In December 2010, Rep. Christine Scanlan resigned from the House District 56 seat to join the administration of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
[1] After the 2012 redistricting of Colorado legislative boundaries, Hamner ran as a Democrat for the newly-redrawn District 61 seat in the 2012 General Election.
In the November 6 General Election, Hamner defeated Debra Irvine (R), Ellen Temby (L), Kathleen Curry (I) and Robert Petrowsky (C).
[4] In 2011, she sponsored successful legislation streamlining the license renewal process for teachers, speeding up the Colorado Department of Transportation’s timeline for recommending improvements on the traffic-plagued I-70 Mountain Corridor, creating a biomass fuel program, and making new uses for trees killed in the Western Slope's bark beetle infestation.
[6] In 2013, Hamner sponsored successful legislation improving early childhood development programs, financing the state's school system, and numerous other education-related bills.