Joe Rice
Encyclopedia
Joe Rice is a former legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado
, an Iraq War veteran, and a former mayor of Glendale, Colorado
.
Rice presently works for Lockheed Martin Space Systems
and also is a member of the United States Army
Reserve
. He was elected to the city council of Glendale, Colorado
in 1994 and to the post of mayor in 1996 on a platform of developing a "resident-friendly" community in the Denver enclave. Rice was re-elected in 2000 and later resigned from the post of mayor in 2003 when called up to serve the first of five tours on active duty in Iraq
. In Iraq, he has served as an advisor to the Baghdad
city council and to Iraqi security forces.
Rice won election to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2006 and represented House District 38, which encompassed Greenwood Village
, Bow Mar
, and Littleton, Colorado
as well as parts of Englewood
, Centennial
, Aurora
, and Columbine Valley
. While in the legislature, Rice focused heavily on transportation issues and was a key sponsor of a 2009 transportation funding bill increasing vehicle registration fees in order to address a backlog of bridge and transportation requirements. Other key measures he promoted included the creation of a statewide cold case homicide unit and a reduction in the business personal property tax.
Rice served 2-two year terms in the legislature, 2007–2008 and 2009-2010. He narrowly lost re-election in 2010, losing 51% to 49% (892 votes out of 30,510 votes cast) in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by almost 10 points in voter registration. Following the election, Rice was called to serve a fifth tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Reserve from January thru August 2011. Upon release from active duty, Rice returned to work in the private sector. Though no longer in elected office, he remains active with a number of community organizations and civic groups.
, Rice earned an associates degree from New Mexico Military Institute
in 1987 and a bachelor's degree in history
from Metropolitan State College of Denver
in 1989 while an active-duty military officer. He later earned a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
. Rice also earned a Masters of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College in 2009 via their distance education program.
After being discharged from active military duty at Fort Carson
, Rice settled in Glendale, Colorado
in 1990.
Rice and his wife, Dr. Kendall Kershner-Rice, were married in 1990, and have three children — twins Harrison and Alexandria, born in 2001, and a younger son, Dalton, born in 2005. They currently live in Littleton, Colorado
. Among his hobbies, Rice enjoys jogging.
Rice enlisted in the United States Army
at the age of 17. After two years of enlisted service, Rice spent three years on active duty as an Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer. His military service included duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a staff officer during UN peacekeeping operations, and as project officer for a Colorado National Guard
program to provide medical care to poor civilians.
Presently a colonel
in the United States Army Reserve
, Rice has been called up to serve five tours of duty in Iraq
— from March 2003 to May 2004, where he was a senior U.S. military advisor to the Baghdad
City Council; from October 2005 to February 2006, where he advised coalition forces on interactions with Iraqi civilians; from October 2007 to January 2008, where, as an operations analyst, he evaluated Iraqi military and police forces; and from May to October 2009, where he was involved in training Iraqi security forces. In 2009, having experienced the situation in Iraq firsthand for multiple years, Rice described progress in security and government and supported President Barack Obama
's military plans for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rice was called to serve a fifth tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Reserve from January thru August 2011. His duties included helping to implement the drawdown of US forces from Iraq and establishing partnership programs between Iraq and the United States that continue beyond the final withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq in December 2011.
Rice has completed Airborne
and Ranger training, and has been awarded the Combat Action Badge
, the Expert Infantryman's Badge, two Bronze Stars
and the Joint Services Commendation Medal. Building upon his work in Baghdad, Rice has also helped coordinate the Baghdad-Denver Region Partnership for Sister Cities International
since 2004. The partnership brought several delegations of Iraqis, including business leaders, government officials, and scholars. The most recent delegation was composed of Iraqi teenagers who lived with Colorado families. In 2008, Rice was appointed to the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International, and in 2009, he helped sponsor an Iraqi family's relocation to the United States.
for ex-convicts. In his first legislative campaign, Rice was criticized for his association with Dismas House founder Bob Sylvester, who was found guilty in 2000 of sexually abusing inmates. The incidents for which Sylvester was tried occurred after Rice left his employment at Dismas, and Rice testified on behalf of the prosecution during Sylvester's trial.
