Vellenga, Kathleen A.
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)
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/3/1992
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/5/1993 to 1/2/1995
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
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/6/1990
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/8/1991 to 1/4/1993
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
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/8/1988
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/3/1989 to 1/7/1991
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
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/4/1986
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/6/1987 to 1/2/1989
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
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/6/1984
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/8/1985 to 1/5/1987
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
Body: House
District: 64A
Elected: 11/2/1982
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/4/1983 to 1/7/1985
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)
Body: House
District: 63A
Elected: 11/4/1980
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/6/1981 to 1/3/1983
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
Articles & Books About
Brown, Curt. "My Minnesota: A Novel Twist in the Life of a Former Legislator." Star Tribune, October 20, 2013.
Thielman, Jim. "Vellenga Maintains Former Goals in 'Children's Initiative' Position." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, March 20, 1998, p. 4.
Specktor, Mordecai. "A Compassionate, Issue-Oriented Legislator Moves On." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 15, 1994, p. 20.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library has collected newspaper articles on legislators since 1973. They are available in the Library.