Legislative Wrap-Up Forum to be held August 13
July 10, 2019
On Tuesday, August 13 State Senator Lois Kolkhorst and State Representative Ben Leman will be the featured guests of the next Washington County Forum hosted by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. This lunchtime event will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the banquet room of the Blinn College Student Center.
Senator Kolkhorst and Representative Leman will give a recap of the 86th Texas Legislative Session and discuss some of the most critical issues facing our state and what it all means for our region.
Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst is a fifth-generation Texan, with ancestral roots dating to the Texas War of Independence. Born and raised in Brenham, she went on to graduate from TCU where she played collegiate golf.
Kolkhorst served as President and CEO of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation before being elected in 2000 to the Texas House. In 2014, after seven terms in the Texas House, she was elected to the Texas Senate in a special election, becoming only the 17th female to serve in the Texas Senate since 1845. She represents nearly one-million constituents in Senate District 18, which spans 21 counties and covers a third of the Texas coastline.
As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, Senator Kolkhorst sets public health policies, regulates physicians and licensed health professionals, and provides oversight to state agencies including the Health & Human Services Commission, Department of Family & Protective Services and the Texas Medical Board. She has crafted statewide solutions to improve maternal mortality rates, and has worked to toughen Texas medical privacy law. A frequent collaborator with CASA, she has sought innovative ways to protect abused children and reform foster care.
Serving on the influential Senate Finance Committee, Senator Kolkhorst is the only lawmaker in Texas history to be named twice to the Budget Conference Committee in both the House and Senate. Along with crafting the state budget, she has led efforts to enhance Texas roads, ports and trade corridors as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Senate Committee on Nominations, which vets and confirms government appointees who have been nominated by Governor Abbott.
A longtime voice for private property rights, Senator Kolkhorst is a current member of the Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs, the Texas Agriculture Policy Board, the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee, and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Oversight Board. She has passed legislation that impacts every code of Texas law, including calls for greater government transparency and reduced regulations for small farms and food producers.
Along with helping to secure nearly $2 billion for border security, Senator Kolkhorst has worked with victims of human trafficking to shut down criminal smuggling networks. Her efforts to support public and higher education have earned her both the "Legislator of the Year” by the Texas Association of College Teachers and the "Friend of Education" award from Sam Houston State University College of Education. She has also received accolades and awards from the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Wildlife Association, the NRA, the Sheriffs Association of Texas, CASA, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association and the Texas DPS Officer Association among others.
Married to her high-school sweetheart Jim, together they have two children, Lois Kate and Jake. Her hobbies include hunting, fishing and gardening. She is a frequent volunteer at her local church.
Representative Ben Leman began his successful business career when he co-founded an oil and gas equipment manufacturing company in 1997. As CEO of Merrimac Manufacturing, Inc., he successfully navigated major growth rates on a very tight budget, growing the complex business ‘from just two of us in my mother’s garage’ to over 100 employees, 25 stocking locations around the world and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in House District 13. Representative Leman sold the company in 2012 to a publicly traded company, where he continued to work for one more year.
In 2013, he shifted his focus toward his civic duty and announced his candidacy for Grimes County Judge to help prepare Grimes County for the rapid growth headed its way. Representative Leman won the Republican nomination for County Judge in 2014, then the General Election later that same year. As County Judge, he combined his business acumen with his conservative principles to do some great work for Grimes County. Among the successes during his three years in office were:
• proposed and passed a property tax cut 2 out of 3 years in office while continuing to reduce debt to an almost zero debt balance
• avoided any tax rate increases despite having a nearly $600,000 decrease in revenue in one of those years
• fought and defeated the proposed State Highway 249 toll road and successfully eliminated the toll in Grimes County
• developed and implemented a citizen-driven strategic plan for the County so the Commissioners Court could build consensus and prioritize their needs as the growth occurred
• developed and implemented an economic development plan for the County
• developed and implemented a performance review based compensation structure for all county personnel to ensure employees are responsive to citizens
Representative Leman is most known in public office for being a staunch defender of private property rights and an advocate for rural Texas. Representative Leman has earned national attention leading the effort against the proposed high-speed rail project in a very public fight both in his County Judge capacity as well as a co-founding member and Chairman of Texans Against High-Speed Rail.