Between 1994 and 2003, while in the Army Reserve, Rice worked in the private sector as a customer service supervisor and trainer with MCI
, JD Edwards, and Wells Fargo Bank. From 2004 to 2005, Rice worked in government relations for the Colorado Department of Transportation
. At the time of his first legislative campaign in 2006, Rice also worked as a self-employed management and training consultant, and was vice president of RIGOR Engineering Corporate Services, an consulting firm specializing in engineering project management.
citizens. Rice was also criticized for being absent from Glendale during six months of his term as mayor, while he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. However, after an election that saw record campaign spending and record turnout for Glendale, Rice defeated Dunafon and was re-elected to a second term in 2000.
As mayor, Rice touted his efforts to lower city property taxes, expand city parks and open space, and open the city's first pre-school and recreation center. He served on the executive committee of the Denver Regional Council of Governments from 1995 to 2003, as vice-chair of the Denver
Metro Mayors Caucus from 2001 to 2003, and received the John V. Christensen Award from the Denver Regional Council of Governments in 2004. In 2003, Rice resigned from his post as mayor during the last year of his second term after being called up to active military duty in Iraq
.
During the campaign, Rice was criticized in attack ad
s for his support, as mayor of Glendale, of the use of Mexican
-issued matricula consular
cards as legal forms of identification for use by immigrants. In his campaign, Rice outlined his top legislative priorities as public safety, economic security, and quality of life. Rice was regarded by both conservative and liberal observers as a moderate Democrat, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council
.
Rice was endorsed by the Denver Post and by both union groups (including the local chapter of the teachers' union Colorado Education Association
, and the Colorado Association of Public Employees, a branch of the Service Employees International Union
) and business interests (including the Colorado Subcontractors Association and the state Chamber of Commerce
, the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry). He was also endorsed by
Colorado Conservation Voters
and the Colorado Medical Society
.
Rice ultimately defeated Dunn, earning 53 percent of the vote, and was sworn into office on January 10, 2007.
During the 2007 legislative session, Rice sponsored 16 pieces of legislation, including 11 as the primary sponsor in the House of Representatives. Among the most prominent of his bills was a measure to set up a cold case unit within the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate Colorado's 1200 unsolved homicides. After passage, Gov. Ritter signed the bill into law. Rice also pursued legislation to cut taxes for businesses by raising the personal property tax exemption. After having passed the state house unanimously, the measure died in a Senate committee.
Rice worked with fellow military officer and state senator Steve Ward on several pieces of legislation during his first term in the legislature. Rice sponsored legislation to allow military personnel serving overseas to apply for absentee ballots electronically; Ward was the Senate sponsor. Following the 2007 session, Rice and Ward called for Colorado to divest state pension funds from companies doing business in Iran
.
Rice was a key player during House debate on a resolution critical of the ongoing War in Iraq; he supported amendments to the resolution to remove specific criticism of the 2007 troop surge
, but supported the final compromise version, which called for eventual withdrawal from Iraq and passed on a party-line vote.
Rice was also the house sponsor of legislation introduced in the Colorado State Senate to make driving without a seat belt
a primary offense
; the measure narrowly failed in the House despite Rice's objections during a heated debate that defeating the bill would "kill kids."
For his voting record during the 2007 legislative session, Rice earned a 4% rating from the fiscally conservative Colorado Union of Taxpayers and a 100% rating from the environmentally-oriented Colorado Conservation Voters
; both ratings placed him at opposite end of the Democratic caucus from average Republican ratings.
Following the regular session, Rice served on the legislature's Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission and the interim Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
At the start of the 2008 legislature year, Rice was still in Iraq on his third tour of duty. His absence was acknowledged by lawmakers during their opening speeches, his seat was decorated with yellow ribbon
s, and his children were invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance
on the first day of the session. During his time in Iraq, Rice met with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter
, Congressman Ed Perlmutter
, and Congressional candidate Jared Polis
during their trips to the country, and also met with U.S. Marine and Colorado state senator Steve Ward
, who was stationed in Iraq at the same time. Rice returned to the legislature on January 28, 2008, and was received with a standing ovation during the morning roll call.
In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Rice sits on the House Transportation and Energy Committee, and is vice-chairman of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. During the session, Rice has explored introducing legislation to increase vehicle registration fees in order boost transportation funding, and plans on introducing legislation to make aggravated rape of a child under 12 a capital crime, eligible for the death penalty. Rice also introduced legislation to exempt some school fundraisers from sales tax
, a measure which he placed on hold pending consideration of a broader measure by Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg
. Rice and Sonnenberg ultimately combined their efforts and integrated the two bills, both of which became law.
