Ellen Roberts
From Ballotpedia
| Ellen Roberts | ||
 | ||
| Colorado State Senate, District 6 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2011 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 12, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 1 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $30,000 per year | |
| Per diem | $45/$99 per day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | 8 years | |
| Education | ||
| J.D. | University of Colorado - Boulder, 1986 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | 08/27/1959 | |
| Place of birth | Hudson, NY | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Personal website | ||
Contents |
Roberts is an attorney with the Ellen Roberts Professional Corporation and Roberts and Steelman, and previously worked as a park ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park.
She is a member of the Citizens Health Advisory Council, Club 20, First National Bank Board, First Presbyterian Church, and Chair of the Board of Directors of Mercy Regional Medical Center.[1]
Issues
Roberts did not provide answers to the Colorado State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test. The test provides voters with how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.[2]
Sponsored legislation
Roberts's sponsored legislation includes:
- HB 09-1122 - Age Limit Youthful Offender System
- HB 09-1199 - Healthy Forests Vibrant Communities Act
- HB 09-1232 - Med Orders For Scope Of Treatment
- SB 11-035 - Prohibiting transfers of funds from severance taxes to general fund [3]
For details and a full listing of sponsored bills, see the House site.
Jerry's kids bill
Jeanne Nicholson sponsored a bill in the 2011 session to give right of way throughout Colorado to police officers and firefighters who approach passing motorists for Jerry's Kids on Labor Day weekend.
Senate bill 270, approved by the Senate Local Government Committee, clarifies when and where public-safety personnel, such as firefighters, can solicit funds from motorists. Local governments would be required to approve permit applications submitted by firefighters to do their fundraising on roadways.
Nicholson contends her bill is really about public safety.
“As long as we can say when and where—this bill protects firefighters and others by law,” said Nicholson. “Because they are professionals, they are aware of the public-safety of the situation.”
The measure overrules local laws and authority in this matter.
Sen. Ellen Roberts said passage of the proposed measure would “open a Pandora’s Box.” Sen. Irene Aguilar, who is also concerned, said she would support SB270 for the time being but would seek additional input.
“I am voting yes because I came in here today saying I would but will need to talk more with (legislative staff),” said Aguilar.
Sen. Bill Cadman opposed the bill and said the measure raised a question of local control—and a constitutional one.
“(SB-270) is a total usurpation of local control. It tries to carve out an exemption from local laws, for a specific group, raising serious constitutional issues,” said Cadman. “It’s a good public service but bad public policy…the ends don’t justify the means.”[4]
Political positions
Debt negotiations
Welch is one of the members of a bipartisan group organized by the National Conference of Legislatures called the Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction (TFFDR). Consisting of 23 state lawmakers from 17 states,[5] the group went to Capitol Hill on September 21, 2011 to urge the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to cut the nation's debt but not impose severe budget cuts on the states.
TFFDR urged the Committee to consider new revenue as a possibility, instead of just focusing on budget cuts as House Speaker John Boehner has proposed. The group specifically proposed passage of the "Main Street Fairness Act," which would allow states to tax online retailers.[6]
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Roberts has been appointed to these committees:
- Health and Human Services Committee, Colorado State Senate
- Judiciary Committee, Colorado State Senate
- Legal Services Committee, Colorado General Assembly
- Local Government Committee, Colorado State Senate
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Roberts served on these committees:
Elections
2010
Roberts defeated Dean Boehler (D) in the August 10 primary. She then defeated incumbent Bruce Whitehead (D) in the November 2 general election.
| Colorado State Senate, District 6 General election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Ellen Roberts (R)
| 34,574 | |||
| Bruce Whitehead (D) | 22,559 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Roberts won re-election to the 59th District seat in the Colorado House of Representatives, running unopposed in the general election.[7]
Roberts raised $33,441 for her campaign.[8]
Campaign donors
2010
In 2010, Roberts raised $144,919 in contributions. [9]
Her four largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Citizens To Reelect Ellen Roberts | $13,147 |
| Copic Insurance | $4,400 |
| Colorado Association Of Realtors Small Donor Committee | $4,250 |
| Homes For All Coloradoans Cmte | $4,000 |
2008
Below are Roberts's top 5 campaign contributors in the 2008 election:[10]
| Contributor | 2008 total |
|---|---|
| CO Assoc of Realtors | $1,500 |
| Fred Kroeger | $600 |
| Michael Hoffmann | $500 |
| Colorado Concern | $400 |
| Douglas Simonson | $400 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Ellen + Roberts + Colorado + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
- Ellen Roberts' personal website
- Senate website
- Project Vote Smart legislative profile
- Project Vote Smart bio
- Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006
References
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Roberts
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Roberts Issue Positions
- ↑ Colorado News Agency, "Colorado lawmaker says stop raiding severance tax proceeds," February 10, 2011
- ↑ "A bill for Jerry’s kids—and fundraising firefighters," Colorado News Agency, May 3rd, 2011
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction," accessed September 26, 2011
- ↑ Stateline, "State legislators want revenue on table in debt talks," September 22, 2011
- ↑ 2008 general election results, Colorado
- ↑ Colorado House spending, 2008
- ↑ 2010 contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign contributions
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bruce Whitehead | Colorado State Senate District 6 2011–present | Succeeded by NA |
| Preceded by ' | Colorado House District 59 2007–2011 | Succeeded by J. Paul Brown |
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