Public Policy Briefing - Feb 14

Description

Texas State Representatives Button and Leach and Ramos discuss their legislative priorities and discuss next year's 88th Texas Legislature. 

Angie Chen Button (R - Richardson)
Texas State Representative

Angie Chen Button is currently serving as State Representative for House District 112 which includes portions of Garland, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, and Dallas in Dallas County. She currently serves as Chair of the International Relations and Economic Development Committee and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Representative Button worked for Texas Instruments (TI) where she promoted American products internationally as an International Marketing Manager. She is also a CPA with Masters’ degrees in Public Finance and Management Sciences.

Before her election to the Texas House, Rep. Button had a long record of public service and community involvement in the Metroplex. She was a member of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board and an Executive Committee Member of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition (DRMC). She served in leadership positions with chambers of commerce, citizen coalitions, and for other civic and non-profit organizations. She has also been part of the Dallas Assembly, the Dallas Summit, and the Women’s Museum Advisory Board.

Representative Button was born in Taipei, Taiwan. As a child, her seven person family lived in a 300 square foot, one-room hut without a kitchen or running water. She credits education with bringing her a better life. Rep. Button met her husband Darcy as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). They have lived in Richardson and Garland for 30 years and are the proud grandparents of two. Angie’s life has been the American dream-Texas style.


Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano)
Texas State Representative

State Representative Jeff Leach proudly serves the citizens of House District 67, consisting of portions of Plano, Allen, Richardson and Dallas in Collin County. Now serving in his fifth term, Representative Leach has consistently proven himself to be a committed conservative and effective leader in the Texas Capitol and has worked tirelessly to ensure that Texas remains strong for future generations. 

For the 87th Legislative Session, Representative Leach was appointed by Speaker Dade Phelan to serve a second-term as Chairman of the of the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence. Additionally, he was selected to serve on the House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues. During his first term as Chairman of the major House committee with oversight over the Texas justice system, Jeff worked to improve our state’s judiciary and advance sound reforms to civil practice and procedure. Specifically, he successfully authored legislation giving Texas judges a much-needed pay raise without raising legislator pensions, bolstered our state’s judiciary with the creation of 17 new courts across the state – including two in Collin County – and implemented various reforms to improve access to courts and consolidate court fees to promote fairness and transparency.

Born and raised in Plano, Representative Leach graduated from Plano Senior High before attending Baylor University. He earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, and currently practices at the law firm of Gray Reed & McGraw LLP in Dallas. Named a “Rising Star” by Texas Super Lawyer, Jeff specializes in complex commercial and civil litigation, construction law and real estate. Most recently, Representative Leach was named as a "Friend of the Judiciary" by the State Bar of Texas and was recognized as a "2019 Legislator of the Year" by the Texas Civil Justice League.