Dianne Primavera
Encyclopedia
Dianne I. Primavera is a legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado
.
A vocational counselor, government manager, and cancer survivor, Primavera was first elected as a Democrat
to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006 after an unsuccessful campaign in 2004. She represents House District 33, centered around Broomfield, Colorado
, and is currently in her second two-year term. In the legislature, Primavera has focused heavily on health care issues.
, Primavera earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Regis University
in 1972 and a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from the University of Northern Colorado
in 1975.
Primavera began her career as a case manager for the Weld County Community Center Board. She later was employed as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Colorado Department of Social Services, and rose to became a supervisor in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
In 1988, Primavera was diagnosed with breast cancer
and given less than 5 years to live by physicians. During her cancer treatment, she went through both a divorce and unemployment, leaving her without health insurance. Primavera was also diagnosed with cervical cancer
in 1992. Primavera has survived a total of four bouts with cancer and has participated in the American Cancer Society
's Relay for Life
. Primavera has two daughters, Kelsey and Darcie.
In 1990, Primavera joined the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury Center as Education & Training Coordinator. In 1994, she was hired as a customer service manager for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, a job she held until 2001. She joined the Colorado Department of Revenue in 2001, working as a director first in the Titles and Registration division, and then in Emissions and Constituent Relations from 2003 through 2004. Primavera was the conference director for the White House Conference on Aging, working with the Division of Aging and Adult Services in the Colorado Department of Human Services. At the time of her election to the state legislature, she was program director for Learning Services Corp. Primavera has also operated a small dog grooming business since her teenage years.
Primavera, a resident of Broomfield, Colorado
, has been a member of the Broomfield Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, the 17th Judicial District’s Crime Victim Compensation Board, Denver Public Schools Special Education Advisory Committee, and the boards of the Susan M. Duncan Family YMCA and Chester House. She was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to the Independent Living Council, and has been a member of State Workers Advocating for the Youth and the Medicaid Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities.
Primavera challenged the incumbent Berens in 2006 in what became one of the most hotly contested races statewide. During the race, Berens was criticized for accepting a $20,000 golf tournament prize from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Primavera received roughly $60,000 in campaign donations, outraising Berens by about two to one. Playing off her name, one of her fundraisers was titled "Pasta and Primavera
," and she would sometimes distribute her father's pasta primavera recipe along with campaign literature to help voters remember her name.
She prevailed in the general election with just over 51 percent support, winning by slightly less than 1000 votes. Because of the close margin, the winner of the race was not known until several days after the polls closed.
Among Primavera's first bills were measures intended to improve patient safety by addressing mistakes made in health care administration, to revise obsolete statutes pertaining to the Colorado Department of Revenue, to regulate movers and to increase funding for health clinics.
A cancer survivor, Primavera introduced legislation to establish a Colorado Breast and Women's Reproductive Cancers Fund and an donation checkoff on Colorado income tax forms for the fund, to be administered by the Colorado Cancer Coalition. She also supported an unsuccessful bill to require cervical cancer vaccinations,
but introduced another bill, that was signed into law, to create a public awareness program for cervical cancer vaccinations, and require that Medicaid
and private health insurance cover the costs of the vaccine. The bill also used tobacco settlement money to create a fund to provide the vaccine to underinsured women.
Primavera also sponsored a successful bill to require that minors be required to wear helmets while riding motorcycle
s, which passed despite strong opposition from House Republicans. During the session, Primavera was also one of only a few Democrats to oppose a controversial plan by Governor Bill Ritter
to freeze property tax rates in order to increase public school funding.
In her first legislative session, Primavera introduced 13 bills, 11 of which were signed into law. For her work on health care issues, Primavera was given the Colorado Lawmaker Award by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Women's Commission.
Following the legislative session, Primavera sat on the interim Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
In February 2008, Primavera was unanimously elected vice-chair of the Legislative Audit Committee.
Primavera sponsored legislation to alter the process for criminal offenders' designation as a "sexually violent predator
;" under her proposal, only judges, rather than parole board
s, would be able to apply the designation. She also sponsored legislation to create a tax checkoff for the Adult Stem Cell
s Cure Fund, designed to promote umbilical cord blood donations. Primavera was also the House sponsor of legislation to create the Colorado Autism Commission, legislation to require that health insurance the terms, costs, and benefits of their insurance plans on a public website, and legislation to earmark some tax revenues from gambling to gambling addiction prevention and counseling.
