Mark Ferrandino
Encyclopedia
Mark Steven Ferrandino is a legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado and the Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Appointed to the legislature in 2007, Ferrandino represents House District 2, encompassing south central Denver
. He is the first openly
gay
male legislator in Colorado history.
. He was born with oxygen deprivation
and had to have surgery because he was cross eyed. Suffering from multiple learning difficulties, he took special education
classes until the fourth grade. He later joined mainstream classes, played the trumpet and captained his high school track team. He attended the University of Rochester
, earning a bachelor's degree in political science
and economics
in 1999 and a master's degree in public policy
analysis in 2000. While in school, Ferrandino was a collegiate pole vault
er.
He began his political career in 1997, spending a semester as intern for Congressman Chuck Schumer of New York. After working for several years in Washington, DC as a program analyst for the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
, and as a policy analyst for the White House
Office of Management and Budget, Ferrandino relocated to Colorado when his partner, Gregory, took a job with the U.S. Customs Service. He now lives in the Baker neighborhood of Denver and is a member of the Baker Historic Neighborhood Association. Ferrandino has played the trumpet
since the fourth grade and continues to play regularly.
Ferrandino worked as a senior budget analyst in the Colorado Department of Health Care and Financing from 2005 until his legislative appointment in 2007. He was also active in Democratic Party politics as treasurer of the Colorado Democratic Party
and co-captain for Colorado House District 2A. Ferrandino was named Colorado Young Democrat of the Year in 2007. An openly gay man, he is also a former co-chairman of the Colorado Stonewall Democrats
, and served on the board of directors for the National Stonewall Democrats.
. Ferrandino was elected to Cerbo's seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in September 2007 by the 2nd District Vacancy Committee on a vote of 23–3. Both Ferrandino and his opponent in the vacancy election, Doug Williams, were openly
gay
; Ferrandino became the first openly gay man to serve in the Colorado General Assembly
. He currently serves as one of four openly LGBT members of the legislature, alongside Sens. Pat Steadman
(D–Denver) and Lucía Guzmán
(D–Denver), as well as Rep. Sue Schafer
(D–Wheat Ridge).
Ferrandino was sworn into the legislature on October 1, 2007, and was elected to a full term in November 2008. Assuming he is re-elected at two-year intervals, term limits will prevent him seeking a fifth House term in 2014, despite the fact that he would not have served four full terms.
Ferrandino has declared his legislative priorities to include health care, consumer protection, and TABOR
reform.
For the 2008 legislative session, Ferrandino is exploring regulation requiring greater transparency and guaranteed lifetimes for gift cards, and plans to sponsor a bill to direct funds from fines collected from scammers to educate the public about consumer scams. Ferrandino has also sponsored a bill to allow some lesser criminal convictions to be sealed from public inspection.
He has also proposed, with Rep. Sara Gagliardi
, the "American Dream Protection Act of 2008," which would allow judges to delay home foreclosure
s by 90 days, in response to the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis
. The bill was amended in the legislature to only increase public outreach efforts and notification requirements before passing the state house.
He has also introduced the Colorado Payday Lending Reform Act, which would cap interest rates for payday lending at 36 percent and prohibit additional lending to borrowers already in debt, making Colorado's short-term lending regulation the strictest in the nation. The bill narrowly passed the state house on a vote of 33-30, and passed the state senate on 19-16 after being significantly amended. Ferrandino objected to senate amendments, claiming that they weakened the bill by loosening caps on lending fees. Several weeks later, Ferrandino and Senate cosponsor Peter Groff
announced that they intended to kill the bill, but Ferrandino plans on re-introducing the bill during the 2009 session.
commissioner James Johnson. Ferrandino easily won the Democratic nomination with over 81 percent of the vote, and faced Republican Thomas "Doc" Miller in the general election, winning handily. Ferrandino's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post, and he easily won a full term in the legislature with 80 percent of the popular vote.
Ferrandino was also a member of the Democratic Party's platform committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention
, one of only three Colorado delegates to that committee.
With Sen. Jennifer Veiga
, Ferrandino introduced legislation to allow same-sex partners of state employees to receive health insurance benefits.
originally introduced it in the Senate, where it passed with bipartisan support. The Colorado Civil Unions Act was an act to create legal recognition for same-sex and heterosexual couples in Colorado law. The act was killed in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee before it was able to reach a full House vote, where Ferrandino held it would have had the votes to pass.
