Sen. Veiga to Retire at End of Session

A veteran Denver state senator has announced that she will retire at the end of this year's session of the General Assembly.

Sen. Jennifer Veiga, a Democrat who represents downtown and the north-central area of the Mile High City, has been a legislator since 1997.

Veiga, 46, said she would retire so that she could move to Australia with her long-term partner.

She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. She moved to the Senate when a vacancy committee appointed her in 2003 to replace Doug Linkhart, who had been elected to the Denver City Council. Veiga won election to the Senate in 2004 and again in 2008.

Veiga served as House minority leader in 2003 and is currently chair of the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee.

She holds a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a law degree from George Washington University.

A Democratic vacancy committee for Senate District 31 will appoint her replacement.

Veiga has not indicated the specific date on which her resignation from the Senate will take effect.