Daniel Kagan

Daniel Kagan (born January 1953[2]) is an American politician in the U.S. state of Colorado. An attorney, Kagan was appointed by a Democratic Party vacancy committee to the Colorado House of Representatives in March 2009 to fill the vacancy caused by Anne McGihon's resignation. Subsequently, elected and re-elected in the 2010, 2012, and 2014 general elections, he represented House District 3, which encompasses south Denver.[3] In the 2016 general election, he was elected to District 26 of the Colorado Senate, beating his Republican opponent with 53.48% of the vote.[4] He resigned from the senate on January 11, 2019.[5]

Daniel Kagan
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 26th district
In office
January 11, 2017 – January 11, 2019
Preceded byLinda Newell
Succeeded byJeff Bridges
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 3rd district
In office
March 30, 2009[1] – January 11, 2017
Preceded byAnne McGihon
Succeeded byJeff Bridges
Personal details
BornJanuary 1953 (age 67)
Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Faye Kagan
ChildrenAbra
Samantha
Ben
Alma materUniversity of East Anglia
George Washington University
Yale Law School
ProfessionAttorney
Websitewww.dankagan.com

Biography

The son of Joseph Kagan, Baron Kagan - a man imprisoned in the UK for corruption and stripped of his knighthood - Daniel was educated at Rugby School, the University of East Anglia, George Washington University (BA, 1984), and Yale Law School (JD, 1987).[6]

He sponsored legislation to tighten Colorado's marijuana laws to prevent children from accidentally eating marijuana and prevent minors from purchasing marijuana.[7] He also sponsored a bill to ensure that police officers have on-going training in high speed pursuits and firearms training.[8]

During the 2013 session Rep. Kagan sponsored a bill to allow law enforcement to quickly get cell phone location information in emergency situations.[9] He also sponsored legislation creating a Sexual Assault Victim Emergency Payment Program to make sure that a victim of sexual assault does not have a huge hospital bill to pay.[9]

In the 2012 session Rep. Kagan sponsored the Skills for Jobs Act which directs Colorado to create more accurate workforce projections so that workforce development and training programs are teaching skills that are actually in demand in the labor market.[10] During the 2011 session Rep. Kagan supported a bill allowing children on the Basic Children's Health Plan to visit a health clinic in their schools without a copay.[11]

Before being elected to serve in the legislature, Rep. Kagan was flight instructor, working with retired military pilots to train on civilian aircraft.[12]

On 22 January 2018, Kagan used an electronic cigarette in the Colorado State Capitol while presiding as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Vaping is not illegal in Colorado, except in schools, and Kagan, a long-time smoker, said he does it as a substitute for cigarettes.[13]

Legislative career

2009 appointment

Rep. Anne McGihon announced that she would resign from the legislature, effective March 27, 2009[14] Kagan, who had already filed to run to replace the term-limited McGihon, declared his candidacy for the vacancy appointment.[15]

A vacancy committee, meeting during a spring blizzard, elected Kagan to the seat over ten other candidates after three rounds of voting; Kagan edged out blogger and legislative aide Aaron Silverstein in the final round of voting to win the seat.[16] Kagan had volunteered in McGihon's legislative office earlier during the legislative session. He was sworn into office on March 30, 2009.[1]

2010 and 2011 legislative sessions

Kagan defeated Christine Mastin in the 2010 general election for a term that will run through 2012. He serves on the House Finance, and House Judiciary committees. Among the bills he has sponsored into law are measures to preserve low income housing, and measures to assist Colorado school-based health centers.

