Stephen Scott Emory McInnis (born May 9, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado from 1993 to 2005. In August 2010, McInnis lost his bid to become the Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado after a plagiarism accusation and apology hurt his standing. In November 2014, McInnis was elected a member of the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners—beginning term in office in January 2015.
The McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, west of Grand Junction, is named for him.
Education and professional history
Born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, McInnis graduated from Glenwood Springs High School and attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. He earned a B.A. from Fort Lewis College in 1975 and a J.D. from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1980. He served as a police officer in Glenwood Springs, worked as a hospital director, and started a law practice in Colorado.
McInnis is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and is an honorary adviser for the National Student Leadership Conference.
Political career
Colorado House of Representatives
From 1983 to 1993, McInnis served in the state house of representatives, where he was elected House Majority Leader and served as Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
U.S. Congress
In 1992, McInnis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Colorado's 3rd district and served six terms, from January 1993 to January 2005. Following the Chandra Levy investigation, McInnis "proposed that the House of Representatives adopt strict rules prohibiting members from having romantic or sexual relationships with interns they supervise." While in Congress, McInnis held a position on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means.
Along with former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, McInnis sponsored legislation to redesignate Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument as a national park in 1999. In 2000, McInnis and former senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Wayne Allard authored the Great Sand Dunes National Park Act, and four years later the Great Sand Dunes became the country's 58th national park.
While in office, McInnis received numerous awards. He was named "Person of the Decade" by The Glenwood Post in 1999 and "Best Local Government Official" by The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel from 1999–2003. Other awards Scott has received include the Colorado Association of Homebuilders' Award for Government Service, the Legislator of the Year Award from the Colorado Wildlife Federation, the Golden Bulldog Award from Watchdogs of the Treasury, the National Security Leadership Award from the American Security Council, the Sound Dollar Award from the Free Congress Foundation, the Spirit of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Hero of the Taxpayer Award from The Americans for Tax Reform, the Taxfighter Award from the National Tax Limitation Committee and the Friend of Farm Bureau award from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
McInnis once employed Josh Penry, who is now a former Colorado state senator, and McInnis has been described as Penry's political "mentor."
Campaign Scrutiny
McInnis's Congressional campaign committee came under scrutiny in 2005 by the Federal Election Commission after Democrats filed a complaint alleging that the campaign improperly issued payments to McInnis's wife for her work as campaign manager in 2004 when Scott McInnis was not actively seeking office. McInnis's campaign explained that Lori McInnis was employed by the campaign committee to maintain campaign archives, direct money to other campaigns, and act as liaison with the accounting firm retained by the campaign. McInnis's chief of staff stated that it was "naive to assume that simply because Congressman McInnis is not seeking re-election that we aren't participating in the election." The FEC ultimately dismissed the complaint and found no evidence of wrongdoing by the McInnis campaign.
After being regarded as the early Republican frontrunner in Colorado's 2008 U.S. Senate election, McInnis decided not to enter the race, citing family reasons.