| Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first Black Member of Congress in Colorado history. In December 2022, Rep. Neguse was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), becoming the first Coloradan to serve in a senior elected leadership role in the House in over 85 years. He serves on the Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees, and was also appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to serve as one of four Democrats on the prestigious Rules Committee. Rep. Neguse serves as Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, which he previously Chaired in the 117th Congress.
Rep. Neguse has earned national praise for his ability to effectively craft and enact legislation. In the 117th Congress, during his second-term, he introduced 103 bills - the second-most of any member in the House - and 22 of these measures ultimately became law. He received the Bipartisan Policy Center's Legislative Action Award in 2022 for his ability to work across party lines, and in 2021 was ranked among the top 10 most effective lawmakers in Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking, including as the most effective for legislation on public lands. In 2020, he was recognized as the most bipartisan member of Colorado's congressional delegation by the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, and he received the "Spirit of Service" award from the Town Hall Project for his successful Service Town Hall initiative.
Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Neguse served in the Governor of Colorado's Cabinet as the Executive Director of Colorado's consumer protection agency. As one of the youngest people to serve as a state-Cabinet secretary, he achieved key victories, including the recovery of millions of dollars for consumers, investigations culminating in significant financial-fraud cases, the championing of legislation to combat financial fraud against seniors, and the launch of the state's first online filing system for civil rights discrimination complaints.
Previously Rep. Neguse was elected to represent Colorado's 2nd District on the University of Colorado Board of Regents, where he served a six-year term fighting to make higher education more affordable and accessible and building consensus on tough issues, including efforts to lower student health insurance costs and increase wages for the University's lowest paid workers. He received his B.S. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he graduated summa cum laude, and received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.
Over 40 years ago, Rep. Neguse's parents immigrated to the United States from Eritrea. As hardworking immigrants and naturalized citizens, they never forgot nor took for granted the freedom and opportunities the United States gave them and their children. Their experience motivated Rep. Neguse to be an active participant in our democracy at an early age, and to give back through public service. Rep. Neguse's public service is rooted in his firm belief that we should be expanding-not restricting-opportunities for all Americans, and he has spent his career doing the same. His priorities in Congress include lowering health care costs and prescription drug prices, raising workers' wages, ensuring greater accountability in government, protecting our environment and treasured public lands, putting an end to gun violence, and more.
Rep. Neguse and his wife Andrea live in Lafayette, Colorado, where they are raising their two young children, Natalie and Josh. |