See: Recognition of Same-Sex Unions in Colorado
: The Colorado Civil Unions Act of 2011
announced that he would relinquish his leadership position to campaign for Congress in the 3rd district
. Ferrandino ran to succeed him and was elected unopposed by the Democratic caucus on November 18, 2011.
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 and the Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Appointed to the legislature in 2007, Ferrandino represents House District 2, encompassing south central Denver
Denver, 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...
. He is the first openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
male legislator in Colorado history.
Biography
Ferrandino, the son of two Italian-American public school teachers, was born in Nyack, New YorkNyack, New York
Nyack is a village in the towns of Orangetown and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of South Nyack; east of Central Nyack; south of Upper Nyack and west of the Hudson River, approximately 19 miles north of the Manhattan boundary, it is an inner suburb of New...
. He was born with oxygen deprivation
Perinatal asphyxia
Perinatal asphyxia or neonatal asphyxia is the medical condition resulting from deprivation of oxygen to a newborn infant that lasts long enough during the birth process to cause physical harm, usually to the brain...
and had to have surgery because he was cross eyed. Suffering from multiple learning difficulties, he took special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
classes until the fourth grade. He later joined mainstream classes, played the trumpet and captained his high school track team. He attended the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, earning a bachelor's degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1999 and a master's degree in public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
analysis in 2000. While in school, Ferrandino was a collegiate pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er.
He began his political career in 1997, spending a semester as intern for Congressman Chuck Schumer of New York. After working for several years in Washington, DC as a program analyst for the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice is the Office of the Inspector General specific to the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for conducting nearly all of the investigations of DOJ employees and programs. The present Inspector General is Glenn A...
, and as a policy analyst for the White House
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
Office of Management and Budget, Ferrandino relocated to Colorado when his partner, Gregory, took a job with the U.S. Customs Service. He now lives in the Baker neighborhood of Denver and is a member of the Baker Historic Neighborhood Association. Ferrandino has played the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
since the fourth grade and continues to play regularly.
Ferrandino worked as a senior budget analyst in the Colorado Department of Health Care and Financing from 2005 until his legislative appointment in 2007. He was also active in Democratic Party politics as treasurer of the Colorado Democratic Party
Colorado Democratic Party
The Colorado Democratic Party is the state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. Its chair is Rick Palacio, and its executive director is Alec Garnett.The remaining officers are:...
and co-captain for Colorado House District 2A. Ferrandino was named Colorado Young Democrat of the Year in 2007. An openly gay man, he is also a former co-chairman of the Colorado Stonewall Democrats
Stonewall Democrats
The National Stonewall Democrats is an LGBT-rights group based in Washington, D.C. with a political affiliation to the Democratic Party. The word "Stonewall" in its name refers to the 1969 Stonewall riots, a pivotal event in the history of gay rights....
, and served on the board of directors for the National Stonewall Democrats.
2007 legislative appointment
In September 2007, Rep. Mike Cerbo resigned from the legislature in order to become director of the Colorado AFL-CIOAFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
. Ferrandino was elected to Cerbo's seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in September 2007 by the 2nd District Vacancy Committee on a vote of 23–3. Both Ferrandino and his opponent in the vacancy election, Doug Williams, were openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
; Ferrandino became the first openly gay man to serve in the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
. He currently serves as one of four openly LGBT members of the legislature, alongside Sens. Pat Steadman
Pat Steadman
Patrick "Pat" Steadman is a legislator, attorney and former lobbyist from the U.S. state of Colorado. Steadman, a Democrat, was appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2009 following the resignation of Jennifer Veiga...
(D–Denver) and Lucía Guzmán
Lucía Guzmán
Lucía Guzmán is a Colorado state legislator. Appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2010, Guzmán represents Senate District 34 in Denver. She was elected to a full four-year term in November 2010.-Political career:...
(D–Denver), as well as Rep. Sue Schafer
Sue Schafer
Sue Schafer is an educator and legislator from the U.S. state of Colorado. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2008, Schafer represents House District 24, which encompasses the cities of Wheat Ridge, Edgewater, and Arvada....
(D–Wheat Ridge).
Ferrandino was sworn into the legislature on October 1, 2007, and was elected to a full term in November 2008. Assuming he is re-elected at two-year intervals, term limits will prevent him seeking a fifth House term in 2014, despite the fact that he would not have served four full terms.
Ferrandino has declared his legislative priorities to include health care, consumer protection, and TABOR
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
reform.
