Steve Fenberg

Stephen Fenberg (born January 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as a member of the Colorado Senate for the 18th district.[1] Since 2019, he has served as Senate Majority Leader.

Steve Fenberg
Fenberg in February 2018
Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate
Assumed office
January 4, 2019
Preceded byChris Holbert
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 18th district
Assumed office
January 11, 2017
Preceded byRollie Heath
Personal details
Born (1984-01-02) January 2, 1984
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Lindsay Urban
EducationUniversity of Colorado, Boulder (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Fenberg was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Fenberg's father worked as a physician and his mother worked as a teacher. As a child, he volunteered with his parents for the Ohio Democratic Party. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental policy from the University of Colorado Boulder.[2][3]

Career

After graduating from college, Fenberg founded New Era Colorado, a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and training young people in the political process. The organization has registered hundreds of thousands of young people to vote in Colorado and successfully passed several pieces of legislation related to election reform, student debt, and climate.[4]

He has also served on the Board of Directors for ProgressNow, One Colorado Political Committee, and INVST Community Studies as well as the Boulder Housing Working Group and the City of Boulder Capital Improvement Taskforce.[2] Fenberg serves as an advisory board member for the dZi Foundation, an international nonprofit providing development work in remote areas of Nepal.[5]

Fenberg is part-owner of the Bread Bar, a cocktail bar in Silver Plume, Colorado.[6]

Colorado Senate

Fenberg has served as a member of the following committees:

  • Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee
  • State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee
  • Legislative Council
  • Executive Committee of the Legislative Council[1]

Authored/sponsored bills by Fenberg have focused on a variety of topics ranging from the easing of student debt to gerrymandering reform as well as the prohibition of gay conversion therapy.[7] The following bills are some of Fenberg's legislative accomplishments:

Electoral history

2016: Fenberg was the only Democrat to file for his party's 18th district primary on June 28. Incumbent Rollie Heath was term-limited and couldn't run for reelection. Fenberg ran unopposed in the primary and received 12,433 votes. On December 8, 2016, he faced off against Republican primary winner M. Peter Spraitz in the general election. Fenberg had been endorsed by the state branches of the AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America as well as Colorado Voters for Animals and Conservation Colorado.[8] Fenberg coasted to a 59 point victory, the result of 67,799 votes,[9] more than any other senate candidate statewide.[10]

Political positions

Environment

As an advocate of a statewide carbon tax, Fenberg would also like to increase the renewable energy standards from 30% to 50% in the next 30 years.

As far as fracking is concerned, he acknowledges the risks involved and the need for tighter regulations but is a supporter of local control by communities.[7]

Social issues

Fenberg is pro-choice and supports same-sex marriage. He supports funding to expand access to comprehensive birth control.

Economy

Fenberg believes in the right of workers to collectively bargain, strives for an increased minimum wage and sees the current requirements pertaining to sick days as inadequate.[7]

Awards and recognition
  • Speaking Truth to Power Award, 2006 (presented by the AFL-CIO)[6]
  • Future Generations Act recognition, 2018 (presented by the Colorado Sportsmen's Caucus)
  • Legislator of the Year Award, 2018 (presented by the Colorado Trial Lawyer's Association)
  • Solar & Storage Champion of the Year, 2019 (presented by the Colorado Solar & Storage Association)

References
  1. "Senator Steve Fenberg". Denver, Colorado: Colorado Senate Democrats. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  2. "Steve Fenberg: State Senate, District 18". Boulder, Colorado: Daily Camera. 2016-10-15. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  3. Whipple, Kelsey (2012-06-13). "New Era's Steve Fenberg pushes for new voter registration model". Westword. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  4. "New Leaders for a Generation". Denver, Colorado: New Era Colorado. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  5. "Teams | dZi foundation". Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  6. "About Steve". 2016 Fenberg State Senate. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. "Current Legislation and Priorities". Boulder, Colorado: 2016 Feinberg State Senate. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  8. "Steve Fenberg's Political Summary". Des Moines, Iowa: Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  9. "Colorado State Senate District 18". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  10. "Colorado State Senate elections, 2016". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
Colorado Senate
Preceded by
Chris Holbert		 Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate
2019–present		 Incumbent
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