Rice re-introduced a bill that had passed the House but failed in the Senate the previous year to raise the business personal property tax exemption, after the measure was endorsed by Gov. Ritter as part of his economic development platform. The legislation, which raised the exemption from $2,500 to $7,000, was ultimately passed by the legislature and signed into law.
Rice also hoped to sponsor legislation supported by Ritter to raise vehicle registration fees in order to fund road and bridge repairs, but failed to find a suitable cosponsor for the bill. Late in the session, though, Rice signed on as House sponsor on a measure to raise registration and rental fees to create trust funds for transportation; the measure was later dropped in favor of a bipartisan study committee between legislative sessions.
In March 2008, Rice received the Bridge Builders Award from the Colorado Contractors Association for his work on transportation issues.
With Republican Rep. Amy Stephens
, Rice also sponsored legislation allowing health insurance providers to offer discounts for participation in wellness programs. At the request of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, Rice also sponsored legislation requiring drivers to yield to transit buses re-entering traffic.
Towards the end of the session, Rice prominently broke with Democrats to oppose the removal of capital gains tax
breaks and to oppose granting unemployment benefits to locked-out
workers. Rice also sponsored legislation backed by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce to create a hybrid public-private health insurance system to cover all Colorado residents; however, these plans were put on hold after proponents of a single payer health care system advanced their competing proposal in the state legislature.
Rice was the sponsor of a major transportation funding proposal backed by Gov. Bill Ritter and other Democratic leaders, including Senate sponsor Dan Gibbs
. The proposal, labeled "FASTER," an acronym for Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery, would yield $250 million in funding, aimed primarily at road and bridge repair, by increasing a range of vehicle registration fees. FASTER passed the legislature without the support of Republicans, who objected to the level of fee increases and called for resources besides fees to be used to support transportation; additional complaints surfaced from both Republican leaders and the public after the fee increases took effect.
Following the 2009 session, Rice was named a legislator of the year by the Southeast Business Partnership, and received the Chairs' Award for Outstanding Efforts in Economic Development from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
Rice also sponsored a bill to make the invasion of privacy for sexual gratification a felony if committed by someone who has previously been convicted of a sexual offense or if the victim is a minor. Rice brought this bill in response to a “peeping tom” incident at an Arapahoe County hotel in 2009.
Rice partnered with Republican Amy Stephens in sponsoring a bill to allow small-group and individual health-care markets to offer wellness incentive programs in exchange for a discount on insurance premiums.
Rice also sponsored two bills related to the creative industry sector of the Colorado economy. One bill dedicated 1% of state capital construction spending towards funding public art for state capitol construction projects. Another consolidated several state agencies and offices into the Office of Creative Industries.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, an Iraq War veteran, and a former mayor of Glendale, Colorado
Glendale, Colorado
The city of Glendale is a Home Rule Municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,547 at the 2000 census. The entire city is surrounded on all sides by the City and County of Denver. Therefore, as a municipal entity, it is also an enclave...
.
Rice presently works for Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is one of the four major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with additional sites in Sunnyvale, California; Newtown, Pennsylvania; Huntsville, Alabama; and elsewhere in the US and UK...
and also is a member of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. He was elected to the city council of Glendale, Colorado
Glendale, Colorado
The city of Glendale is a Home Rule Municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,547 at the 2000 census. The entire city is surrounded on all sides by the City and County of Denver. Therefore, as a municipal entity, it is also an enclave...
in 1994 and to the post of mayor in 1996 on a platform of developing a "resident-friendly" community in the Denver enclave. Rice was re-elected in 2000 and later resigned from the post of mayor in 2003 when called up to serve the first of five tours on active duty in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. In Iraq, he has served as an advisor to the Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
city council and to Iraqi security forces.
Rice won election to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2006 and represented House District 38, which encompassed Greenwood Village
Greenwood Village, Colorado
The city of Greenwood Village is a prominent suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States...
, Bow Mar
Bow Mar, Colorado
The town of Bow Mar is a Statutory Town in Arapahoe and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Bow Mar is part of the Denver Metropolitan Area. The population was 847 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
as well as parts of Englewood
Englewood, Colorado
The city of Englewood is a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. As of 2007, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,532. Englewood is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. Englewood is located in the South Platte River Valley east of the...