During the campaign, Primavera pledged to continue her work in the area of health care reform, while Kliebenstein criticized Primavera for her support of a property tax freeze, and contrasted his support for dedicated highway funding and oil exploration with Primavera's emphasis on mass transit and alternative energy sources. Primavera's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post the Boulder Daily Camera, the Windsor Beacon, the Broomfield Enterprise
, and the Boulder Weekly
. Primavera won re-election, defeating Kliebenstein by several thousand votes, or 56 percent of ballots cast, a greater margin than her first election win in 2006.
Following the election, Primavera attended the festivities in Washington, DC surrounding the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama
in January 2009.
For her work on health care legislation, Primavera was named a Community Health Champion by the Colorado Community Health Network in February 2009, and was honored with the Legislative Leadership Award by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, and honored by the Brain Injury Association of Colorado later in the year.
.
Prior to the 2010 General Assembly session, Primavera announced plans to introduce legislation to shorten the time in which banks could foreclose on abandoned homes from four months to two months.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
A vocational counselor, government manager, and cancer survivor, Primavera was first elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006 after an unsuccessful campaign in 2004. She represents House District 33, centered around Broomfield, Colorado
Broomfield, Colorado
The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
, and is currently in her second two-year term. In the legislature, Primavera has focused heavily on health care issues.
Biography
Born in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Primavera earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Regis University
Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in 1972 and a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
in 1975.
Primavera began her career as a case manager for the Weld County Community Center Board. She later was employed as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Colorado Department of Social Services, and rose to became a supervisor in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
In 1988, Primavera was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
and given less than 5 years to live by physicians. During her cancer treatment, she went through both a divorce and unemployment, leaving her without health insurance. Primavera was also diagnosed with cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
in 1992. Primavera has survived a total of four bouts with cancer and has participated in the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
's Relay for Life
Relay For Life
Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...
. Primavera has two daughters, Kelsey and Darcie.
In 1990, Primavera joined the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury Center as Education & Training Coordinator. In 1994, she was hired as a customer service manager for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, a job she held until 2001. She joined the Colorado Department of Revenue in 2001, working as a director first in the Titles and Registration division, and then in Emissions and Constituent Relations from 2003 through 2004. Primavera was the conference director for the White House Conference on Aging, working with the Division of Aging and Adult Services in the Colorado Department of Human Services. At the time of her election to the state legislature, she was program director for Learning Services Corp. Primavera has also operated a small dog grooming business since her teenage years.
Primavera, a resident of Broomfield, Colorado
Broomfield, Colorado
The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
, has been a member of the Broomfield Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, the 17th Judicial District’s Crime Victim Compensation Board, Denver Public Schools Special Education Advisory Committee, and the boards of the Susan M. Duncan Family YMCA and Chester House. She was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to the Independent Living Council, and has been a member of State Workers Advocating for the Youth and the Medicaid Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities.
2004, 2006 elections
After being elected secretary of the Broomfield County Democratic Party in 2003, Primavera campaigned for the state legislature against Republican Bill Berens in 2004, losing with 47 percent of the popular vote.Primavera challenged the incumbent Berens in 2006 in what became one of the most hotly contested races statewide. During the race, Berens was criticized for accepting a $20,000 golf tournament prize from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Primavera received roughly $60,000 in campaign donations, outraising Berens by about two to one. Playing off her name, one of her fundraisers was titled "Pasta and Primavera
Pasta primavera
Pasta primavera is an Italian-American dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables. A meat such as chicken, sausage or shrimp is sometimes added, but the focus of primavera is the vegetables themselves. The dish may contain almost any kind of vegetable, but cooks tend to stick to firm, crisp...
," and she would sometimes distribute her father's pasta primavera recipe along with campaign literature to help voters remember her name.
She prevailed in the general election with just over 51 percent support, winning by slightly less than 1000 votes. Because of the close margin, the winner of the race was not known until several days after the polls closed.
2007 legislative session
In the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Primavera sat on the House Health and Human Services Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee.Among Primavera's first bills were measures intended to improve patient safety by addressing mistakes made in health care administration, to revise obsolete statutes pertaining to the Colorado Department of Revenue, to regulate movers and to increase funding for health clinics.
A cancer survivor, Primavera introduced legislation to establish a Colorado Breast and Women's Reproductive Cancers Fund and an donation checkoff on Colorado income tax forms for the fund, to be administered by the Colorado Cancer Coalition. She also supported an unsuccessful bill to require cervical cancer vaccinations,
but introduced another bill, that was signed into law, to create a public awareness program for cervical cancer vaccinations, and require that Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
and private health insurance cover the costs of the vaccine. The bill also used tobacco settlement money to create a fund to provide the vaccine to underinsured women.
