Leroy Garcia

Leroy Garcia is a Democratic Party member of the Colorado State Senate, representing the 3rd district since 2015; he has been President of the Senate since 2019. Garcia previously served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015.

Leroy Garcia
Garcia in 2020
President of the Colorado Senate
Assumed office
January 4, 2019
Preceded byKevin Grantham
Minority Leader of the Colorado Senate
In office
March 22, 2018 – January 4, 2019
Preceded byLucía Guzmán
Succeeded byChris Holbert
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 3rd district
Assumed office
January 7, 2015
Preceded byGeorge Rivera
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 46th district
In office
January 9, 2013 – January 7, 2015
Preceded bySal Pace
Succeeded byDaneya Esgar
Personal details
BornPueblo, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Michelle
Children2
EducationPueblo Community College
University of Phoenix (BS)
Ashford University (MS)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Leroy Garcia grew up in Pueblo, Colorado where his parents owned a beauty salon. From 2001 to 2007, Garcia served in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq as a mortuary affairs specialist during the Iraq war. Garcia obtained a degree in emergency medical services from Pueblo Community College, a bachelor's in management from the University of Phoenix and a master's degree in organizational management from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa.[1]

Garcia is a former member of the Pueblo City council.

Colorado House of Representatives

Leroy Garcia was elected to represent the 46th District in 2012 Colorado House of Representatives elections. He defeated Republican candidate Jerry Denney by a 61-39 margin.

2013 Legislative Session

In his first year in the Colorado General Assembly, Leroy Garcia sponsored a bill to turn the closed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, sanatorium and prison Fort Lyon into a shelter targeted for homeless veterans. This bill was passed by the Colorado Legislature and later signed by Governor John Hickenlooper.[2]

Also in 2013, Garcia lobbied in Washington D.C. to support improved conservation and agricultural efficiency for the Colorado River.[3]

2014 Legislative Session

In 2014, Garcia advocated to preserve Amtrak's Southwest Chief's stops in Southern Colorado arguing that they are essential for the local economy. The Colorado Legislature passed a bill, sponsored by Garcia, that established a commission aimed at preserving the train service. The bill was later signed in to law by Governor Hickenlooper.[4][5]

Colorado State Senate

Leroy Garcia was first elected to represent the 3rd district in 2014 Colorado State Senate elections. He defeated Republican incumbent George Rivera by a 55-45 margin. Rivera had held office since the recall election of Angela Giron on September 10, 2013.[6]

2015 Legislative Session

During the 2015 Session, his first in the State Senate, Garcia worked on bills concerning easing overseas voting requirements, Youth Offenders, funding for the Southwest Chief and the Judiciary.

2016 Legislative Session

During the 2016 Legislative Session, Senator Garcia sponsored two bills that eventually passed the Legislature and where signed by the Governor. The two bills were SB69, concerning measures to provide community-based out-of-hospital medical services and SB134, concerning professional licensing for military veterans in certain professions. As the Colorado legislature was divided between Democrats and Republicans at the time, both bills needed and achieved significant bipartisan support, with SB134 being passed by unanimous consent in both the State House and the State Senate.[7]

2017 Legislative Sessions

During the 2017 Regular Session, Garcia worked on bills concerning veterans issues, health care, consumer rights and local issues like funding for the Southwest Chief and the promotion of the Runyon-Fountain lakes state wildlife area.[7]

2018 Legislative Session

During the 2018 Legislative Session, Senator Garcia sponsored three bills that eventually passed the Legislature and where signed by the Governor. The three bills were SB20, concerning mental health care professionals who are permitted to perform auricular acudetox, SB66, concerning an extension of the operation of the state lottery division beyond July 1, 2024 and SB158, concerning measures to increase school district access to interoperable communication technology to improve school safety. As the Colorado legislature was divided between Democrats and Republicans at the time, these bills needed and achieved significant bipartisan support.[7]

