Stephen Fenberg (born January 2, 1984) is an American politician who serves in the Colorado Senate from the 18th district, since 2017, as a member of the Democratic Party. He serves as President of the Senate and served as Majority Leader from 2019 to 2022.
Fenberg was born in Toledo, Ohio, and educated at the University of Colorado Boulder. During his time at college he founded New Era with Leslie Herod and Joe Neguse and registered 150,000 voters while serving as its director. He was elected to the Colorado Senate in the 2016 election and reelected in 2020. Fenberg was selected to become the Majority Leader in 2018. He was selected to replace Leroy Garcia as President of the Senate following Garcia's resignation.
Fenberg founded New Era Colorado, an organization which attempts to register young voters, along with Leslie Herod and Joe Neguse while attending college in 2006, and served as its executive director during which the organization registered 150,000 voters.[6][7][8] He discussed creating the organization with Lisa Kaufmann, who later became the chief of staff for Governor Jared Polis.[9]
In 2017, Fenberg was appointed to serve on the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy, State, Veterans, and Military Affairs, and Transportation committees.[15] Fenberg defeated Rachel Zenzinger in the Democratic caucus for the position of Majority Leader on November 8, 2018.[16] On February 9, 2022, he was selected by the Democratic caucus to replace Senator Leroy Garcia as president of the state senate, due to Garcia resigning from the state senate, and assume the office on February 22. Senator Dominick Moreno replaced Fenberg as Majority Leader.[17][18]
Fenberg and Representatives Herod and Julie McCluskie introduced legislation in 2020, that requested $14 million to fund a program, which would serve around 5,300 people, to have Colorado repay student loan debts for the first two years following graduation.[21] Fenberg was among thirty-seven legislators who endorsed a letter in 2018, calling for Planned Parenthood to allow for their workers to form a union.[22] He and nine other Democratic members of the state senate received a 100% score from the AFL–CIO in 2018.[23]
Fenberg received a 100% rating from Conservation Colorado in 2019.[24] He was one of the signatories of a letter sent by Governor Jared Polis to President Joe Biden asking for immigration laws to be relaxed, stating that Colorado was ready to accept refuges following the end of the Afghanistan War.[25] He received an A rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[26]
In 2017, Fenberg voted against legislation in the Finance committee which would allow concealed carry without a permit.[27] Following the 2021 Boulder shooting he stated that he supported an assault weapons ban and sponsored legislation to repeal a Colorado law which prohibited local governments from passing gun control stricter than state law.[28][29]
In 2017, he sponsored legislation to lower the minimum age to serve in the Colorado General Assembly from 25 to 21.[30] In 2019, he sponsored legislation that would allow paroled felons to vote and after its passage it allowed around 11,500 paroles to vote.[31][32]
