Kevin Grantham

Kevin Grantham is a state legislator for Colorado. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Republican in 2010, Grantham represents Senate District 2, which encompasses: Clear Creek, El Paso, Fremont, Park, and Teller countries.^[2] He currently serves on the Joint Budget Committee.

Biography

The youngest of five children, Grantham grew up in a rural southeastern Colorado farming community. He is a 1992 graduate of Liberty University (B.A.) in Lynchburg, Virginia and a 2009 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies. Over the course of his life he has been a hog farmer, sports reporter, onion processing plant employee, highway construction crew worker, restaurant employee and manager, real estate broker and appraiser among other things.

Grantham resides with his wife in Cañon City.^[3]

In 1996, Grantham and his family returned to Ordway, Colorado where he began working in real estate sales and appraising. He moved to Cañon City in 1998 and continues his work in appraisals with his brother Gary at Grantham Appraisal Service. Since then, he has become increasingly active in the community, including volunteering at a local shelter and serving in such organizations as the Lions Club International and Gideons International, and held a state office with the Gideons from 2007-2009.

During his time in Colorado, Grantham has served on many local boards and held several positions. From 2005-2006 he served on the Cañon City Board of Adjustments, before being elected as Board Chair in 2007. Grantham was also elected to the City Council, and served a term there from 2007-2010. It was also during these three years that he served as the Chairman of the Fremont County Republican Central Committee, before running for the Colorado State Senate in 2010.

Kevin also leads music at Canon Community Baptist church.^[4]

Legislative career

2010 Election

Grantham faced Crowley County Commissioner Matt Heimerich in the primary elections, both of whom sought to replace Senator Ken Kester who was term-limited. During the primary elections, Grantham beat out Heimerich for the Republican nomination, before facing Gloria Stultz, a Democrat from Cañon City, on the ballot.^[5] Grantham defeated the former President of the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce, Gloria Stultz, in the November 2nd election with 58% of the vote.^[6]

2011 Legislative Session

One of Senator Grantham’s major bills this session was SB11-077, a measure regarding the use of deadly force against a person who makes an illegal entry into a place of business. This legislation, dubbed “Make My Day” in the media, has been a popular bill in recent years. The measure was introduced into the Senate at the beginning of session before being introduced into the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, also known as the Kill Committee. The legislation was postponed indefinitely after reaching a party-line vote of 3-2.

Senator Grantham was named the 2011 Taxpayer Guardian for the Senate during his first year in the legislature, scoring a tie with Senator Bill Cadman. This award is assigned to Colorado Legislators by the Colorado Union of Taxpayers for those who consistently vote down tax increases.

2012 Legislative Session

Senator Kevin Grantham was elected Minority Whip. He served on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, & Energy Committee; the Appropriations Committee; the Legislative Council; and the State, Veteran, & Military Affairs Committee.

During the 2012 legislative session, Senator Grantham sponsored HB12-1068, and SJR12-025 and SJR12-044.^[7] House Bill 1068 requires that all nonprofit cemeteries must appoint to their board as Director someone who owns a plot or space within that cemetery. Senate Joint Resolution 025 is a measure that supports the Amtrak Southwest Chief and encourages the National Railroad Passenger Corporation to continue its continuing operation. Senate Joint Resolution 044 recognizes the service of certain individuals whom have devoted time and effort towards the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, which celebrated its 25-year anniversary in 2012.

Another major initiative Senator Grantham took on during this legislative session was HB12-1333, legislation that would have given teachers the option to withdraw membership from labor unions. Grantham’s House sponsor, Rep. Jon Becker, successfully finagled the bill through the House Education Committee before it was pushed on to the Senate. However, once the bill reached the Senate, it was assigned to the “kill committee,” State, Veterans and Military Affairs, where the measure died on a 3-2 party-line vote.^[8]

Senator Grantham was also recently honored as a “Friend of the Farm Bureau” by the Colorado Farm Bureau for his work regarding Colorado Agriculture during the 2012 legislative session.^[9]

2013 Legislative Session

In the 2013 legislative session, Grantham served on the Senate Finance Committee as well as Legislative Council. He was the prime sponsor on five Senate bills and five House bills as well as two Senate Joint Resolutions. He was also a sponsor on a number of Senate and House bills. Some of the bills sponsored by Senator Grantham included a ban on sex-selective abortions, allowing concealed carry in public schools, and protecting rape victims from contact with the father after a child is conceived.