2012 election

In the 2012 General Election, Representative Kagan faced Republican challenger Brian Watson. Watson is the CEO and Founder of Northstar Commercial Partners.[17] Kagan was reelected by a margin of 50.3% to 45.1%.[18][19]

2013 Legislative Session

Rep. Kagan supported legislation creating a Sexual Assault Victim Emergency Payment Program to ensure that victims of sexual assault are not left with a large hospital bill after receiving treatment.[20] He also sponsored legislation enabling law enforcement to quickly get cell phone location information in emergency situations.[9]

2014 Legislative Session

Rep. Kagan supported legislation to ensure that juveniles going through court proceedings have access to an attorney[21] He also sponsored bills to tighten Colorado's marijuana laws to ensure that minors are not able to purchase marijuana[22] and a bill to ensure that police officers undergo continuous training in firearm use and high speed pursuits.[8]

Legislative harassment allegation

Between November 2017 and April 2018, six Colorado state legislators were accused of sexual harassment covering a range of allegations and circumstances. [23]

Senator Kagan was accused of using the women's restroom on "multiple occasions," prompting the Colorado State Patrol to limit the Senator's access to the women's restroom. In April 2018, Republican Senator Beth Martinez Humenik filed a workplace sexual harassment complaint against Kagan for using the women's bathroom "multiple times." Kagan admitted to being in the women's restroom, but that it only happened once. Female staffers allege he has been in the same restroom multiple times, dating back to 2017.[24] The final 21-page investigative report confirmed Senator Martinez-Humenik's claim, finding that Senator Daniel Kagan (D-3) had repeatedly engaged in this behavior, as reported by Denver CBS4 Reporter Shaun Boyd during a live broadcast on 09/20/2018 and a story posted online entitled "Investigation Reveals Male State Senator Used Women’s Bathroom Repeatedly"[25]

References
  1. Fender, Jessica (31 March 2009). "New legislator takes seat". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  2. "Join Ancestry". www.ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  3. "State House District 3". COMaps. Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  4. Ballotpedia. Daniel Kagan. Viewed: 2017-01-14.
  5. Herrick, John (2018-12-06). "Democratic Senator Daniel Kagan to resign". The Colorado Independent. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  6. "Rep. Kagan's Biography Vague and Vanishing". The Colorado Observer. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  7. "Colorado lawmakers look to strengthen marijuana laws". kdvr.com. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Gov. Hickenlooper signs 2 bills into law in Cherry Hills Village". villagerpublishing.com. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  10. Jessica Fender | The Denver Post (8 January 2012). "Proposed bill from Colorado House Democrat mandates sharing jobs data with schools". denverpost.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  11. http://statebillnews.com/2011/01/kagan-bill-to-help-school-based-health-clinics-passes-house-unanimously/
  12. Munds, Tom. "State House District 3 race: Kagan says jobs, schools key". Colorado Community Media. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  13. State senator vapes inside State Capitol and it’s perfectly OK KDVR, 2018-01-23.
  14. Bartels, Lynn (16 March 2009). "State Rep. McGihon stepping down". Denver Post. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  15. Staff Report (30 March 2009). "Green Energy for Schools". Denver Daily News. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  16. Luning, Ernest (26 March 2009). "HD 3 vacancy committee meets to elect successor to McGihon". The Colorado Independent. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  17. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/northstar-commercial-partners-ceo-brian-140900853.html
  18. "CO - Election Results - Colorado Secretary of State". Archived from the original on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  19. "State House 2012 Election Results - Denver Post".
  20. Staff, CBA-CLE. "HB 13-1163: Introducing Victim Emergency Payment Program for Medical Exams for Victims of Sexual Assault". cbaclelegalconnection.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  21. "Juvenile counsel guaranteed with Hickenlooper's signature". villagerpublishing.com. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. State Senator Kagan formally accused of harassment Lawmaker alleged to have been in womens restroom multiple times at Capitol, Colorado Community Media, Ellis Arnold, April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  24. Colorado Lawmaker Alleges Wrongful Restroom Use At Capitol, KUNC, 2018-03-19. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  25. says, Sheena Anne Kadi (20 September 2018). "Investigation Reveals Male State Senator Used Women's Bathroom Repeatedly". cbslocal.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
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