2008 legislative session
For his first legislative session, in 2008, Ferrandino was named to the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Ferrandino has named health care and education as his top legislative priorities.For the 2008 legislative session, Ferrandino is exploring regulation requiring greater transparency and guaranteed lifetimes for gift cards, and plans to sponsor a bill to direct funds from fines collected from scammers to educate the public about consumer scams. Ferrandino has also sponsored a bill to allow some lesser criminal convictions to be sealed from public inspection.
He has also proposed, with Rep. Sara Gagliardi
Sara Gagliardi
Sara Elizabeth Gagliardi is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A career nurse, Gagliardi was first elected as a Democrat in 2006 to the Colorado House of Representatives. She represented House District 27, which encompasses most of Arvada, Colorado, until her defeat in the 2010 election...
, the "American Dream Protection Act of 2008," which would allow judges to delay home foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
s by 90 days, in response to the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis
Subprime mortgage crisis
The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was one of the first indicators of the late-2000s financial crisis, characterized by a rise in subprime mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, and the resulting decline of securities backed by said mortgages....
. The bill was amended in the legislature to only increase public outreach efforts and notification requirements before passing the state house.
He has also introduced the Colorado Payday Lending Reform Act, which would cap interest rates for payday lending at 36 percent and prohibit additional lending to borrowers already in debt, making Colorado's short-term lending regulation the strictest in the nation. The bill narrowly passed the state house on a vote of 33-30, and passed the state senate on 19-16 after being significantly amended. Ferrandino objected to senate amendments, claiming that they weakened the bill by loosening caps on lending fees. Several weeks later, Ferrandino and Senate cosponsor Peter Groff
Peter Groff
Peter C. Groff is a member of the Obama administration and a former Colorado legislator and President of the Colorado Senate. An attorney, public servant, and political veteran, Groff was elected as a Democrat to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2000, then re-elected in 2002...
announced that they intended to kill the bill, but Ferrandino plans on re-introducing the bill during the 2009 session.
2008 election
Ferrandino stood for election to a full term in 2008. In the Democratic Party primary, he faced former Eagle CountyEagle County, Colorado
Eagle County is the thirteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county is named for the Eagle River. The county population was 41,659 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the Town of Eagle...
commissioner James Johnson. Ferrandino easily won the Democratic nomination with over 81 percent of the vote, and faced Republican Thomas "Doc" Miller in the general election, winning handily. Ferrandino's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post, and he easily won a full term in the legislature with 80 percent of the popular vote.
Ferrandino was also a member of the Democratic Party's platform committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
, one of only three Colorado delegates to that committee.
2009 legislative session
After winning re-election, Ferrandino was named to a post on the legislature's six-member Joint Budget Committee for the 2009 legislative session, and was tapped as vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He remained on the Joint Budget Committee until his election as Democratic Leader in November 2011.With Sen. Jennifer Veiga
Jennifer Veiga
Jennifer L. Veiga is a former Colorado legislator. First elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1996, Veiga was appointed to the Colorado Senate in 2003 and subsequently elected to full terms in 2004 and 2008...
, Ferrandino introduced legislation to allow same-sex partners of state employees to receive health insurance benefits.
2011 legislative session: The Colorado Civil Unions Act
In 2011, Ferrandino co-sponsored the Colorado Civil Unions Act, introducing it in the House. State Senator Pat SteadmanPat Steadman
Patrick "Pat" Steadman is a legislator, attorney and former lobbyist from the U.S. state of Colorado. Steadman, a Democrat, was appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2009 following the resignation of Jennifer Veiga...
originally introduced it in the Senate, where it passed with bipartisan support. The Colorado Civil Unions Act was an act to create legal recognition for same-sex and heterosexual couples in Colorado law. The act was killed in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee before it was able to reach a full House vote, where Ferrandino held it would have had the votes to pass.
See: Recognition of Same-Sex Unions in Colorado
Recognition of same-sex unions in Colorado
Recognition of same-sex unions in Colorado occurs within the framework of designated beneficiary agreements, effectual since July 1, 2009. These agreements grant limited rights, such as funeral arrangements and death benefits for same-sex partners...
: The Colorado Civil Unions Act of 2011
Election as House Minority Leader
In November 2011, House Democratic Leader Sal PaceSal Pace
Sal Pace is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2008, Pace represents House District 46, which encompasses western Pueblo, Colorado. Pace is also the Colorado House Minority Leader....
announced that he would relinquish his leadership position to campaign for Congress in the 3rd district
Colorado's 3rd congressional district
Colorado's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district is located in western and south central Colorado, encompassing most of the rural Western Slope...
. Ferrandino ran to succeed him and was elected unopposed by the Democratic caucus on November 18, 2011.