Joe Rice
State Representative, Colorado House District 38
Joe Rice
Joe Rice is the State Representative for House District 38, which is mostly in Arapahoe County, and includes the cities of Littleton, Greenwood Village, and Englewood, and the towns of Bow Mar and Columbine Valley. He is serving his second full-term and is chair of the Business Affairs and Labor Committee and was appointed to the Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth.
In his first session of the legislature, Rep. Rice served as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Business Affairs and Labor, and was a member of the Committee on Transportation & Energy. He was recognized as being one of the most effective representatives in the legislature, passing 18 bills in his first session. These measures included establishing a statewide Cold Case Unit for unsolved homicides, and a number of measures that benefit citizens, consumers, businesses, military personnel, and veterans. Rep. Rice also sponsored HB 1225, which raises the Business Personal Property Tax exemption from $2,500 to $7,000, freeing up funds for over 30,000 small business owners to grow their companies and expand their work force.
Rep. Rice served as the mayor of Glendale, which is also in Arapahoe County, from 1996 to 2003. As mayor, he promoted the city’s economic development by balancing the budget, cutting taxes, and attracting quality businesses. He also tripled the amount of parks, trails, and open space in the city, and built Glendale’s first preschool and recreation center.
Rep. Rice has served in the military for over 23 years, mostly in the Army Reserve, and presently holds the rank of Colonel. He’s served several tours on active duty, including peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina and three combat tours in Iraq. Col. Rice was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, which included among other duties, establishing the first post-Saddam Baghdad City Council. He has also been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Badge for actions under enemy fire, and numerous other awards and decorations.
Rep. Rice has over ten years of private sector business experience, primarily as a Customer Service Supervisor, Manager, and Trainer with MCI, JDEdwards, and Wells Fargo Bank. He presently works as a consultant, mostly in the areas of management, training, and meeting facilitation. Rep. Rice is also active with a number of international education and exchange organizations including serving on the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International.
Rep. Rice and his wife Kendall have been married 18 years and have three young children: twins Harrison and Alexandria who are 8, and 3 year-old Dalton.
Joe is a member of the United States Army Reserve. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.
