Douglas Edward Bruce (born August 26, 1949) is an American conservative activist, attorney, convicted felon, and former legislator who served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2008 to 2009.

[4] After kicking a Rocky Mountain News photographer on the day he was sworn in, Bruce became the first legislator in Colorado history to be formally censured.

Although defeated for election to a full term in the August 2008 Republican Party primary, Bruce continued his activism to reduce government expenditures and taxes in Colorado Springs and statewide.

In 2010, Bruce was indicted for money laundering, attempted bribery of a public official, and tax fraud involving the use of a charitable organization and anti-tax activism.

[6] Born in Los Angeles, California, Bruce graduated from Hollywood High School at the age of 16 and then from Pomona College with a double major in history and government.

[7][8][9] He earned a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law in 1973 and worked as a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney from 1973 to 1979, resigning amid frustration with the court system.

[3] During the late 1970s, Bruce acquired a number of rental properties in the Los Angeles area, which he managed full-time after leaving the district attorney's office.

He has been cited repeatedly by law and code enforcement officials regarding the upkeep of his properties,[11] although most of the dozens of citations brought against him have been overturned.

[12] In connection with charge of operating an unsafe building, Bruce spent eight days in jail in 1995 on a contempt of court citation.

[17] Although similar tax-limitation measures had been rejected by voters over the previous decades, in 1988, Bruce authored and led the campaign that was eventually successful in enacting TABOR, a "Taxpayer Bill of Rights," in Colorado.

Although TABOR did not pass in 1988, garnering only 42% of the vote in a statewide reference, Bruce revised the measure and it was placed on the ballot again in 1990, when it received 49% support.

[20][26][27] TABOR's budget restrictions were frequently cited by officials in Bruce's native El Paso County as resulting in deficiencies in health, law enforcement, and administrative services,[28] and on the state level, creating financial difficulties for higher education.

[32] In 2008, following his term in the state legislature, Bruce argued against a measure to reverse some of the spending restrictions of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

[40] In the general election, Bruce defeated Democrat Stanley Hildahl and two Republicans who ran as write-in candidates with the backing of some party leaders.

"[52] He was unsuccessful in attempting to reduce the number of paid holidays taken by county employees,[53] but was instrumental in lowering property tax rates[54] and in negotiating the expansion of a gravel pit operation.

After ten months of disputing arrangements with county staff, Bruce agreed to accept checks with taxes and deductions withheld.

[63][64] The nonprofit group has purchased tens of thousands of copies of the constitution, with the goal of giving one to every graduating high school senior in Colorado.

[20][65] He also refused to accept a VIP pass from the Colorado Springs Airport, characterizing it as a "bribe;"[66] he also objected to the introduction of public prayer during county commission meetings.

During his first year, an escalating series of disputes with Commissioner Sallie Clark led to her ruling, at a meeting which she chaired, that Bruce was not allowed to discuss Colorado Springs city politics.

[71] In 2006, El Paso County Attorney Bill Louis denounced Bruce as a "narcissist, sociopath and crackpot enabler" for supporting Colorado's Amendment 38, a referendum designed to ease rules for petitioning measures onto election ballots.

"[72] Tensions also rose during Bruce's final weeks on the county commission, as he sought a vacancy committee's appointment to the state legislature.

[77][78] Bruce was also the subject of several criminal citations — first in May 2006, stemming from charges that he campaigned against a tax increase for the Falcon Fire Protection District at a polling place closer than the legal 100-foot (30 m) limit,[79] and then in August 2009, when he and another man were charged with trespassing after being asked by police to stop soliciting signatures outside a Costco[80] for the second time in a year.

[91][92] In October 2007, Bruce was chosen over two other Republican contenders for the state house seat vacated by Rep. Bill Cadman, following a short but contentious battle for the appointment.

[97][98] He acquiesced to an individual swearing-in ceremony on January 14 after House Republicans voted 22-1 to call for a representative to be named for District 15 if Bruce did not take the oath of office by the end of the day.

After speaking against illegal immigration and being advised to restrict comments to the bill by debate chair Rep. Kathleen Curry, Bruce took the floor a second time and commented: I would like to have the opportunity to state at the microphone why I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado.Bruce was immediately gavelled to order by Rep. Kathleen Curry, who ruled that he would no longer be recognized during debate on the bill.

[146] In 2007, Bruce began a series of challenges to the City of Colorado Springs' creation of a Stormwater Enterprise Fee, which he contended amounted to an illegal tax collected by a government entity.

[157] Bruce's Issue 300 was passed by voters with about 55 percent of the vote, and mandated that enterprise payments to Colorado Springs be phased out over eight years.

[175][176] Opponents of the ballot measures filed a complaint alleging the backers violated Colorado campaign finance laws by failing to disclose contributions and expenditures.

[5] On February 13, 2012, he was sentenced to two consecutive 90-day jail terms and six months of probation, during which he would have to make extensive financial disclosures to the court aimed to ensure he did not become a repeat offender.

After a year, the probation department of the Denver District Court brought two complaints against Bruce, claiming that he failed to submit financial disclosures and tax filings, did not disclose a financial deal with Colorado Springs Councilwoman Helen Collins, and did not report code violations and court cases related to six personal properties in Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois, nor nearly $22,000 in delinquent taxes on three Ohio properties.