Mark B. Madsen
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Mark Benson Madsen (born May 8, 1963) is an American politician and attorney from Utah. A
Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
, he is a former member of the Utah State Senate, where he represented the state's 13th senate district in Utah, and Tooele Counties including the city of
Lehi Lehi (; he, לח"י – לוחמי חרות ישראל ''Lohamei Herut Israel – Lehi'', "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel – Lehi"), often known pejoratively as the Stern Gang,"This group was known to its friends as LEHI and to its enemie ...
. Madsen is the grandson of Ezra Taft Benson,
Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...
under President Eisenhower.


Personal life, education, and career

Madsen received his bachelor's degree from
George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
and his J.D. from the
J. Reuben Clark Law School The J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law or JRCLS) is the graduate law school of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, a former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and g ...
at Brigham Young University. In 1994, Mark met Erin Michele Allen, an Idaho native, working in Washington, D.C. They married in June 1995. Since relocating to Utah, Madsen has worked for Larry H. Miller Management in the Legal Department, as Project Manager in the commercial real estate division, and on other assorted projects as assigned by Mr. Miller. In March 2000, Madsen was elected as the first resident president of the North Ranch Homeowners Association. He and Erin have five children. Madsen nearly died in 2007, when he accidentally overdosed on prescription pain medication. His doctor prescribed him a fentanyl patch for back pain. The patch burst, sending the medication right into his bloodstream. His kids found him on the couch. He was cold and not breathing. His family revived him with the help of 911. That's when he first became concerned about finding safer alternatives to opioids or prescription pain medications. He has since become an advocate for the legalization of medicinal marijuana.


Background

* Eagle Mountain City Council Member * Americas 100 Emerging Political Leaders * State Legislative Leaders Foundation * Support of Excellence Award (UT Highway Patrol) * Kentucky Colonel * International Election Observer (Panama 1988 and Guatemala) * Representative for National Convention 2008


Political career

Madsen started his political career in 1984 when he lived and worked in the Washington, D.C. area. He began in January 1984, as an intern for Utah U.S. Senator, Orrin Hatch. He then went on to work for lobbying organizations promoting Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative and a federal Balanced Budget Amendment. Madsen was elected to City Council in 2001. He was sworn in on January 7, 2002. He then ran for State Senate, and was first elected in 2004. Madsen is affiliated with the Federalist Society and the American Leadership Academy in Spanish Fork. Madsen last ran for office in 2012 when we won unopposed. He retired at the end of the 2016 session. In 2016, Madsen served on the following committees: * Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee * Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee * Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee * Senate Education Committee * Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee (Chair) * Senate Rules Committee At the end of the 2016 legislative session, Madsen announced that he no longer planned to run for office but would instead leave the United States to reside in South America for a time. In July 2016, Madsen switched from the Republican to the Libertarian Party and endorsed Gary Johnson for president.


Legislation


2016 sponsored bills


Notable legislation

In the 2008 session of the state legislature, Madsen was chief sponsor of SB 210, a bill that required proof of citizenship to be presented in order for Utahns to register to vote. Local Salt Lake City media erroneously reported that S.B. 247, which Madsen sponsored, would honor Utah native gun creator John M. Browning on the current Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, as Madsen had originally proposed. He was criticized greatly for this. However, the language that Madsen ultimately put into the bill, S.B. 247S03, which passed both houses of the
Utah Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term l ...
and was signed into law, recognized John M. Browning on January 24, 2011. In 2015, Senator Madsen introduced a medical marijuana bill, S.B.259, which failed because the legislature wanted to study the issue further during the interim before acting. In 2016, Madsen once again presented a medical marijuana bill. During this session, Madsen's bill had competition. Senator
Evan Vickers Evan J. Vickers is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah State Senate representing District 28 since January 1, 2013. Vickers previously served in the Utah State Legislature from January 1, 2009 until December 31, 2012 in the ...
introduce
S.B. 89
this bill was a scaled back marijuana bill. During the session his difficulties increased when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said it opposed his bill. Still, Madsen, who is Mormon, continued to support his bill because polls show most Utah residents support the proposed law. "It would be immoral to back down," he said. After making 7 amendments to the bill, the LDS Church acknowledged that the changes were substantial. The bill

passed out of the Senate, but died in the House Health and Human Services Committee. Neither of the marijuana bills passed during the 2016 Session.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Mark B. 1963 births Living people Latter Day Saints from Washington, D.C. Benson family George Mason University alumni J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni Libertarian Party (United States) officeholders People from Saratoga Springs, Utah Utah lawyers Utah Libertarians Utah state senators People from Jefferson County, Colorado 21st-century American politicians Latter Day Saints from Utah