Wayne Allard

State Senate

Allard continued to run a veterinary practice full-time, while representing Larimer and Weld counties in the Colorado State Senate, from 1983 to 1990. During his tenure he was a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility and the preservation of a citizen legislature. Allard's influence on local politics is still felt today as he is the sponsor of Colorado's law limiting state legislative sessions to 120 days.

Elections

In 1996, Allard was elected to the United States Senate, defeating state Attorney General Gale Norton in the Republican primary and Tom Strickland by five percentage points in the general election. He made a pledge at the time to serve just two terms in the Senate before retiring. In 2002, he was re-elected, defeating Strickland again by the same margin.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Interior Subcommittee (Ranking Member)
  • Legislative Branch Subcommittee
  • Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
  • Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
  • Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
  • Transportation/HUD Subcommittee
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee (Ranking Member)
  • Financial Institutions Subcommittee
  • Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety

Tenure

In 2003, Allard introduced into the Senate the Federal Marriage Amendment, seeking to ban same-sex marriages.^[5] The amendment failed to advance to the House.

In 2004, Allard reintroduced the Federal Marriage Amendment with minor changes. In presenting the amendment, Allard made the case that there is a "master plan" to "destroy the institution of marriage".^[6] Passage of the proposed Amendment failed 227 yea votes to 186 nay votes, where 290 yea votes (two-thirds) are required for passage of a proposed Constitutional amendment.^[7]

In an April 2006 article, Time named Allard as one of America's 5 Worst Senators, dubbing him "The Invisible Man". The article criticised him for being "so bland that his critics have dubbed him "Dullard"", for "never playing a role in major legislation, even though he's on two key Senate committees, Budget and Appropriations" and for "rarely speaking on the floor or holding press conferences to push his ideas", concluding that "few of the bills he has introduced over the past year have passed". The article did however note that he was "polite, affable and willing to take on thankless tasks, such as his current role overseeing the construction of a visitors center on Capitol Hill".^[8] In response, two major Colorado newspapers defended the Senator.^[9] The Rocky Mountain News retorted that Time had made the "wrong call" and that Allard was a "hard-working advocate for Colorado interests."^[10] The Gazette (Colorado Springs) also weighed in, saying the article was "... soft, subjective, snide, impressionistic slop – further proof of the low to which this once-serious publication has sunk."^[11] Upon his retirement, The Denver Post stated that "While we didn't always agree with Sen. Wayne Allard on policy matters, we never doubted that he was working hard for Colorado."^[12]

On January 15, 2007 Allard announced he would fulfill a 1996 campaign promise to serve only two Senate terms and would retire in January 2009.^[13][14]

In April 2007, Allard announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.^[15] He switched his endorsement to John McCain once he secured his spot as the presumptive Republican nominee.^[16]

As part of a statement released by his office in support of a day to honor emergency first responders in 2007, Allard was quoted as saying: "First responders in Colorado have recently provided critical services in the face of blizzards and tornados. Since I don't think first responders have really done anything significant in comparison to their counterparts who have dealt with real natural disasters, I have no idea what else to say here …"^[17]

In March 2008 the National Journal ranked him the second most-conservative U.S. Senator based on his 2007 votes.^[18]

One of the legislative staffers in Allard’s Capitol Hill office during his time in the Senate was Cory Gardner, who would eventually succeed Allard in office.^[19]

Environmental record

Allard was a co-sponsor of the James Peak Wilderness Bill, which created a 14,000-acre (57 km²) preserve around James Peak, and added 3,000 acres (12 km²) to the Indian Peak Protection Area. He also sponsored legislation which created Colorado's 85,000-acre (340 km²) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Allard was also chairman and founder of the Senate Renewable Energy and Efficiency Caucus.^[20]

In 2006, the environmental group Republicans for Environmental Protection^[21] praised Allard for his support of legislation to make the Army Corps of Engineers more accountable for its projects' environmental and economic impact, but criticized him for supporting oil drilling both offshore and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.^[22] The nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters issued Allard a grade of 29% for 2006.^[23]