Jerry Sonnenberg

Among the bills he sponsored that were signed into law by the Governor is Senate Bill 123 which is designed to create more transparency within asbestos claims proceedings. He also sponsored a bill, Senate Bill 33, that extends the repeal date for the Department of Public Health and Environment’s animal feeding operation permit program into 2025. The Second bill introduced in the Senate in 2018 was Senate Bill 2, which allocated funding for broadband development in rural areas of the state.

In 2018, Senator Sonnenberg, President Pro Tempore of the Colorado Senate, continued to serve on several committees including Legislative Council, Appropriations, State Affairs and as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee where he draws upon his experience as a farmer/rancher.

In November 2016, Sonnenberg was elected Senate President Pro Tempore.

In 2014, Rep. Sonnenberg chose to run for State Senate District 1.

In the 2012 General Election, Representative Sonnenberg was again unchallenged in his bid for a fourth term in the Colorado House. Unsurprisingly, Sonnenberg was declared the winner with 100% of votes cast in his favor.

During the session, Sonnenberg sponsored 11 bills, of which seven passed. Following the session, he expressed concern over the legislature's failure to provide addition transportation funding and announced his intention to introduce legislation providing additional funding for road repair and water storage in the 2009 legislative session.

For the 2009 legislative session, Sonnenberg was named to seats on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee. Sonnenberg plans on sponsoring legislation regarding urban renewal authorities, and legislation mandating reparations from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for game damage to agricultural land, a proposal which was weakened in House committee. Sonnenberg also proposed legislation to allocate a portion of sales tax revenue directly to transportation; his legislation was a major portion of Republicans' alternative proposals to a registration fee increase proposed by Democrats.

In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Sonnenberg sits on the House Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee.

For the 2008 session, Sonnenberg sponsored legislation to limit the power of the Colorado Department of Wildlife to purchase land, by requiring that any purchase be matched by a sale of other assets of equal value. The bill was opposed by the Department of Wildlife, and failed to pass a House committee. Sonnenberg did credit the measure, however, with leading to the DOW's formation of a landowners’ advisory group and a meeting with the DOW and landowners in northeastern Colorado.

In February 2008, Sonnenberg announced his bid for re-election to a second two-year term in the state house. He faced only unaffiliated write-in candidate Dan Conn in the general election. Sonnenberg emphasized water, infrastructure, and rural development issues during his campaign. Sonnenberg's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post, the Sterling Journal-Advocate, and the Windsor Beacon.

During the 2007 legislative session, Sonnenberg sat on the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee. During his first term, Sonnenberg was also appointed to the state's Correctional Industries Advisory Committee.

Sonnenberg's top-priority legislation during the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly was a bill restricting the ability of Colorado governments to obtain water rights through eminent domain. The bill was denounced as unconstitutional by the Colorado League of Municipalities, and only narrowly passed the state house. Senate sponsor Brandon Shaffer modified the Senate version of the bill, which passed by a wide margin, to call only for a study on the issue; Sonnenberg publicly called Shaffer a "turncoat" for amending the Senate bill and then refusing to call for a conference committee to reconcile the two versions of the legislation. Sonnenberg intends to introduce the legislation again during the 2008 session. Sonnenberg also sponsored legislation to allow state inspectors to inspect livestock records in order to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, and to increase funding for rural district attorneys.

After the 2007 legislative session, Sonnenberg was recognized by the Colorado Union of Taxpayers as one of its "Outstanding Legislators of 2007" for his support of lower taxes and private property rights Sonnenberg also sits on two interim committees — on transportation and on allocation of severance tax and federal mineral lease revenues.

During debate on the state budget, Sonnenberg offered an unsuccessful amendment, mirroring one of his defeated 2007 bills, to increase funding for rural district attorneys offices; he also unsuccessfully attempted to eliminate 21 jobs within the Oil and Gas Commission created to monitor compliance with new environmental rules, arguing that the positions should have been attached to the original 2007 legislation that enacted the new rules.

A former precinct chairman for the Logan County Republican Party, Sonnenberg ran unopposed and won the Colorado legislature in 2006. or the general election.

Out of 24 first-term house members elected in 2006 — the largest freshman class since Colorado statehood — Sonnenberg was the only one elected without any electoral opposition.

A farmer and rancher since 1979, Sonnenberg has managed and operated his 3,600-acre (15 km) family farm and held a variety of jobs, including news photographer, funeral home assistant and truck driver in a family owned-and-operated trucking business. He previously served as the president of the Logan County Farm Bureau and was chairman of Logan County Right to Farm Committee. In addition, he sat on the Colorado Water Congress Policy Committee, the Logan County Planning Commission and was on the boards of the Colorado Farm Bureau and the Republican River Conservation District.

Jerry Sonnenberg (born May 1958) is a member of the Colorado Senate, representing Senate District 1, which encompasses Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma counties, and parts of Weld County.