1. David Evans Skaggs was born on February 22,1943 and is an American lawyer, politician and educator from Colorado.
23 Facts About David Skaggs
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David Skaggs earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University in 1964 and a Bachelor of Laws from Yale University in 1967.
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David Skaggs spent three years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including service in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division and assignments on Okinawa and at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC.
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David Skaggs practiced law briefly in New York City and, after military service, in Boulder, Colorado.
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David Skaggs first became involved in politics as a Democratic Party volunteer and officer in 1971.
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David Skaggs was a six-term member of the United States House of Representatives and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984,1988,1992 and 1996.
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David Skaggs served six years on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
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David Skaggs was co-founder of the Constitutional Forum, a series of seminars with distinguished guest lecturers who led member discussions of constitutional issues.
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David Skaggs co-sponsored the Energy Act of 1992 that, among other things, amended utility laws to increase clean energy use and improve overall energy efficiency in the United States and mandated installation of low flush toilets in all new homes.
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Additionally, David Skaggs was a co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, outlawing discrimination based on disability.
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Notwithstanding his efforts to uphold civility and restore bipartisan comity to the House, David Skaggs was often criticized for being partisan and voting along party lines.
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In 1992, David Skaggs came under fire for his overdrafts from the so-called House bank.
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David Skaggs's resignation raised eyebrows at the time, as no specific resignation reason was given; Skaggs merely cited a dispute with Gov.
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David Skaggs was appointed the first chair of the board of the new Office of Congressional Ethics in 2008.
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Additionally, David Skaggs was a member of the US Public Interest Declassification Board from 2005 to 2016.
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David Skaggs served as co-chair of the Constitution Project's bipartisan War Powers Committee.
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David Skaggs serves on the boards of trustees of the National Endowment for Democracy and the American University of Iraq.
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David Skaggs received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award from the US Association of Former Members of Congress.
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David Skaggs now is affiliated with the Denver office of Dentons, where he works as a senior strategic advisor and independent consultant.
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David Skaggs leads the legal team in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Colorado's so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
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In January 2023, David Skaggs was one of several applicants to fill the Colorado House District 12 seat vacated by the resignation of Rep.
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David Skaggs endorsed an uncommitted vote in the 2024 Colorado Democratic presidential primary.
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In July 2024, after Joe Biden's poorly received performance in the first presidential debate on June 27, and subsequent calls for him to suspend his campaign, David Skaggs organized 24 former members of Congress to sign a letter asking Biden to drop out of the race.