, Centennial
Centennial, Colorado
The city of Centennial is a Home Rule City located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States, and part of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The city was to have a total population of 100,377 in 2010 census. Centennial is the tenth-most populous municipality in the state of Colorado and its...
, Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
, and Columbine Valley
Columbine Valley, Colorado
The town of Columbine Valley is a Statutory Town located in West Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbine Valley is located at ....
. While in the legislature, Rice focused heavily on transportation issues and was a key sponsor of a 2009 transportation funding bill increasing vehicle registration fees in order to address a backlog of bridge and transportation requirements. Other key measures he promoted included the creation of a statewide cold case homicide unit and a reduction in the business personal property tax.
Rice served 2-two year terms in the legislature, 2007–2008 and 2009-2010. He narrowly lost re-election in 2010, losing 51% to 49% (892 votes out of 30,510 votes cast) in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by almost 10 points in voter registration. Following the election, Rice was called to serve a fifth tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Reserve from January thru August 2011. Upon release from active duty, Rice returned to work in the private sector. Though no longer in elected office, he remains active with a number of community organizations and civic groups.
Personal life
Born in New Castle, IndianaNew Castle, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,780 people, 7,462 households, and 4,805 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,987.5 people per square mile . There were 8,042 housing units at an average density of 1,351.3 per square mile...
, Rice earned an associates degree from New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
in 1987 and a bachelor's degree in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...
in 1989 while an active-duty military officer. He later earned a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a campus of the University of Colorado system, the state university system of Colorado....
. Rice also earned a Masters of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College in 2009 via their distance education program.
After being discharged from active military duty at Fort Carson
Fort Carson, Colorado
Fort Carson is a United States Army installation located near Colorado Springs, primarily in El Paso County, Colorado. It is north of Pueblo, Colorado in Pueblo County. The 137,000 acre installation extends south into Pueblo and Fremont counties...
, Rice settled in Glendale, Colorado
Glendale, Colorado
The city of Glendale is a Home Rule Municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,547 at the 2000 census. The entire city is surrounded on all sides by the City and County of Denver. Therefore, as a municipal entity, it is also an enclave...
in 1990.
Rice and his wife, Dr. Kendall Kershner-Rice, were married in 1990, and have three children — twins Harrison and Alexandria, born in 2001, and a younger son, Dalton, born in 2005. They currently live in Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
. Among his hobbies, Rice enjoys jogging.
Military career
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at the age of 17. After two years of enlisted service, Rice spent three years on active duty as an Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer. His military service included duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a staff officer during UN peacekeeping operations, and as project officer for a Colorado National Guard
Colorado National Guard
The Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is a state agency of the Government of Colorado. It supervises both the Colorado National Guard , and non-military state safety agencies.The Department consists of the Department of Military Affairs, and the Division of Veterans' Affairs, and...
program to provide medical care to poor civilians.
Presently a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
, Rice has been called up to serve five tours of duty in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
— from March 2003 to May 2004, where he was a senior U.S. military advisor to the Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
City Council; from October 2005 to February 2006, where he advised coalition forces on interactions with Iraqi civilians; from October 2007 to January 2008, where, as an operations analyst, he evaluated Iraqi military and police forces; and from May to October 2009, where he was involved in training Iraqi security forces. In 2009, having experienced the situation in Iraq firsthand for multiple years, Rice described progress in security and government and supported President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's military plans for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rice was called to serve a fifth tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Reserve from January thru August 2011. His duties included helping to implement the drawdown of US forces from Iraq and establishing partnership programs between Iraq and the United States that continue beyond the final withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq in December 2011.
Rice has completed Airborne
United States Army Airborne School
The United States Army Airborne School — widely known as Jump School — conducts the basic paratrooper training for the United States armed forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion , 507th Infantry, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia...
and Ranger training, and has been awarded the Combat Action Badge
Combat Action Badge
The Combat Action Badge is a military badge worn in the U.S. Army. The emblem features both an M9 bayonet and M67 grenade. The Combat Action Badge may be awarded to any soldier after the date of September 18, 2001 performing duties in an area where hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay is...
, the Expert Infantryman's Badge, two Bronze Stars
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and the Joint Services Commendation Medal. Building upon his work in Baghdad, Rice has also helped coordinate the Baghdad-Denver Region Partnership for Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
since 2004. The partnership brought several delegations of Iraqis, including business leaders, government officials, and scholars. The most recent delegation was composed of Iraqi teenagers who lived with Colorado families. In 2008, Rice was appointed to the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International, and in 2009, he helped sponsor an Iraqi family's relocation to the United States.
