Curt Bramble

Early life and career

Bramble was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where he graduated from Crown High School. He grew up as a Methodist and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while attending Notre Dame University. After Notre Dame, Bramble attended Brigham Young University where he graduated with a B.S in and M.S. in Accounting. Bramble worked as a Certified Public Accountant in Utah. Bramble was appointed as the Advisory Committee Chairman for Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions, a Las Vegas Company specializing in providing end-to-end management, across multiple management systems, for medicinal marijuana operations. Bramble lives in Provo with his wife Susan. He has 6 children and 12 grandchildren.

Background

Political career

Bramble was elected to the Utah Senate in 2000 and took office in January 2001. He initially served on the Business, Labor and Economic Development, and Revenue and Taxation Standing Committees; and on the Health and Human Services Joint Appropriation Committee. In 2004, Bramble became the Majority Leader of the Utah Senate for the 57th Utah Legislature and the Co-Chair of the Retirement and Independent Entities Joint Appropriation Committee. He also served on the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice, and Higher Education Joint Appropriations committees and Chaired the Retirement and Independent Entities Standing Committee. He also served on the Revenue and Taxation Committee for the 57th Utah State Legislature. Bramble was reelected to his third term to the Utah Senate in November 2008, defeating Democrat Radene Hatfied.

During the 2016 Legislative Session, Bramble served on the following committees:

In 2008 Bramble received the National Legislator of the Year Award from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and he has served on the Board of Directors of ALEC. Bramble served as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures from 2015-16.

Election

Senator Bramble is currently up for reelection and has two challengers in the primary.

Notable legislation

In 2014, Bramble sponsored S.B. 54 Second Substitute Elections Amendments. The enacted bill allows for an optional open primary. During the 2016 legislative session Senator Bramble passed a bill that would require doctors to give anesthesia to fetuses during an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Float building controversy

The Deseret Morning News and Salt Lake Tribune called for an ethics investigation into an incident involving Bramble, Representative Becky Lockhart and Mountainland Applied Technology College. Allegedly Bramble and Lockhart asked the college to build the Republican party a float to use in parades. The college used its money to pay for the float which, the papers alleged, violated Utah law, e.g., that "a public entity may not make expenditures from public funds for political purposes." When questions arose, college President Clay Christensen told State Auditor Auston Johnson he was under "tremendous pressure" by the Utah County GOP and lawmakers to build the float, but later that same day, after a conversation with Bramble, he changed his statement. Bramble first denied speaking with Christiansen but later acknowledged he "may have called," but couldn't "recall what was said." No investigation ensued.

Electoral results

Senator Bramble is up for election in 2016 and currently has two challengers in the primary.