John Kefalas
| John Kefalas | |
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| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 14th district |
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Assumed office 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Bacon |
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 52nd district |
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In office January 10, 2007 – November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Bob McCluskey |
| Succeeded by | Joann Ginal |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 26, 1954 Piraeus, Greece |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Beth |
| Profession | Activist, Legislator |
| Religion | Mennonite |
| Bills Introduced in 2007 by Rep. Kefalas (for which Rep. Kefalas is the primary originating sponsor) |
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| Bill | Title | Outcome | |
| HB07-1026 | Concerning health insurance at institutions of higher education | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB07-1131 | Concerning standards for hemodialysis technicians as part of the state regulation of dialysis treatment clinics [...] | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB07-1162] | Concerning [...] creating a study group and pilot project on the use of instant runoff voting and other methods that allow voters to express preferences on multiple candidates | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB07-1220 | Concerning a preference for the purchase of environmentally preferable products by governmental entities | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB07-1260 | Concerning [...] changing the sunset review dates for the state board of nursing and the Colorado state board of chiropractic examiners | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB07-1290 | Concerning the requirement that the Department of Revenue report on the impact of tax policy in a tax incidence study | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB07-1349 | Concerning child support obligations, and making an appropriation in connection therewith | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| Bills Introduced in 2008 by Rep. Kefalas (for which Rep. Kefalas is the primary originating sponsor) |
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| Bill | Title | Outcome | |
| HB08-1075 | Concerning the creation of a professional review committee by the meidcal staff of an ambulatory surgical center. | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB08-1161 | Concerning an increase in the regulatory authority of the Mined Land Reclamation Board over mining [...] | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB08-1165 | Concerning an increase in the regulatory authority of the Mined Land Reclamation Board over mining. | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB08-1207 | Concerning a purchasing preference for environmentally preferable products. | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB08-1315 | Concerning continuation of the authority of municipalities to contract with community health care providers. | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB08-1340 | Concerning the establishment of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund [...] | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB08-1342 | Concerning measures to improve child support enforcement [...] | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB08-1362 | Concerning the Earned Income Tax Credit [...] | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB08-1378 | Concerning the use of ranked voting methods, and [...] authorizing cities and special districts to use ranked voting. | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| Bills Introduced in 2009 by Rep. Kefalas (for which Rep. Kefalas is the primary originating sponsor) |
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| Bill | Title | Outcome | |
| HB09-1064 | Concerning [...] establishing the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force for the purpose of advancing economic opportunity while reducing child and family poverty. | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB09-1105 | Concerning the creation of the Colorado Innovation Investment Tax Credit [...] | Signed by Gov. Ritter | |
| HB09-1134 | Concerning the Colorado Railroad Authority, and [...] creating the authority for the purpose of planning, designing, developing, financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining a passenger rail system [...] | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB09-1251 | Concerning the disclosure of criminal justice records. | Postponed indefinitely in House committee | |
| HB09-1273 | Concerning the creation of a health care authority that shall be the administrator for health care services in Colorado. | Laid over on third reading in House | |
John Michael Kefalas (born December 26, 1954) is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. An educator and lobbyist before first running for the legislature in 2004, Kefalas defeated a Republican incumbent to win election to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2006. Kefalas won election to the State Senate in 2012 and he now represents Senate District 14. In the legislature, Kefalas has focused primarily on health care and poverty issues.
Born in Piraeus, Greece, Kefalas earned a bachelor's degree in botany from Colorado State University in 1978 and then joined the Peace Corps in 1979, serving as an agricultural extension worker in El Salvador. After returning to the United States, he earned a master's degree in teaching, with a secondary science specialization from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1982 and taught in the Poudre School District. He has also worked as an employment counselor for Larimer County, Colorado, and as a health outreach worker.
From 1997 to 2004, Kefalas worked as a public policy advocate and community development coordinator for Catholic Charities until his departure amidst a controversy regarding his public support for Roe v. Wade and abortion rights during his 2004 legislative campaign. Before entering the legislature, he directed the Colorado Progressive Coalition's Tax Fairness Project. He has served as a member of the Fort Collins Housing Authority and the Colorado Social Legislation Committee, and, in 2001, won the City of Fort Collins Human Relations Award.
From 1980 to 1994, Kefalas redirected a portion of his federal income taxes to charitable organizations as a protest against United States military actions in Central America. He has paid his income taxes in full since 1994, but continued to boycott the federal telephone excise tax as recently as 2004. As a result, Kefalas has had a lien filed him and has had wages garnished. Kefalas has paid his back taxes and considers his actions to be a conscientious protest. He has also written about his experience of "war tax resistance" for the newsletter of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. In both his 2004 and 2006 legislative campaigns, Kefalas was accused of avoiding his federal tax obligation, both by his Republican opponent and by independent political committees. Kefalas has also been an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War, and has engaged in non-violent civil disobedience in protest of the war.
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