Jack Tate (politician)

Jack Tate is a businessman and former Republican legislator in the U.S. State of Colorado. He served both in the state house and state senate. He represented Senate District 27 in the Denver Metro Area,[1] which encompasses parts of unincorporated Arapahoe County, the City of Centennial, and the town of Foxfield. While in the Colorado Senate, he served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Business, Labor, and Technology. He was also a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Technology Committee, the Pension Reform Commission, the Statutory Revision Committee, the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Interim Study Committee, and the Alternatives to the Gallagher Amendment Interim Study Committee.[1]

Jack Tate
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 27th district
In office
January 5, 2016 – January 13, 2021
Preceded byDavid Balmer
Succeeded byChris Kolker
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 37th district
In office
January 2015 – January 2016
Preceded bySpencer Swalm
Succeeded byCole Wist
Personal details
BornNashville, Tennessee
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionPolitician
Websitejacktate.org

Early life

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Tate was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Duke University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. He continued his education at Vanderbilt University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Colorado Denver, and obtained a Masters of Science in Finance, and an MBA in Marketing.[2]

Colorado House of Representatives

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Tate was a Republican member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 37 from 2014 until his appointment to the state Senate in 2016.[3][4]

2014 primary and election

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Tate defeated fellow Republican Michael Fields in a primary election that took place on June 24, with 65.7% of the vote.[5]

In the general election for the Colorado House of Representatives on November 4, 2014, he defeated Democrat Nancy Cronk with 58% of the vote to win District 37.[5]

2015 Legislative Session

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For the 2015 legislative session, Tate was a member of the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, and the General Assembly Joint Technology Committee. Tate was the prime sponsor of 12 Bills, of which 5 became law and one was vetoed.

  • HB15-1197 modified limitations on liability obligations in public construction contracts. The new law provided that public entities may not ask design professionals to defend them in lawsuits unless the design professionals are found negligent.

Colorado State Senate

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2015 Appointment

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In October 2015, Colorado Senator David Balmer announced plans to resign. On December 12, 2015, Republican leaders in District 27 voted Tate as Balmer's replacement.[3]

2016 Legislative Session

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For the 2016 Legislative session, Tate was appointed to the Business, Labor, & Technology Committee, the Local Government Committee, and the Joint Technology Committee.

Tate introduced 34 bills during the 2016 session and 25 of the bills became law.[6]

2017 Legislative Session

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For the 2017 Legislative session, Tate was the Chair of the Business, Labor & Technology Committee. He also became a member of the Finance and Statutory Revision Committees. Senator Tate introduced 44 bills during the 2017 session and 33 of the bills became law.[6]

2018 Legislative Session

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For the 2018 Legislative session, Tate introduced 40 bills during the 2018 session and 33 of the bills became law.[6]

2019 Legislative Session

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Tate introduced 31 bills during the 2019 session and 22 of the bills became law.[6]

2020 Legislative Session

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Tate introduced 40 bills during the 2020 session and 27 of the bills became law.[6]

Sexual harassment allegations

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In 2017, a formal complaint was filed by a former intern at the Colorado legislature alleging sexual harassment by Tate.[7][8] The complainant was 18-years-old at the time she said the harassment occurred, and said Tate had nudged her and made inappropriate comments towards her.[9] After the allegations were made, seven women came forward and spoke to the media about Tate's professionalism.[9] After an investigation in 2018, Senate President Kevin Grantham said in a letter that accusations against Tate did not amount to sexual harassment.[10] However, an independent investigation by the Employer’s Council found the accuser to be credible, where Tate's response was not.[11] Tate said he would not be seeking re-election to the Colorado legislature in 2020, citing financial obligations.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Colorado General Assembly". Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "Jack Tate". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  3. ^ a b "Jack Tate picked for Colorado Senate". The Spot. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  4. ^ Bunch, Joey (2019-11-29). "Colorado state Sen. Jack Tate won't seek another term". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  5. ^ a b "Jack Tate - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  6. ^ a b c d e Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved October 26, 2020
  7. ^ "Incidents prompting sexual harassment complaint against Colorado state Sen. Jack Tate "more likely than not" happened, report says". The Denver Post. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  8. ^ "Formal complaints of sexual harassment filed against Colorado Sens. Baumgardner and Tate". The Denver Post. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  9. ^ a b https://www.kunc.org/people/bente-birkeland (2017-11-30). "A Fourth Formal Sexual Harassment Complaint At Colorado's Capitol Names Sen. Tate". KUNC. Retrieved 2023-07-25. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  10. ^ Birkeland, Bente (30 March 2018). "Senate President Concludes Jack Tate Didn't Sexually Harass Intern". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  11. ^ "Top Republican in Colorado Capitol says accusations against GOP Sen. Jack Tate didn't amount to sexual harassment". The Denver Post. 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  12. ^ Paul, Jesse (2018-12-04). "Colorado state senator won't seek re-election following sexual harassment allegation, cites personal financial obligations". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
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