Jim Smallwood
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 2nd district
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byDennis Hisey[1]
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 4th district
In office
January 11, 2017  January 9, 2023
Preceded byMark Scheffel
Succeeded byMark Baisley[2]
Personal details
Born1971 (age 5253)
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionEmployee Benefits Consultant

James Smallwood Jr. (born c. 1971) is an American business consultant and politician first elected to the Colorado Senate in 2016. He represents State Senate District 2, which includes the communities of Castle Rock, Parker, The Pinery, Stonegate, and Grand View Estates in Douglas County.[3] Prior to the 2020 reapportionment process that was implemented in 2023, Smallwood represented the former State Senate District 4 in Douglas County which encompassed the communities of Castle Rock, Larkspur, Parker, Franktown, and Castle Pines.[4]

Biography

Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Smallwood spent his formative years in Manhattan, Kansas after his father's 22 years of service in the U.S. Army landed the family in Fort Riley, Kansas. He attended Fort Hays State University where he obtained his B.B.A. in Finance and met his wife of more than twenty years.[5][6]

Shortly after college, Smallwood moved to Colorado and started a small insurance brokerage firm. He later grew this firm, expanding his knowledge base and services to include financial advising and employee benefit consulting.[7] He is now president of Employee Benefits for Moody Insurance Agency, where he oversees a department which manages corporate clients and consults on employee benefits and cafeteria plan administration.[8]

Public service and associations

Smallwood was appointed to the Colorado Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities[9] by John Hickenlooper, and has also served on councils assembled by national and statewide insurers and trade associations.[10]

Legislative career

Smallwood never held public office prior to his election in 2016 to the Colorado State Senate.[5]

During the Senate District 4 general election, Smallwood defeated his Democratic opponent, Christina Riegel, with 69.39% of the votes cast.[11]

Given his history in health insurance and small business, Smallwood was designated Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and appointed to serve on the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee.[12]

Smallwood made medical care a focus in the 2018 Legislative Session. House Bill 1431 concerns managed care and aligns statutory provisions to reflect the current statewide managed care system, including the elimination of certain obsolete verbiage.[13] House Bill 1211,[14] is designed to control Medicaid Fraud; Senate Bill 27 enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact;[15] Senate Bill 146 adds a layer of transparency for the consumer seeking treatment at free-standing emergency departments [16] and Senate Bill 132 allows insurance companies to offer catastrophic health insurance plans to customers residing in Colorado.[17] All of these bills were signed into law by the Governor.

References

  1. "Dennis Hisey-Ballotpedia".
  2. "Colorado State Senate District 4 candidate Q&A".
  3. Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission (March 18, 2022). "Colorado Senate District 2 (2021)" (PDF). State of Colorado. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. "State Senate Districts". leg.colorado.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  5. 1 2 "Voter Guide - Jim Smallwood - State Senate District 4 candidate". DenverPost.com. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  6. "Jim Smallwood for Colorado - About". JimSmallwoodforColorado.com. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  7. "Private Insurance Firm Buys Planning Firm". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  8. "Jim Smallwood Bio". moodyins.com. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  9. "CO ADA Members". coloradodisabilitycouncil.org. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  10. "Moody Insurance - Jim Smallwood Bio". moodyins.com. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  11. "Douglas County General Election Results 2016". douglas.co.us/elections. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  12. "Jim Smallwood Chair of Senate HHS". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  13. "Colorado General Assembly".
  14. "Colorado General Assembly".
  15. "Colorado General Assembly".
  16. "Colorado General Assembly".
  17. "Colorado General Assembly".
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