Kent Lambert

Lambert attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he served on the Cadet Wing Staff and was chairman of the Cadet Professional Ethics Committee.^[1] He was commissioned from the academy in 1974, earning a B.S. in military history.^[2]

Lambert served as a B-52 instructor pilot, and was director of battle staff for a B-52 wing. He rose from scientific analyst to division chief within the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency at The Pentagon and worked on policy studies for major military systems, including bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces. He was deputy defense intelligence officer for Europe in the Defense Intelligence Agency.^[1] Lambert worked as an attaché at several international postings, serving as the air attaché and deputy chief of military assistance program, in Amman, Jordan, and as the defense attaché and chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation, Stockholm, Sweden.^[3] He was assigned to Air Force Space Command in 2001 as deputy director of the Space Analysis Division, where his duties included support for investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.^[1]

While in the military, Lambert graduated from the Air War College, earned a master's degree in international relations from the University of Southern California^[1] in 1981,^[3] a master's in strategic and tactical sciences from the Air Force Institute of Technology^[1] in 1983,^[3] and a graduate studies certification in command, control, and communications from Air Force Institute of Technology.^[1] His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with star, and the Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster.^[3] He is also a lieutenant colonel with the Colorado Civil Air Patrol.^[4]

Lambert and his wife, Gretchen, have three children and six grandchildren. He has served as a leader in several churches and was an Eagle Scout and scoutmaster.^[1]

After retiring from the Air Force at the rank of colonel in 2004,^[1] Lambert entered Colorado politics, challenging Michael Merrifield for the 18th house district seat in central Colorado Springs, losing with 42 percent of the vote.^[5] He served as legislative assistant to representatives Dave Schultheis and Keith King^[2] and helped found the Republican Study Committee of Colorado, serving as its executive director until 2005.^[1]

In 2006, Lambert ran to succeed Rep. David Schultheis, who was elected to the Colorado Senate that same year. Lambert faced Colin Mullaney in the Republican primary, in which he garnered the endorsements of the Minutemen PAC, the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, and a homeschoolers PAC.^[6] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Karen Teja with over 68 percent of the popular vote.

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

During the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Lambert sat on the House Finance Committee and the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee.^[7]

In his first year in the legislature, Lambert was noted for his conservative stances on legislation. He was the primary house sponsor of a senate bill that would have criminalized abortion in Colorado —the bill died in the Colorado State Senate —^[8] and he spoke out against a measure that would have allowed adoption by homosexual couples.^[9][10] All five bills introduced by Lambert were defeated in House committees, including measures to make Colorado a right-to-work state and to prohibit labor unions from deducting fees from government employees' paychecks.^[11]

During the legislative session, Lambert filed a formal ethics complaint against the Colorado Education Association, arguing that emails sent by the CEA lobbying in favor of a property tax freeze to bring in additional revenue for public schools included deceptive statements.^[12] The complaint was called "frivolous" by the CEA and was dismissed by the Colorado Legislative Council's executive committee on a vote that was boycotted by Republican leaders.^[13][14][15]

For the session, the Colorado Union of Taxpayers gave Lambert its "Taxpayer Champion" award.^[16] Lambert, along with Rep. Douglas Bruce, was also noted for rarely supporting nonbinding resolutions in the legislature.^[17]

In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Lambert sat on the House Finance Committee, and the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. ^[18] One piece of legislation he introduced created a specialty license plate commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.^[19]

In April 2008, Lambert filed a campaign finance complaint against Gov. Bill Ritter, alleging that Ritter's 2006 campaign manager, Greg Kolomitz, improperly used inaugural committee funds to pay himself and pay off campaign debts.^[20][21] In August, Lambert's complaint was dismissed by an administrative law judge, and he was ordered to pay Ritter's legal fees.^[22] The ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeals, and Ritter eventually admitted the charges against him after his announcement not to run for a second term.

In 2008, Lambert won a second term in the Colorado House of Representatives. He was opposed by Democratic nominee Chyrese Exline.^[23] Lambert's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post,^[24] while the Colorado Springs Independent endorsed his opponent.^[25] Lambert won re-election with 71 percent of the popular vote.^[26]

Lambert was also a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, alongside El Paso County Commissioner Wayne Williams and Colorado's Attorney General John Suthers.^[27]

For the 2009 legislative session, Lambert was named to seats on the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee and the House Finance Committee, where he was the ranking Republican.^[28]

In August 2009, Lambert was appointed to the Joint Budget Committee to replace departing member Rep. Dan Marostica.^[29]

For the 2010 legislative session, Lambert was on the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Budget Committee.

Lambert produced a bill that focused on establishing an income tax credit for nonpublic education in the state of Colorado. HB10-1295 would have set forth, as a future tax credit, for families who either pay private school tuition or home-school their children. The bill was introduced to the House Finance Committee, where it was postponed indefinitely.