Douglas Bruce

For other people named Douglas Bruce, see Douglas Bruce (disambiguation).

Douglas Bruce
Bruce in 2005
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 14, 2008[1] – January 7, 2009[2]
Preceded byBill Cadman
Succeeded byMark Waller
Personal details
Born
Douglas Edward Bruce

(1949-08-26) August 26, 1949 (age 75)[3]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationPomona College (BA)
University of Southern California (JD)

Douglas Edward Bruce (born August 26, 1949) is an American conservative activist, attorney, convicted felon, and former legislator who served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2008 to 2009.

He is also known for being the author of Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). A strict advocate for limited government, Bruce wrote and promoted TABOR, a spending limitation measure approved by Colorado voters in 1992. His name is so associated with the measure that attempts to bypass its restrictions are known as "de-Brucing."

After two unsuccessful campaigns for the Colorado Senate in 1996 and 2000, Bruce was elected to the El Paso County Commission in 2004. Bruce was appointed to a vacant seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in December 2007 and represented House District 15, which includes eastern Colorado Springs.[4] After kicking a Rocky Mountain News photographer on the day he was sworn in, Bruce became the first legislator in Colorado history to be formally censured. He was later removed from a House committee overseeing veterans affairs after refusing to sponsor a ceremonial resolution honoring veterans. Although defeated for election to a full term in the August 2008 Republican Party primary, Bruce continued his activism to reduce government expenditures and taxes in Colorado Springs and statewide.

In 2010, Bruce was indicted for money laundering, attempted bribery of a public official, and tax fraud involving the use of a charitable organization and anti-tax activism.[5] In 2011, Bruce was convicted of all counts in the indictment, including four counts of felony criminal activity including money laundering, attempted improper influence of a public official, and tax fraud. He was discovered to be using a small-government charity he founded to hide millions of dollars from the state department of revenue. He was sentenced on February 13, 2012 to a total of 180 days in jail, ordered to pay a total of $49,000 in fines, and subject to six months of probation which included extensive disclosure requirements.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference kicking was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "House Journal - January 7, 2009" (PDF). Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference edward was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "State House District 15". COMaps. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  5. ^ Fender, Jessica (December 22, 2011). "Douglas Bruce convicted of tax evasion, faces prison time". Denver Post.
  6. ^ Schroyer, John (February 14, 2012). "Judge slams Bruce's attitude, sends TABOR father to jail". The Gazette. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.