Private sector career
From 1993 to 1995, Rice was the manager of Dismas House, a halfway houseHalfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
for ex-convicts. In his first legislative campaign, Rice was criticized for his association with Dismas House founder Bob Sylvester, who was found guilty in 2000 of sexually abusing inmates. The incidents for which Sylvester was tried occurred after Rice left his employment at Dismas, and Rice testified on behalf of the prosecution during Sylvester's trial.
Between 1994 and 2003, while in the Army Reserve, Rice worked in the private sector as a customer service supervisor and trainer with MCI
MCI Inc.
MCI, Inc. is an American telecommunications subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia...
, JD Edwards, and Wells Fargo Bank. From 2004 to 2005, Rice worked in government relations for the Colorado Department of Transportation
Colorado Department of Transportation
The Colorado Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the State of Colorado of the United States. CDOT is responsible for maintaining 9,144 mile highway system, including 3,429 bridges with over 28 billion vehicle miles of travel per year...
. At the time of his first legislative campaign in 2006, Rice also worked as a self-employed management and training consultant, and was vice president of RIGOR Engineering Corporate Services, an consulting firm specializing in engineering project management.
Mayor of Glendale
In 1994, Rice was elected to the Glendale, Colorado city council, running on a platform of shifting the small Denver enclave's business base away from adult-oriented businesses and towards a more "resident-family community." He was elected mayor in 1996. During his first term, Rice proposed new regulations on erotic dancers at Glendale nightclubs, garnering strong opposition from local business owners, who formed the "Glendale Tea Party" and elected three members to the city council in 1998 in response to the new regulations. Running for re-election, Rice faced opposition from Tea Party member Mike Dunafon, who promoted accusations that Rice used racial slurs and denigrated African-American and MexicanMexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
citizens. Rice was also criticized for being absent from Glendale during six months of his term as mayor, while he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. However, after an election that saw record campaign spending and record turnout for Glendale, Rice defeated Dunafon and was re-elected to a second term in 2000.
As mayor, Rice touted his efforts to lower city property taxes, expand city parks and open space, and open the city's first pre-school and recreation center. He served on the executive committee of the Denver Regional Council of Governments from 1995 to 2003, as vice-chair of the Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
Metro Mayors Caucus from 2001 to 2003, and received the John V. Christensen Award from the Denver Regional Council of Governments in 2004. In 2003, Rice resigned from his post as mayor during the last year of his second term after being called up to active military duty in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
2006 election
Republican Rep. Joe Stengel was term-limited in 2006 and could not stand for re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives from House District 38; both Rice and Republican Matt Dunn sought election to Stengel's house seat. The race was a top target for the Colorado GOP, who unsuccessfully tried to keep the seat in Republican hands during a year where Republicans lost ground both nationally and in Colorado.During the campaign, Rice was criticized in attack ad
Attack ad
In political campaigns, an attack ad is an advertisement whose message is meant as a personal attack against another candidate or political party...
s for his support, as mayor of Glendale, of the use of Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
-issued matricula consular
Matrícula Consular
The Matrícula Consular de Alta Seguridad is an identification card issued by the Government of Mexico through its consulate offices to Mexican nationals residing outside of Mexico. Also known as the Mexican CID card, it has been issued since 1871...
cards as legal forms of identification for use by immigrants. In his campaign, Rice outlined his top legislative priorities as public safety, economic security, and quality of life. Rice was regarded by both conservative and liberal observers as a moderate Democrat, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council was a non-profit 501 corporation that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
.
Rice was endorsed by the Denver Post and by both union groups (including the local chapter of the teachers' union Colorado Education Association
Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is a statewide federation of teacher and educational workers' labor unions in the state of Colorado in the United States. The CEA is a voluntary membership organization of 40,000 K-12 teachers and education support professionals, higher education faculty and...
, and the Colorado Association of Public Employees, a branch of the Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
) and business interests (including the Colorado Subcontractors Association and the state Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry). He was also endorsed by
Colorado Conservation Voters
Colorado Conservation Voters
Colorado Conservation Voters works to turn conservation values into Colorado policy. Its mission is to make environmental protection a top priority for voters, political candidates, and elected officials in Colorado. CCV educates the public about the conservation positions of candidates and...
and the Colorado Medical Society
Colorado Medical Society
The Colorado Medical Society is the largest group of organized physicians in Colorado.This nonprofit organization is composed of physicians, residents and medical students. It was founded in 1871 to promote the art and science of medicine and to improve public health...
