Larry Crowder

Biography and early career

Crowder was raised in Manzanola near La Junta, Colorado. When he was 15 years old, his father was killed in an auto accident. His mother Fern, a housewife, was left to raise seven children on her own.

In 1966, Crowder graduated from Manzanola High School in 1966 and enlisted in the United States Army in 1968. He served his country in Vietnam and was honorably discharged in 1971 as a disabled American veteran.

After discharge from the Army, Crowder married Cheri and the couple lived in Denver. The couple had two children: Patrick in 1974 and Dave in 1976.

In 1976, the family moved to Alamosa, Colorado where Crowder bought a small farm and started a trenching and excavating company. The business contracted with the phone company to bury telephone lines in Southern Colorado. The advent of fiber optic technology in the late 1990s made the excavating company's services obsolete.

In need of income, Crowder began working for the postal service. In 2008, he retired from the postal service and began working as the Veterans Service Officer for Rio Grande County in Colorado.

In 2000 Crowder was elected as the Chairman of the South Central Workforce Board, a position that he held through 2010. Beginning in 2004, he was also elected to serve as the Alamosa County Land Use Board Chair, a position that he continues to serve. Crowder also serves on the Alamosa County Draft Board (2008–present) and acted as the Alamosa County GOP Chair from 2004 to 2010. He is active with the Military Color Guard, Colorado Cattlemen's Association and with various other community initiatives in Southern Colorado.

Crowder continues to farm and live in Alamosa, Colorado with his wife.

2012 Election

Due to reapportionment and population shifts, Senate District 35, which used to be located in the urban Denver area, was relocated to the rural eastern plains. District 35 was drawn into the middle of former Senate Districts 1 and 2, which includes Walsenburg, Saguache, Lamar and the surrounding areas.

Crowder faced no opposition in the primary elections, but faced Democratic opponent Crestina Martinez in the general election. Crowder won the election with a 1,672 vote margin.

2013 Legislative Session

For the 2013 legislative session, Senator Crowder was appointed to serve on the Health and Human Services Committee, as well as the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. In April 2013, Crowder became the only Republican in the State Senate to vote to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

2014 Legislative Session

In the 2014 legislative session, Crowder sponsored legislation to provide grants to public utilities that pay for broadband development in rural communities through the Connect Colorado Broadband Act. He also worked to create jobs and preserve historic structures by sponsoring the Job Creation & Main Street Revitalization Act that brought $15 million in economic development to Southern Colorado.

2015 Legislative Session

During the 2015 legislative session, Crowder sponsored legislation to expedite the advanced practice nurses' licensing process, to offer tax incentives to providers who bring broadband services to rural areas and to protect Colorado's drinking water, watersheds and ecologically sensitive areas. He was also named the 2015 Rural Health Champion by the Colorado Rural Health Center.

2016 Legislative Session

In 2016, Crowder introduced the first bill of the legislative session which exempts military pension pay from state income taxes. He also sponsored SB 74 which aims to expand voting options for rural voters.

2017 Legislative Session

In the 2017 Legislative Session, Senator Crowder continued to be a strong voice for rural Colorado and veterans.

He supported Senate Bill 65, the Transparency in Health Care Prices Act, which ensures patients know how much their health care will cost before they get the bill. Senator Crowder also carried Senate Bill 121, signed into law by the governor, which requires Medicaid to be more open and transparent with their clients. He passed Senate Bill 212 to reauthorize the Board of Veterans Affairs, giving those men and women who have served our country in uniform a voice in Colorado.

Senator Crowder continues to serve on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Local Government Committee.

Notable Accomplishments

During his time in office, Sen.Crowder has worked to maintain jobs and quality of life for Southern Colorado residents. For example, he worked with the Colorado Department of Transportion Commission to secure $1 million in funding needed to match a federal grant to improve railway lines in the state. The move helped preserve Amtrak's Southwest Chief route that runs through La Junta, Lamar and Trinidad.

Sen. Crowder also worked with other elected officials to repurpose Fort Lyon from a correctional facility to a treatment center for homeless veterans with substance abuse and mental health challenges. The move saved jobs in Bent County and provided a much-needed resource for veterans.

Some 600 burial plots were added at Homelake Military Veterans Cemetery thanks to Sen. Crowder's work. The expansion ensures resting places for veterans for years to come.