Primavera also sponsored a successful bill to require that minors be required to wear helmets while riding motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, which passed despite strong opposition from House Republicans. During the session, Primavera was also one of only a few Democrats to oppose a controversial plan by Governor Bill Ritter
Bill Ritter (politician)
August William "Bill" Ritter is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and was the 41st Governor of the state of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011. Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver...
to freeze property tax rates in order to increase public school funding.
In her first legislative session, Primavera introduced 13 bills, 11 of which were signed into law. For her work on health care issues, Primavera was given the Colorado Lawmaker Award by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Women's Commission.
Following the legislative session, Primavera sat on the interim Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
2008 legislative session
In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Primavera sat on the House Health and Human Services Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee.In February 2008, Primavera was unanimously elected vice-chair of the Legislative Audit Committee.
Primavera sponsored legislation to alter the process for criminal offenders' designation as a "sexually violent predator
Sexually violent predator
In the United States, sexually violent predator laws permit states or the federal government to confine someone already in custody, after the sentence has been completed, if the person has a "mental abnormality" or personality disorder and who is likely to engage in sexual offenses if released...
;" under her proposal, only judges, rather than parole board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
s, would be able to apply the designation. She also sponsored legislation to create a tax checkoff for the Adult Stem Cell
Adult stem cell
Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after embryonic development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues...
s Cure Fund, designed to promote umbilical cord blood donations. Primavera was also the House sponsor of legislation to create the Colorado Autism Commission, legislation to require that health insurance the terms, costs, and benefits of their insurance plans on a public website, and legislation to earmark some tax revenues from gambling to gambling addiction prevention and counseling.
2008 election
Primavera filed to run for a second term in 2007; Republican Nick Kliebenstein announced his bid to seek Primavera's seat in July of that year. In a district closely balanced between Republicans and Democrats, the race between Primavera and Kliebenstein was targeted by both major parties, although by the end of summer 2008, Primavera had outraised Kliebenstein by roughly three to one. Her fundraising advantage continued through October, by which time she had raised over $100,000 to Kliebenstein's $30,000.During the campaign, Primavera pledged to continue her work in the area of health care reform, while Kliebenstein criticized Primavera for her support of a property tax freeze, and contrasted his support for dedicated highway funding and oil exploration with Primavera's emphasis on mass transit and alternative energy sources. Primavera's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post the Boulder Daily Camera, the Windsor Beacon, the Broomfield Enterprise
Broomfield Enterprise
The Broomfield Enterprise is the city newspaper for Broomfield, Colorado, USA, and is published twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. It is published by Prairie Mountain Publishing, which is owned by MediaNews Group.-External links:*...
, and the Boulder Weekly
Boulder Weekly
Boulder Weekly is an alternative newsweekly that publishes every Thursday in Boulder, Colorado. The paper is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and is owned and published by Stewart Sallo.-Overview:...
. Primavera won re-election, defeating Kliebenstein by several thousand votes, or 56 percent of ballots cast, a greater margin than her first election win in 2006.
Following the election, Primavera attended the festivities in Washington, DC surrounding the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in January 2009.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, Primavera was named to seats on the House Health and Human Services Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee, and was tapped to chair the Legislative Audit Committee. Following her re-election, Primavera stated that her legislative agenda for the 2009 session would focus on transportation and health care, including legislation to prevent insurance companies them from denying coverage for cancer patients participating in clinical trials, legislation that was signed into law. Privavera also sponsored a bill to dedicate funds from purchases of Colorado's "Committed to a Cure" breast cancer awareness special license plate towards cancer treatment; the legislation led the original creators of the license plate to pull the original design from use, as they claimed the bill altered the mission of the plate; a new design will be created.For her work on health care legislation, Primavera was named a Community Health Champion by the Colorado Community Health Network in February 2009, and was honored with the Legislative Leadership Award by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, and honored by the Brain Injury Association of Colorado later in the year.
2010 legislative session
For the 2010 legislation session, Primavera relinquished the chair of the Legislative Audit Committee to Sen. David SchultheisDavid Schultheis
David Schultheis is a Republican member of the Colorado Senate, representing the 9th District since 2007. Previously he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000 to 2006.- Biography :...
.
Prior to the 2010 General Assembly session, Primavera announced plans to introduce legislation to shorten the time in which banks could foreclose on abandoned homes from four months to two months.