.
Rice ultimately defeated Dunn, earning 53 percent of the vote, and was sworn into office on January 10, 2007.
2007 legislative session
In the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Rice was vice-chairman of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and a member of the House Transportation and Energy Committee.During the 2007 legislative session, Rice sponsored 16 pieces of legislation, including 11 as the primary sponsor in the House of Representatives. Among the most prominent of his bills was a measure to set up a cold case unit within the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate Colorado's 1200 unsolved homicides. After passage, Gov. Ritter signed the bill into law. Rice also pursued legislation to cut taxes for businesses by raising the personal property tax exemption. After having passed the state house unanimously, the measure died in a Senate committee.
Rice worked with fellow military officer and state senator Steve Ward on several pieces of legislation during his first term in the legislature. Rice sponsored legislation to allow military personnel serving overseas to apply for absentee ballots electronically; Ward was the Senate sponsor. Following the 2007 session, Rice and Ward called for Colorado to divest state pension funds from companies doing business in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Rice was a key player during House debate on a resolution critical of the ongoing War in Iraq; he supported amendments to the resolution to remove specific criticism of the 2007 troop surge
Iraq War troop surge of 2007
In the context of the Iraq War, the surge refers to United States President George W. Bush's 2007 increase in the number of American troops in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province....
, but supported the final compromise version, which called for eventual withdrawal from Iraq and passed on a party-line vote.
Rice was also the house sponsor of legislation introduced in the Colorado State Senate to make driving without a seat belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
a primary offense
Seat belt legislation in the United States
Most seat belt legislation in the United States is left to the states. However, the first seat belt law was a federal law which took effect on January 1, 1968 that required all vehicles to be fitted with seat belts in all designated seating positions...
; the measure narrowly failed in the House despite Rice's objections during a heated debate that defeating the bill would "kill kids."
For his voting record during the 2007 legislative session, Rice earned a 4% rating from the fiscally conservative Colorado Union of Taxpayers and a 100% rating from the environmentally-oriented Colorado Conservation Voters
Colorado Conservation Voters
Colorado Conservation Voters works to turn conservation values into Colorado policy. Its mission is to make environmental protection a top priority for voters, political candidates, and elected officials in Colorado. CCV educates the public about the conservation positions of candidates and...
; both ratings placed him at opposite end of the Democratic caucus from average Republican ratings.
Following the regular session, Rice served on the legislature's Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission and the interim Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
2008 legislative session
Yellow ribbon
The yellow ribbon is used for various symbolic purposes. It is often worn on one's person or tied around a tree in one's front yard.- Earliest Evidence unearthed at Pompeii :...
s, and his children were invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
on the first day of the session. During his time in Iraq, Rice met with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter
Bill Ritter (politician)
August William "Bill" Ritter is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and was the 41st Governor of the state of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011. Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver...
, Congressman Ed Perlmutter
Ed Perlmutter
Edwin George "Ed" Perlmutter is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.- Early life, education and career:...
, and Congressional candidate Jared Polis
Jared Polis
Jared Schutz Polis is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
during their trips to the country, and also met with U.S. Marine and Colorado state senator Steve Ward
Steve Ward (Colorado legislator)
Steven P. Ward was a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. Appointed to the Colorado State Senate as a Republican in 2006, Ward represented Senate District 26, which encompassed southern suburbs of Denver, Colorado, centered around Littleton....
, who was stationed in Iraq at the same time. Rice returned to the legislature on January 28, 2008, and was received with a standing ovation during the morning roll call.
In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Rice sits on the House Transportation and Energy Committee, and is vice-chairman of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. During the session, Rice has explored introducing legislation to increase vehicle registration fees in order boost transportation funding, and plans on introducing legislation to make aggravated rape of a child under 12 a capital crime, eligible for the death penalty. Rice also introduced legislation to exempt some school fundraisers from sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
, a measure which he placed on hold pending consideration of a broader measure by Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg
Jerry Sonnenberg
During the 2007 legislative session, Sonnenberg sat on the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee, and the House Transportation and Energy Committee...
. Rice and Sonnenberg ultimately combined their efforts and integrated the two bills, both of which became law.
