Politics
Hagedorn was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1992 and re-elected three times,including a 1996 re-election after struggling with alcoholism and time in a rehabilitation program following his mother's cancer diagnosis. [3] During his time in the state house,Hagedorn worked on issues including patient protection legislation,and prevention strategies in the criminal justice system,and was named by the Democratic Leadership Council as one of "100 to Watch" among young Democratic officeholders. [4] Term-limited,Hagedorn went on to serve in the Colorado State Senate,elected in 2000 and 2004 [5] to represent the solidly Democratic district. [1] Hagedorn emphasized health care issues in particular during his Senate tenure and his 2004 re-election campaign. [6] [7]
In the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly,Hagedorn served as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee [8] In past Senate sessions,Hagedorn has served on the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. [9] During the 2007 session,Hagedorn successfully sponsored legislation to establish a state prescription drug discount program—the first bill signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter [10] —and to declare John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" the second official state song. [11]
Hagedorn has been named "Legislator of the Year" by a wide range of groups,including the American Cancer Society in 2000,the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry awarded him in 1995 and 1999 and the Colorado Association of Public Employees in 2004. [9]