2019 Legislative Session

The 2018 Colorado State Senate Elections saw Democrats taking a 19-16 majority in the Colorado Senate, while Senator Garcia was reelected by a 74-26 margin against Libertarian candidate John Pickerill. This new majority enabled a Democratic government trifecta in Colorado State Government for the first time since the 2014 Legislative session. The Democratic caucus unanimously selected Senator Leroy Garcia as its leader. With the beginning of the 2019 Legislative Session, Leroy Garcia begun to serve as President of the Colorado Senate.[8][9]

During the 2019 Session, Garcia sponsored bills concerning Emergency Medical Service programs, tuition assistance programs, the Human Trafficking council, the Public Utilities Commission and Criminal justice reform.[7]

Senator Garcia voted no on HB1177, a so-called red flag gun control bill, citing the successful recall efforts of two State Senators after the Democratic majority passed gun-control bills during the 2013 Legislative Session in the wake of the Aurora shooting and lacking mental health considerations within the bill. Garcia, a member of the leadership of the Democratic Senate Caucus, was the only Senate Democrat voting against the measure as it passed the chamber on 18-17 vote. The measure, which was later signed in to law by Governor Jared Polis, enables Colorado judges to order the seizure of firearms when they consider the owner either a risk to others or themselves.[10][11][12]

Recall efforts

In August, 2019, the Colorado Secretary of State approved the circulation of a recall petition against Garcia. The organizers of the recall had until October 18, 2019 to gather 13,506 signatures to put the recall question on the ballot.[13] The recall petition stated that Garcia should be recalled because "Senator Leroy Garcia has voted against the best interest of his district by voting YES on SB 19181 which would restrict oil and gas production in Colorado. According to one of Pueblo county's largest employers, EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel, these restrictions will threaten jobs and tax revenue in Pueblo county. Senator Garcia has betrayed the trust of his constituents by blatantly refusing to carry out the desires of the overwhelming number of the people he was elected to represent when 60% of Pueblo county voted no to similar oil and gas restrictions in proposition 112. Leroy Garcia has cost taxpayers ten of thousands of dollars in legal fees from a lawsuit settlement, and put thousands more at risk from another lawsuit because he ignored legislative rules".[14]

Garcia has reacted to the recall efforts with an ad campaign for TV and Facebook touting his accomplishments and life story.[15] Just prior to the deadline, the recall organizers submitted only four signatures, having failed to gather sufficient valid signatures to effect the recall. The organizers said they submitted only four signatures to protest the voter intimidation they experienced during the recall process. By turning in only a few signatures, the organizers left open the possibility of starting a second recall effort.[16]

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References
  1. "Leroy Garcia's campaign website". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  2. "Hickenlooper applauds reopening of Fort Lyon". The Pueblo Chieftain. 4 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  3. "Garcia in D.C. to promote conservation". The Pueblo Chieftain. 4 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  4. "Cuts in luxuries eyed to save Colorado train stops". The Denver Post. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  5. "Hickenlooper Signs Southwest Chief Commission Bill". 91.5 KRCC. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  6. "Colorado Ousts Pro-Gun Republicans, Showing Effect of Turnout". The New York Times. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  7. "Leroy Garcia's Official Legislative website". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  8. "Democrats take the Colorado Senate". The Colorado Independent. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  9. "New Colorado Senate leader calls for higher standards as Democrats take over". Colorado Sun. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  10. "Democrat Leroy Garcia, Colorado Senate president, will cast "no" vote on red flag bill". Colorado Sun. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  11. "Red-flag bill passes Senate, heads back to House with amendments". Colorado Springs Independent. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  12. "The red flag gun bill is now law in Colorado. But that doesn't mean all the questions around it are answered". Colorado Sun. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  13. "Recall Petitions". Colorado Secretary of State. State of Colorado. 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  14. "Recall statement of grounds" (PDF). Colorado Secretary of State. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  15. "Colorado Senate President Leroy Garcia is spending $20,000 on ads touting his work — even though he's term limited". Colorado Sun. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  16. Paul, Jesse (2019-10-18). "Campaign to recall Colorado Senate President Leroy Garcia fails, decides not to turn in all of its signatures". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
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