Rice re-introduced a bill that had passed the House but failed in the Senate the previous year to raise the business personal property tax exemption, after the measure was endorsed by Gov. Ritter as part of his economic development platform. The legislation, which raised the exemption from $2,500 to $7,000, was ultimately passed by the legislature and signed into law.
Rice also hoped to sponsor legislation supported by Ritter to raise vehicle registration fees in order to fund road and bridge repairs, but failed to find a suitable cosponsor for the bill. Late in the session, though, Rice signed on as House sponsor on a measure to raise registration and rental fees to create trust funds for transportation; the measure was later dropped in favor of a bipartisan study committee between legislative sessions.
In March 2008, Rice received the Bridge Builders Award from the Colorado Contractors Association for his work on transportation issues.
2008 election
Rice sought a second term in the legislature in the 2008 statewide elections, facing Republican Dave Kerber. Holding office in a seat with voter registration numbers favoring Republicans, the race was expected to be strongly contested. As of early October, Rice had spent nearly $120,000 on his re-election campaign, the second-highest level of spending among all Colorado House of Representatives candidates. Rice's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post, and he ultimately won with 54 percent of the popular vote.2009 legislative session
Besides chairing the House Business Affairs Committee during the regular legislative session, in November 2008, Rice was named vice-chair of a special legislative Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth, tasked with developing recommendations on bolstering Colorado's economy before the 2009 legislative session. The committee presented a slate of jobs-related legislation at the start of the 2009 session; one measure, sponsored by Rice, would offer tax credits to companies that create 20 jobs in urban areas or 10 jobs in rural areas.With Republican Rep. Amy Stephens
Amy Stephens
Amy Stephens is a Colorado legislator. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2006, Stephens represents House District 20, which covers northern El Paso County, Colorado, including portions of Colorado Springs and the areas surrounding the United States Air Force Academy...
, Rice also sponsored legislation allowing health insurance providers to offer discounts for participation in wellness programs. At the request of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, Rice also sponsored legislation requiring drivers to yield to transit buses re-entering traffic.
Towards the end of the session, Rice prominently broke with Democrats to oppose the removal of capital gains tax
Capital gains tax
A capital gains tax is a tax charged on capital gains, the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset that was purchased at a lower price. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals and property...
breaks and to oppose granting unemployment benefits to locked-out
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
workers. Rice also sponsored legislation backed by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce to create a hybrid public-private health insurance system to cover all Colorado residents; however, these plans were put on hold after proponents of a single payer health care system advanced their competing proposal in the state legislature.
Rice was the sponsor of a major transportation funding proposal backed by Gov. Bill Ritter and other Democratic leaders, including Senate sponsor Dan Gibbs
Dan Gibbs
In his first year in the legislature — the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly — Gibbs sat on the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee and was Vice-Chair of the House Transportation and Energy Committee...
. The proposal, labeled "FASTER," an acronym for Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery, would yield $250 million in funding, aimed primarily at road and bridge repair, by increasing a range of vehicle registration fees. FASTER passed the legislature without the support of Republicans, who objected to the level of fee increases and called for resources besides fees to be used to support transportation; additional complaints surfaced from both Republican leaders and the public after the fee increases took effect.
Following the 2009 session, Rice was named a legislator of the year by the Southeast Business Partnership, and received the Chairs' Award for Outstanding Efforts in Economic Development from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
2010 legislative session
In the 2010 Legislative Session, Rice sponsored legislation focused on job creation and public safety. He sponsored a bill to prevent those who have been arrested or charged with a serious crime from buying a gun while the charges are being adjudicated. This law, originally signed into law in 2000 by Republican Governor Bill Owens, was set to expire in July of 2010.Rice also sponsored a bill to make the invasion of privacy for sexual gratification a felony if committed by someone who has previously been convicted of a sexual offense or if the victim is a minor. Rice brought this bill in response to a “peeping tom” incident at an Arapahoe County hotel in 2009.
Rice partnered with Republican Amy Stephens in sponsoring a bill to allow small-group and individual health-care markets to offer wellness incentive programs in exchange for a discount on insurance premiums.
Rice also sponsored two bills related to the creative industry sector of the Colorado economy. One bill dedicated 1% of state capital construction spending towards funding public art for state capitol construction projects. Another consolidated several state agencies and offices into the Office of Creative Industries.