On May 31st 2018, Rep. Leman was sworn into office as State Representative of House District 13. He currently serves on the Land and Resource Management Committee, Redistricting Committee and Transportation Committee.
Representative Leman was born and raised in Magnolia, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance, and his wife Christie graduated from Texas A&M University with double major in Spanish and History. They married in 2004 and are blessed with four (4) children. The Lemans are active members of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Anderson and currently reside within Grimes County. As a family they run a cattle operation, the kids show animals at the county fair, they are active in 4-H club, participate in youth sports (where Ben also coaches), and their kids help take care of the numerous animals on their property – horses, pigs, chickens and cows.
The forum will be moderated by Joel Romo of Texana Public Affairs. Romo has worked for members of the Texas Legislature having served as Chief of Staff and advising lawmakers on their legislative agendas, the state budget, and key policy issues impacting their districts and the state of Texas. Romo's lobby experience includes past positions as a Governmental Relations Director for the Association of Texas Professional Educators and as Assistant Director of Governmental Relations and Communications for the Texas Municipal Retirement System.
A graduate of St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, Joel has been president of the Austin St. Edward's Alumni Chapter, a past member of the University's Alumni Board, past Board member of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, past Board member of the Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce, currently serves as the Chair of the Brenham Volunteer Services Council, Brenham State Supported Living Center. He also serves as a Board Member for the Chappell Hill Historical Society and the Brenham Independent School District's Education Foundation Board.
Audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions directly to the Senator and Representative at the Forum.
Tickets are $25 for Chamber Members, $35 for non-members, or $250 for a reserved Corporate Table (seats 8). A catered buffet lunch is included. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber at (979) 836-3695. The deadline to reserve a seat is Tuesday, August 6, 2019.
Senator Kolkhorst and Representative Leman will give a recap of the 86th Texas Legislative Session and discuss some of the most critical issues facing our state and what it all means for our region.
Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst is a fifth-generation Texan, with ancestral roots dating to the Texas War of Independence. Born and raised in Brenham, she went on to graduate from TCU where she played collegiate golf.
Kolkhorst served as President and CEO of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation before being elected in 2000 to the Texas House. In 2014, after seven terms in the Texas House, she was elected to the Texas Senate in a special election, becoming only the 17th female to serve in the Texas Senate since 1845. She represents nearly one-million constituents in Senate District 18, which spans 21 counties and covers a third of the Texas coastline.
As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, Senator Kolkhorst sets public health policies, regulates physicians and licensed health professionals, and provides oversight to state agencies including the Health & Human Services Commission, Department of Family & Protective Services and the Texas Medical Board. She has crafted statewide solutions to improve maternal mortality rates, and has worked to toughen Texas medical privacy law. A frequent collaborator with CASA, she has sought innovative ways to protect abused children and reform foster care.
Serving on the influential Senate Finance Committee, Senator Kolkhorst is the only lawmaker in Texas history to be named twice to the Budget Conference Committee in both the House and Senate. Along with crafting the state budget, she has led efforts to enhance Texas roads, ports and trade corridors as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Senate Committee on Nominations, which vets and confirms government appointees who have been nominated by Governor Abbott.
A longtime voice for private property rights, Senator Kolkhorst is a current member of the Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs, the Texas Agriculture Policy Board, the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee, and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Oversight Board. She has passed legislation that impacts every code of Texas law, including calls for greater government transparency and reduced regulations for small farms and food producers.
Along with helping to secure nearly $2 billion for border security, Senator Kolkhorst has worked with victims of human trafficking to shut down criminal smuggling networks. Her efforts to support public and higher education have earned her both the "Legislator of the Year” by the Texas Association of College Teachers and the "Friend of Education" award from Sam Houston State University College of Education. She has also received accolades and awards from the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Wildlife Association, the NRA, the Sheriffs Association of Texas, CASA, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association and the Texas DPS Officer Association among others.
Married to her high-school sweetheart Jim, together they have two children, Lois Kate and Jake. Her hobbies include hunting, fishing and gardening. She is a frequent volunteer at her local church.
Representative Ben Leman began his successful business career when he co-founded an oil and gas equipment manufacturing company in 1997. As CEO of Merrimac Manufacturing, Inc., he successfully navigated major growth rates on a very tight budget, growing the complex business ‘from just two of us in my mother’s garage’ to over 100 employees, 25 stocking locations around the world and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in House District 13. Representative Leman sold the company in 2012 to a publicly traded company, where he continued to work for one more year.
In 2013, he shifted his focus toward his civic duty and announced his candidacy for Grimes County Judge to help prepare Grimes County for the rapid growth headed its way. Representative Leman won the Republican nomination for County Judge in 2014, then the General Election later that same year. As County Judge, he combined his business acumen with his conservative principles to do some great work for Grimes County. Among the successes during his three years in office were:
• proposed and passed a property tax cut 2 out of 3 years in office while continuing to reduce debt to an almost zero debt balance
• avoided any tax rate increases despite having a nearly $600,000 decrease in revenue in one of those years
• fought and defeated the proposed State Highway 249 toll road and successfully eliminated the toll in Grimes County
• developed and implemented a citizen-driven strategic plan for the County so the Commissioners Court could build consensus and prioritize their needs as the growth occurred
• developed and implemented an economic development plan for the County
• developed and implemented a performance review based compensation structure for all county personnel to ensure employees are responsive to citizens
Representative Leman is most known in public office for being a staunch defender of private property rights and an advocate for rural Texas. Representative Leman has earned national attention leading the effort against the proposed high-speed rail project in a very public fight both in his County Judge capacity as well as a co-founding member and Chairman of Texans Against High-Speed Rail.
On May 31st 2018, Rep. Leman was sworn into office as State Representative of House District 13. He currently serves on the Land and Resource Management Committee, Redistricting Committee and Transportation Committee.
Representative Leman was born and raised in Magnolia, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance, and his wife Christie graduated from Texas A&M University with double major in Spanish and History. They married in 2004 and are blessed with four (4) children. The Lemans are active members of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Anderson and currently reside within Grimes County. As a family they run a cattle operation, the kids show animals at the county fair, they are active in 4-H club, participate in youth sports (where Ben also coaches), and their kids help take care of the numerous animals on their property – horses, pigs, chickens and cows.
The forum will be moderated by Joel Romo of Texana Public Affairs. Romo has worked for members of the Texas Legislature having served as Chief of Staff and advising lawmakers on their legislative agendas, the state budget, and key policy issues impacting their districts and the state of Texas. Romo's lobby experience includes past positions as a Governmental Relations Director for the Association of Texas Professional Educators and as Assistant Director of Governmental Relations and Communications for the Texas Municipal Retirement System.
A graduate of St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, Joel has been president of the Austin St. Edward's Alumni Chapter, a past member of the University's Alumni Board, past Board member of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, past Board member of the Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce, currently serves as the Chair of the Brenham Volunteer Services Council, Brenham State Supported Living Center. He also serves as a Board Member for the Chappell Hill Historical Society and the Brenham Independent School District's Education Foundation Board.
Audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions directly to the Senator and Representative at the Forum.
Tickets are $25 for Chamber Members, $35 for non-members, or $250 for a reserved Corporate Table (seats 8). A catered buffet lunch is included. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber at (979) 836-3695. The deadline to reserve a seat is Tuesday, August 6, 2019.
Contact:
Shae Janner, Business Programs Manager
shae@brenhamtexas.com, 979-836-3695
