Jennifer Veiga
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Jennifer L. Veiga (born October 10, 1962)[1] 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.[2] Her resignation became effective on May 15 and, on May 29, Pat Steadman was sworn-in as her successor.[3]
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 George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. in 1987.[1]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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.[1]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In July 2003, she was named by a Vacancy Committee to the 31st District seat in the Colorado Senate[1]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". following the resignation of Doug Linkhart.[4] 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.[1]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
A lesbian, she came out publicly in August 2002 and is the first ever openly gay person to serve in the Colorado legislature.[5] 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.[6] In 2005 and then in 2006, Veiga's non-discrimination bill was passed by the legislature, but vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens;[7] in 2007, however, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter.[8] 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).
References
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- ↑ a b c d e Biography jenveiga.com Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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- ↑ Western Equality | OutWest Newsletter May/June 2006 Template:Webarchive
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External links
- Jennifer Veiga's profile at Minter Ellison, a law practice in Australia Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Jennifer L. 'Jen' Veiga (CO)Script error: No such module "Unsubst". profile
- Follow the Money - Jennifer L Veiga
- Pages with script errors
- Democratic Party Colorado state senators
- Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives
- 1962 births
- Living people
- George Washington University Law School alumni
- University of Colorado Boulder alumni
- American lesbian politicians
- LGBTQ state legislators in Colorado
- Women state legislators in Colorado
- LGBTQ people from California
- 21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly
- 21st-century American women politicians