Jennifer L. Veiga | |
---|---|
Member of the Colorado Senate from the 31st district | |
In office July 28, 2003 [1] –May 15, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Doug Linkhart |
Succeeded by | Pat Steadman |
Member of the ColoradoHouseofRepresentatives from the 3rd district | |
In office January 1997 –July 21,2003 [2] | |
Succeeded by | Anne McGihon |
Personal details | |
Born | Long Beach,California,U.S. [3] | October 10,1962
Political party | Democratic |
Domestic partner | Bronwyn Russell |
Residence | Australia |
Occupation | Attorney,politician |
Website | web |
Jennifer L. Veiga (born October 10,1962) [4] is a former American attorney and politician from Colorado. Veiga is a former Democratic member of Colorado House of Representatives and member of Colorado's 31st Senate district,covering downtown and north-central Denver.
She announced on April 7,2009 that she would be resigning her seat to move to Australia where her partner's mother was ill. [5] Her resignation became effective on May 15 and,on May 29,Pat Steadman was sworn-in as her successor. [6]
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 George Washington University Law School in Washington,D.C. in 1987. [4] [ dead link ]
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] [ dead link ]
In July 2003,she was named by a Vacancy Committee to the 31st District seat in the Colorado Senate [4] [ dead link ] following the resignation of Doug Linkhart. [7] She ran unopposed for election to the Senate seat in November 2004 and won re-election in 2008. She served as Chairman of the Senate Business,Labor and Technology Committee,Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. [4] [ dead link ]
A lesbian,she came out publicly in August 2002 and is the first ever openly gay person to serve in the Colorado legislature. [8] 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. [9] In 2005 and then in 2006,Veiga's non-discrimination bill was passed by the legislature,but vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens; [10] in 2007,however,the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter. [11] At the time of her retirement,she was one of three openly gay members of the legislature,serving alongside representatives Mark Ferrandino (D-Denver) and Sue Schafer (D-Wheat Ridge).
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