2014 Legislative Session

During the 2014 legislative session, Grantham served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Legislative Council, and the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Grantham also served as Senate Minority Whip, first elected prior to 2012 session and elected again before the 2013 session. Senator Grantham was a prime sponsor on a number of Senate bills. SB14-43, SB14-80, SB14-82, SB14-141, and SB14-199. SB14-43 concerned the inclusion of certain land areas used to grow products that originate above the ground within the classification of “all other agricultural property” for property tax purposes. SB14-80 concerned the elimination of the list of certain additional qualifications that apply to property valuation appeal arbitrators. SB14-82 concerned attainment of the renewable energy standard by cooperative electric associations, and, in connection therewith, reducing the cost to the associations’ members of achieving specified levels of distributed generation. SB14-141 would suspend, until January 1, 2016, the provisions of HB13-1303. Until that date, elections laws, as they would have existed absent passage of HB13-1303, would be in full force and effect. Out of these bills, SB14-43 was signed by the Governor on March 20, 2014, SB14-80 was signed by the Governor on March 27, 2014, and SB14-199 was signed by the Governor on June 5, 2014. SB14-82 was defeated in the Senate Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs and SB14-141 was killed in that same committee after five and a half hours of debate and testimony. Senator Grantham was also a sponsor and co-sponsor on a number of other Senate and House bills. Some of the legislation he sponsored included allowing deadly force against intruders at businesses, protecting human life at conception, banning red light cameras and photo radar cameras in Colorado, and allowing the carry of a concealed handgun without a permit.

2014 Election

In 2014, Senator Grantham won re-election to a second term to the Colorado Senate representing Senate District 2. Grantham defeated Green Party candidate Martin Wirth 75% to 25%. His race was called early on election night on November 4, 2014.

2015 Legislative Session

Currently a member of the six person Joint Budget Committee, Grantham joins fellow Republican Senator Kent Lambert, who chairs the committee, Representative Bob Rankin, Senator Pat Steadman, Representative Millie Hamner who is co-chair, and Representative Dave Young. Grantham is also the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. During the 2015 legislative session, Grantham is the prime sponsor on five Senate bills and five House bills. Senator Grantham’s Senate bills include SB15-46, SB15-75, SB15-76, SB15-109, and SB15-170. SB15-46 concerns reducing the cost of attainment of renewable energy standards by electric utilities that are not investor owned by allowing purchases of electricity from community solar gardens by cooperative electric associations to qualify as retail distributed generation. SB15-75 adds an additional exemption for water wells that do not exceed 15 gallons per minute of production and are used for the irrigation of not over one acre of commercial crops. SB15-76 bill allows the disposal of cathode ray tubes, including electronic devices that contain them, at hazardous waste disposal sites. SB15-109 expands requirement of reporting of abuse and exploitation of a person 70 years of age or older to also cover a person with a disability who is 18 years of age or older. SB15-170 is an appropriations bill that would transfer funds from the General Fund to the Capitol Construction Fund for the 2014-2015 state fiscal year. Senator Grantham is also a sponsor and co-sponsor on a number of other Senate and House bills. Some of the other bills Senator Grantham has sponsored and co-sponsored include a bill that was run the previous year that would allow deadly force against intruders in businesses, services for children with autism, and a parent’s bill of rights.

References

External links

• Kevin Grantham’s Personal Bio
• Colorado General Assembly
• Colorado Senate News
• Kevin Grantham’s Ballotpedia webpage