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    Vellenga, Kathleen A.

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    House 1981-82 (District 63A); House 1983-94 (District 64A)

    Party when first elected:  Democratic-Farmer-Labor

    Counties Served:  Ramsey

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 8/??/1938
    Birth Place: Nebraska
    Birth County:
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death:
    Gender: Female
    Religion:
    Reported Minority: None Reported
    Other Names:
    Former Name: Osborne
    City of Residence (when first elected): Saint Paul
    Occupation (when first elected): Early Childhood Educator

    EDUCATION

    South Dakota State College; Attended College;
    Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota; B.S.; Education, 1959

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    School Board/Administration: St. Paul, Minnesota (Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, Co-Chair); 19?? to 19??

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: James
    Children: Three children
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    Her grandfather, Tom Osborne, served in the Nebraska State Legislature in the 1940s.

    "Vellenga was the first non-male, non-Catholic, abortion-rights-supporting House member elected to her Macalester-Groveland neighborhood seat." (Star Tribune, October 20, 2013)

    Most recent term photo
    Click to view
    Total Days Served: 5110

    SESSIONS SERVED

    78th Legislative Session (1993-1994)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1993
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/3/1992
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/4/1993 to 1/1/1995
    Oath Date: 1/6/1993
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Consultant
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Education
    • Education: K-12 Education Finance Division (Chair)
    • Education: K-12 Education Finance Division: Education Reform
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Ways and Means

    77th Legislative Session (1991-1992)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/8/1991
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/6/1990
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/7/1991 to 1/3/1993
    Oath Date: 1/8/1991
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Legislator
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Health and Human Services
    • Health and Human Services: Health Care Access and Delivery
    • Judiciary (Chair)
    • Judiciary: Civil Law
    • Judiciary: Criminal Justice Division
    • Judiciary: Data Privacy
    • Judiciary: Family Law
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Taxes
    • Taxes: State Taxes and Tax Laws
    term photo
    Click to view

    76th Legislative Session (1989-1990)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/1989
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/8/1988
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/2/1989 to 1/6/1991
    Oath Date: 1/3/1989
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Legislator
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Education
    • Education: Education Finance Division
    • Health and Human Services
    • Health and Human Services: Transitional Services
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Criminal Justice Division (Chair)
    • Judiciary: Criminal Justice Division: Children's Justice
    • Judiciary: Facilities Assessment
    • Rules and Legislative Administration
    • Transportation

    75th Legislative Session (1987-1988)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/6/1987
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/4/1986
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/5/1987 to 1/1/1989
    Oath Date: 1/6/1987
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Homemaker/Teacher
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Education
    • Education: Education Finance Division
    • Health and Human Services
    • Health and Human Services: Physical/Mental Health
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Child Abuse/Child Protection
    • Judiciary: Crime and Family Law Division (Chair)
    • Judiciary: Sentencing Guidelines

    74th Legislative Session (1985-1986)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/8/1985
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/6/1984
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/7/1985 to 1/4/1987
    Oath Date: 1/8/1985
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Homemaker
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Crime and Family Law
    • Crime and Family Law: Family Law
    • Governmental Operations
    • Health and Human Services
    • Health and Human Services: Health Care
    • Rules and Legislative Administration: Select Committee on the Staten Case
    term photo
    Click to view

    73rd Legislative Session (1983-1984)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1983
    Body: House
    District: 64A
    Elected: 11/2/1982
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/3/1983 to 1/6/1985
    Oath Date: 1/4/1983
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Legislator
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Agriculture: Farm Policies and Programs
    • Appropriations
    • Appropriations: Agriculture, Transportation, Semi-State Division
    • Energy
    • Energy: Housing (Chair)

    72nd Legislative Session (1981-1982)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/6/1981
    Body: House
    District: 63A
    Elected: 11/4/1980
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/5/1981 to 1/2/1983
    Oath Date: 1/6/1981
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Early Childhood Educator
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Agriculture: Agriculture Products and Marketing
    • Education
    • Education: Discipline
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Law Reform
    • Regulated Industries
    term photo
    Click to view

    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About

    News Sources

    The Library maintains newspaper clippings on individual legislators during their terms. Clippings are available from 1973 to the present in a variety of formats: 1973-1999, microfiche available at the Library; 2000-2009, scanned in yearly compilations and digitally available on the legislative network; 2009-present, archived in a searchable database maintained by the Library and available on the legislative network.
    These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

    Photographs

    Portrait of Kathleen A. Vellenga. c. 1985. Photo credit: Minnesota House of Representatives.

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