Steve King (Colorado legislator)
Encyclopedia
In 2006 legislative elections, King defeated Democrat Richard Alward with 62 percent of the popular vote.
During his first legislative session, King introduced a bill, cosponsored by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff
and signed into law by Gov. Ritter, to allow rape or domestic violence victims to use false addresses in public records. He was also an outspoken proponent of expanding Colorado's "Make My Day" law to cover businesses, and against legislation which would have ended Colorado's use of the death penalty.
In November 2007, King led Republican legislators in a letter to President George W. Bush
prohibiting illegal immigrants from being detained at jails using taser
s.
King was a co-chair of a special legislative committee that recommended the censure of Rep. Douglas Bruce
for kicking a photographer; King had called for his suspension from the House, and voted to require Bruce to apologize for his actions.
During the 2008 session, King sponsored legislation to give universities (specifically, Mesa State College
in his district and Colorado State University
) greater control over their own investment funds, to raise bails for DUI charges in which suspects also committ "aggravating offenses," and to prevent child pornography
from being copied during legal proceedings. He also sponsored a ballot measure to allow senior citizens to take advantage of property tax
credits even after moving. In total, King sponsored 12 House and Senate bills, 7 of which were passed into law.
In September 2007, King was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to a 21-member task on handling and use of DNA evidence. The task force recommended legislation, co-sponsored by King in the state house, to require that DNA evidence in capital cases be preserved. The bill spurred opposition from a number of district attorney
s because of a provision that would require new trials in cases where evidence had been lost by law enforcement. After the bill passed and was signed into law, Grand Junction law enforcement officials expressed concerned about the storage capacity required to meet the law's evidence preservation requirements, and approached King for assistance.
Following the legislative session, King was named to an interim committee focusing on wildfire and development issues in mountain areas of Colorado. In October, King called for a legislative audit on enforcement of a state law prohibiting sanctuary city
policies.
In December 2008, King, frustrated with new regulation and with comments made regarding job losses in Colorado's energy industry, called for Gov. Ritter to fire Dave Neslin, the directory of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
King named education and energy issues as his priorities for the next legislative session. In contrast to his typical opposition to tax increases, King also supported a local school bond measure in Grand Junction that was on the 2008 ballot.
King plans on introducing legislation to require all Colorado schools to develop plans for emergency situations requiring lockdown
, a measure he expects to push in spite of a tight statewide budget.
2007 legislative session
During the 2007 legislative session, King served on the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.During his first legislative session, King introduced a bill, cosponsored by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff
Andrew Romanoff
Harlan Andrew Romanoff is an American politician. A Democrat, he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, serving as Speaker from 2005 to 2008...
and signed into law by Gov. Ritter, to allow rape or domestic violence victims to use false addresses in public records. He was also an outspoken proponent of expanding Colorado's "Make My Day" law to cover businesses, and against legislation which would have ended Colorado's use of the death penalty.
In November 2007, King led Republican legislators in a letter to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
prohibiting illegal immigrants from being detained at jails using taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
s.
2008 legislative session
In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Mitchell sits on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Local Government Committee.King was a co-chair of a special legislative committee that recommended the censure of Rep. Douglas Bruce
Douglas Bruce
Douglas Edward Bruce is a conservative activist and former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado, best known as the author of Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights ....
for kicking a photographer; King had called for his suspension from the House, and voted to require Bruce to apologize for his actions.
During the 2008 session, King sponsored legislation to give universities (specifically, Mesa State College
Mesa State College
Colorado Mesa University is a public comprehensive university in Grand Junction, Colorado. The university has its primary campus in central Grand Junction. The university also has other campuses as well; Bishop Campus, which houses Western Colorado Community College in northwestern Grand Junction...
in his district and Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
) greater control over their own investment funds, to raise bails for DUI charges in which suspects also committ "aggravating offenses," and to prevent child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
from being copied during legal proceedings. He also sponsored a ballot measure to allow senior citizens to take advantage of property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
credits even after moving. In total, King sponsored 12 House and Senate bills, 7 of which were passed into law.
In September 2007, King was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to a 21-member task on handling and use of DNA evidence. The task force recommended legislation, co-sponsored by King in the state house, to require that DNA evidence in capital cases be preserved. The bill spurred opposition from a number of district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
s because of a provision that would require new trials in cases where evidence had been lost by law enforcement. After the bill passed and was signed into law, Grand Junction law enforcement officials expressed concerned about the storage capacity required to meet the law's evidence preservation requirements, and approached King for assistance.
Following the legislative session, King was named to an interim committee focusing on wildfire and development issues in mountain areas of Colorado. In October, King called for a legislative audit on enforcement of a state law prohibiting sanctuary city
Sanctuary city
Sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be by law or they can be by habit...
policies.
In December 2008, King, frustrated with new regulation and with comments made regarding job losses in Colorado's energy industry, called for Gov. Ritter to fire Dave Neslin, the directory of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
2008 election
Rep. King is seeking re-election to the Colorado legislature in 2008; he faced no opposition for the Republican nomination and faces no Democratic opposition in the general election. Despite having no opposition, King spent over $10,000 from his campaign account in 2008, on items ranging from constituent outreach to picnics, including nearly $1000 on clothing which King stated was for campaign-related events.King named education and energy issues as his priorities for the next legislative session. In contrast to his typical opposition to tax increases, King also supported a local school bond measure in Grand Junction that was on the 2008 ballot.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, King was named to seats on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee.King plans on introducing legislation to require all Colorado schools to develop plans for emergency situations requiring lockdown
Lockdown
There are several definitions for the term lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
, a measure he expects to push in spite of a tight statewide budget.