minnesota, was a member of the world-renowned Oxford Union Debating Society, and worked as a law clerk, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.[13]
Chaudhary's academic activities encompassed various writings, keynote speeches and oral presentations. A few examples listed are:[13]
• 2008, U of M School of Globalization and Textile Manufacturing • 2008, Living Green Exposition, St. Paul, Minnesota Sustainability and the Sportsman • 2007, The Yellow Peril - Harvard School of Law and Kennedy School of Government • 2007, Minnesota High Tech Association, Minnesota Trade Mission • 2004, Global Conference of Non-resident Indians, New Delhi Political Activism of NRI’s • 2003, University of California School of Law, Berkeley. Keynote speaker, National South Asian Law Students’ Association. • 2003, Harvard University School of Law, Panelist, National Conference on Asian Pacific American Law and Policy. “The New Leadership of the Asian-Pacific American Community.” • 2002, Journal on Asian-Pacific Americans. UCLA School of Law. “Remarks of State Senator Satveer Chaudhary -- How a Chaudhary Beat a Carlson.” • 2001, Minnesota Bench and Bar. “Lifetime Ban on Gun Possession by Convicted Felons.” • 2001, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Keynote speaker, South Asian Student Conference. “The Importance of Political Involvement.” • 2001, Indian-American Center for Political Awareness, Washington D.C. Guest lecturer. • 2001, UCLA School of Law. Keynote speaker, National Asian-Pacific American Conference. • 2001, New York University. Guest lecturer. “American Unity after September 11.” • 1999, University of Michigan. Keynote speaker, Indian Student Conference. “Mission Possible: Electing More Indians to Office.” • 1999, U.S.-India Chamber of Commerce, Washington D.C. Guest speaker. “Indians in the American Political System.” • 1997, National Indian 50th Anniversary of Independence Conference. “Political and Social Responsibility,” Atlanta, Georgia. • 1994, Journal of Global Trade. University of Minnesota Law School. “Rockefeller Amendment and International Property Rights.” • 1989, Oxford University, Manchester College. “The Gettysburg Address Abroad.”
In 2002, a complaint was filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board by a Republican challenger against the "Friends of Satveer Chaudhary Committee". The complaint alleged that the Committee failed to report some contributions and expenditures on the Senate Committee’s Report of Receipts and Expenditures for 2000. Specifically, the Complainant alleged that the Senate Committee failed to report expenditures for mailings in 2000. Charges against him were dismissed, however the board also referred the matter to the Ramsey County Attorney. The Ramsey County Attorney found no cause to further pursue the complaint.
On April 25, 2006 the Saint Paul Police Department investigated a death threat made against State Senator Chaudhary. The senator, who voted against a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, received a letter containing a picture of Chaudhary with a bullet hole on his forehead. The picture was attached to a newspaper ad run by a group promoting the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions. In a media statement Chaudhary denounced the letter as political hate speech. The group that ran the ad - Minnesota Citizens in Defense of Marriage - condemned the letter and said it doesn't condone threats of violence.[15]
Controversy again touched him in 2006. In November of that year Chaudhary was re-elected to the Senate. Upon his victory his opponent, Republican Rae Hart Anderson, sent Chaudhary a concession email that said
"The race of your life is more important than this one--and it is my sincere wish that you'll get to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.".[16]
Chaudhary chose to ignore the comment and believed it was representative of a minority of individuals and not the majority of voters who elected him.
During the 2010 Session of the Minnesota Legislature, Saint Louis County Commissioner, Dennis Fink, asked Senator Chaudhary to insert a provision into a fish and game bill that would place special fishing regulations Fish Lake in northern Minnesota. The Chaudhary family owns a cabin on the lake, along with 350 other individuals. The Senator then approached Representative Dill on the House floor, and requested that he insert the language into the bill.[17] After the close of session Republicans in the Senate raised a question as to the appropriateness of Chaudhary's change to the legislation.[17] In response Senator Chaudhary requested that the Senate Ethics Panel provide an independent review of the situation, even though no complaint had been filed against him. On June 2, 2010, after finding that Chaudhary had no conflict of interest in introducing the legislation,[18] the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct admonished Senator Chaudhary for the manner in which he introduced the legislation and for violating procedure.[19] In an editorial comment the Star Tribune noted that while the Senate subcommittee commended Senator Chaudhary for coming forward of his own volition, he was clearly rebuked by the bipartisian Committee.[20] Other newspaper commentators, including Joe Soucheray on June 30, 2010 in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, questioned whether the issue had been blown out of proportion.[21]
In May 2010, the Senate District 50 DFL Party leadership decided to hold a meeting in June 2010 to discuss revocation of Chaudhary's DFL endorsement due to Chaudhary's ethics problems and Chaudhary's endorsement of DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton over the DFL-endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher.[22] On June 1, 2010 former State Representative Barbara Goodwin filed for office as a DFL candidate against Chaudhary in the Minnesota primary election to be held on August 10, 2010.[23] On July 8, 2010 the Duluth News Tribune reported that Senator Chaudhary and his wife owed the IRS $252,000 in past-due personal income taxes: $100,000 for 2007 and $151,000 for 2008.[24][25] In response Chaudhary acknowledged that there was an existing payment plan with the IRS, and that the actual amount owed had just been determined in late 2009. Chaudhary stated the debt had been incurred due to a stock option issue with his wife's former employer. On August 1, 2010 it was announced that the family had paid the taxes in full.[26]
On June 28, 2010, the Senate District 50 DFL Central Committee voted by over two-thirds to revoke their endorsement of Chaudhary and instead endorsed Barbara Goodwin as the new candidate for Minnesota Senate.[27] Chaudhary appealed the Senate District Committee's decision to a special panel of the State DFL Party. On July 11, 2010, the special panel of the Minnesota DFL Party unanimously upheld the revocation of Chaudhary's endorsement.[28] Chaudhary still chose to proceed to the Minnesota primary election as a unendosed DFL candidate.[28] On August 10, 2010, Chaudhary was defeated in the primary election.[3] In November 2010 Barbara Goodwin soundly defeated New Brighton City Council member, Gina Bauman, to win the District 50 Senate seat.
With the departure of Senator Satveer Chaudhary, and the 2010 retirements of Senator Mee Moua and Representative Cy Thao, there will be no individuals of Asian descent represented in the Minnesota legislature.[5] Senator Chaudhary reported upon his retirement from the state senate, he will continue his involvement with outdoors issues and will be returning to his private law practice full-time.[12]
Satveer Chaudhary lives in Fridley, Minnesota with his wife Dee and their four children, dogs and cat. He is an avid sportsman, activist and environmentalist. He is an attorney a small business owner and continues to volunteer for Minneapolis Legal Aid, SEWA-AIFW and various community organizations. His website reports he is still or has been a member of several boards and organizations.[13] These are not limited to:
• Crime Victim and Witness Advisory Council, Past member • University of Minnesota Industrial Relations Advisory Council, Past member • Twin Cities International Citizen Award Committee • Columbia Heights Lions Club • Fridley Human Resources Commission, Past member • New Brighton Historical Society • Ducks Unlimited • Minnesota Deer Hunters Association • North American Hunting Club • St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce • New Brighton Sportsmen’s Club • Minnesota Pheasants Forever • New Brighton Eagles Club
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Skip Carlson |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 52A 1997 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Barbara Goodwin |
| Preceded by Steven G. Novak |
Minnesota Senate District 52 2001 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Michele Bachmann |
| Preceded by Debbie Johnson |
Minnesota Senate District 50 (Different district) 2003 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |