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Tips and Tools for the Texas Legislative Session

 

Tips and Tools for the Texas Legislative Session

To add information to this page or request additional legislative update topics, contact GREAT (great@brazosprogressives.org).

Get to Know Your State Senator:

Personal webpage: http://www.steveogden.org/
Senate webpage: Follow Sen. Ogden's committee assignments and legislative activities.

Know How to Contact Senator Ogden:

Senate District 5—Senator Steve Ogden
Capitol office: CAP GE.4
Capitol phone: (512) 463-0105

District Address: 7607 East Mark Dr., Ste. 241, College Station, TX, 77840
District Phone: (979) 694-2609

Get to Know Senator Ogden's Staff:

Constance Allison—Chief of Staff/General Counsel
Betty Cotte—Administrative Director
Betty's primary responsibility is administrative oversight of the Capitol and district offices. Residents of District 5 may also contact Betty in regard to purchase of Texas state flags flown over the Capitol, Senate proclamations and resolutions, appointments by the governor, and other constituent issues.
Matt Phillips—Legislative Aide
Matt handles some constituent casework. His focus is on policy issues in the areas of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Criminal Justice, and Child Protective Services.
Patty Guerra—Legislative Aide
Patty handles some constituent casework and addresses policy issues in the areas of Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Education.

District Staff:

Courtney Gorman—Legislative Aide
Courtney Gorman is Senator Ogden's scheduler. In this capacity, she processes all requests for meetings, speaking engagements, and other invitations. She also coordinates the Senator's official and personal business calendars. She has served in the Capitol and Round Rock offices, and is currently located in the College Station office.
Mary Jo Hurley—Legislative Aide
Mary Jo Hurley manages Senator Ogden's correspondence, media relations, and internet communications. She also handles casework involving constituents' needs. Her prior experience includes management positions in Texas public higher education, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations.
Pat Berryman—Legislative Aide
Pat Berryman joined the Senator's staff in September of 2002 as a Legislative Aide handling constituents' needs.
Finance Committee Staff:
Sarah Hicks—Committee Director
Prior to joining the Senator's staff, she received a master's degree from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Sarah is responsible for state budget and fiscal matters.
Annette Graves—General Counsel
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Amy Jeter—Committee Clerk
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Get to Know Your State Representative:

Brown's House webpage: Follow Rep. Brown's committee assignments and legislative activities.

Know How to Contact Representative Brown:

House District 14 - Representative Fred Brown
Capitol Office: EXT E2.822, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX, 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0698

District Address: 1920 West Villa Maria Road, Suite 303, Bryan, TX, 77802
District Phone: (979) 822-9797

Get to Know Representative Brown's Staff:

Capitol Office:

  • MeLissa Nicholas—Chief of Staff
  • Shane Nelson—Legislative Aide

District Office:

  • Kristine Donatello—District and Legislative Director
  • Andrew Dorau—Administrative Aide

Learn Your Way Around "Texas Legislature Online" (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/):

The Texas Legislature provides an exceptionally user-friendly and useful website. A really wonderful, very brief guide to all the options that are available to you in keeping track is "How to Follow a Bill Through the Legislative Process." This guide will explain how to find bills on subjects you're interested in, how to see what's happening to them over time, when hearings are scheduled, who's supporting them—and the guide will even explain how you can get e-mail updates on the progress of bills you're particularly interested in.

Session Priorities: If you want a quick summary of the major issues the legislature will be addressing this session, take a look at the House Research Organization's "Topics for the 79th Legislature."

Get Updates and Summaries from Interest and Advocacy Groups:

Many special interest and advocacy groups provide frequent e-mail or online updates and summaries of legislative activity on a topic of interest. Here is a list of issues of interest to local Brazos Progressives members: