Karen Mayne is an American politician serving as a member of the

Utah Senate The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Utah Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of senate districts. Each senate district is c ...

from the 5th District. She assumed office on January 2, 2008, succeeding her husband, Ed Mayne.

Early life and education

Mayne was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. She is a graduate of Chamber West Leadership Center and attended Henagers Business College.

Career

Mayne worked as a para-educator for 20 years in the

Granite School District The Granite School District spreads across central Salt Lake County, Utah, serving West Valley City, Millcreek, Taylorsville, South Salt Lake, and Holladay; Kearns and Magna Townships; and parts of West Jordan, Murray and Cottonwood Heights. ...

. Throughout her career in education, she won the Para-educator of the Year, the American Federation of Teachers, the Lucy Beth Rampton Award for Community Service, and the Service to Community Award. Before her position as senator, Mayne was active in her local PTA, baseball and football organizations, and numerous political and community activities. Upon the death of her husband, Senator Ed Mayne, in 2007, Mayne was appointed to his senate seat. She was then elected in 2008 and 2010 as a Democrat. In 2014, she served as the Assistant Minority Whip, and beginning in 2015 she has served as the Senate Minority Whip. During her service as senator, Mayne has won a number of awards, including the Elenor Roosevelt Distinguished Woman of the Year Award, Legislator of the Year Award From Salt Lake Community College, Utah School Nurse Association Appreciation Award, "Hero on the Hill," from the Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities, Firefighters' Legislator of the Year, Workers Compensation Fund President's Award, the Sunshine Award (given for protection of free speech and open government), Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce's Business Champion of 2013, and the Award of Excellence in Workplace Safety and Health presented by the Rocky Mountain Center.

Personal life

Mayne has two children and six grandchildren. She is a lifelong resident of the West side of Salt Lake Valley. She is a member of the Methodist Church. In January 2022, Mayne was hospitalized after falling at her home and suffered from a head and shoulder injury. She was later diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

while receiving treatment for her injuries.

Election results

In 2014 Mayne was unopposed in the primary. During the general election she had a challenger who dropped out before the election and won unopposed.

2008

2010

Legislation

Notable legislation

In 2014, Mayne sponsored S.B. 36, which only allows certain groups, such as political parties and health care providers, to access voter birth dates. It also restricts their use of that information for verifying identities or political purposes, such as urging support for a candidate. The Governor signed this bill into law. In 2016 Mayne sponsored a bill which will create a feasibility study to determine how postal service workers can be utilized to aid with emergency response efforts. This bill was supported by Representative

Jason Chaffetz Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017. Ch ...

as part of his effort to make the postal service more universal.

References

External links

Utah State Legislature – Senator Karen Mayne
official government website
Project Vote Smart – Senator Karen Mayne (UT)
profile *''Follow the Money'' �
Karen Mayne 2008
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayne, Karen 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Methodists from Utah Living people Politicians from Salt Lake City Democratic Party Utah state senators Women state legislators in Utah Year of birth missing (living people) Spouses of Utah politicians