Dan Branch

Dan Branch
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 108th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	Kenn George
Personal details
Born	March 5, 1958
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Stacey Branch
Residence	Dallas, Texas
Alma mater	Oklahoma Christian University Southern Methodist University Georgetown University
Website	www.danbranch.com

Dan Branch (born March 5, 1958) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives from Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. First elected in 2002, as a Republican, Branch is currently in his fourth term^[1] representing District 108, the "heart of Dallas", which includes Downtown, Uptown, Historic East Dallas, Greenland Hills, Lower Greenville, The Village, as well as the town of Highland Park and the city of University Park.^[2]

In 2009, Branch had been mentioned as a potential candidate for Texas Attorney General until Republican incumbent Greg Abbott announced his bid for a third term in the position.^[3] Branch has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2014. ^[4]

Legislative service

Branch won the seat in 2002, when the incumbent Republican Kenn George stepped down after two terms to run unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Texas land commissioner, losing to Jerry E. Patterson, then a state senator from Houston.

Branch has served as Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education since 2009 and serves on the Calendars, Elections and Redistricting Committees, as well as the House Select Committee on State Sovereignty. Branch also serves on the Legislative Budget Board. Prior to the 81st Session, he served three terms as the Chair of Budget and Oversight on House Public Education Committee and served as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. In 2009, Rep. Dan Branch was selected by Texas House members from eleven north Texas counties to Co-Chair the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation (DALD), at the delegation's first meeting of the 81st session. Branch replaces retired member Rep. Fred Hill (R-Richardson) as the Republican co-chair.^[4] He was re-elected in 2011 to serve as co-chair.^[5]

During the 81st legislative session, Rep. Branch was the author of House Bill 51, also known as the "Tier One Universities" Bill. The bill gave seven so-called emerging research universities would compete for extra funding in hopes of joining the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University as nationally recognized research institutions. Rice University, which is private, is also a top-tier school.^[6] These seven schools include the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Houston and Texas Tech University. After signing HB 51 into law, Governor Rick Perry said "[House Bill 51] will go down in the history books as one that truly is improving education in our state."^[7]

Professional Accomplishments

In addition to his service in the Legislature, Branch is a corporate lawyer and shareholder of Winstead PC. He is a former judicial clerk to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope and a former aide to the late U.S. Senator John Tower. Branch is a member of the bars of Texas, New York and the District of Columbia.

Community involvement

Branch visits with neighbors in the Munger Place Historic District of Old East Dallas.

Beyond his professional service, Branch is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, a member of the Mayor's Downtown Task Force in Dallas, a former president of The Dallas Assembly and a former Chairman of the Texas Public Finance Authority, appointed by Governor George W. Bush. In addition, he is the chairman of SMU's John Tower Center for Political Studies, named for the late Texas U.S. Senator John G. Tower, and serves on numerous boards, including The Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C., the Boy Scouts of America/Circle Ten Council and the Southwestern Medical Foundation in Dallas.

On a regular basis, Branch visits the many elementary, middle and high schools in his legislative district. In the fall of 2008, Branch joined Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa in leading "Operation Comeback", a statewide effort to stop 50,000 students a year from dropping out of high school.^[8]

Education

Branch is a graduate of the Southern Methodist University School of Law (now the Dedman School of Law), where he served as an editor of the law review. He is an alumnus of the Institute on Comparative Political & Economic Systems at Georgetown University, and he holds bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees from Oklahoma Christian University, graduating summa cum laude in 1980.^{[citation needed]}

Family life

Dan and his wife, Stacey, have five children: Daniel, Spencer, Catherine, Charles and Sarah. They have lived and worked in Dallas for almost three decades.^[6]

References

1. ^ "Editorial: We recommend Branch in Texas House District 108" Retrieved on 2009-5-7.
2. ^ "Representative Dan Branch" Retrieved on 2009-5-7.
3. ^ "So Far, Three Express Interest in AG Race If Abbott Doesn't Run" Retrieved on 2009-5-7.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Rep. Dan Branch for lieutenant governor in 2014?" Retrieved on 2011-10-25.
5. ^ " Retrieved on 2011-8-18.
6. ^ ^{a b} "Top-tier measure heads to governor Retrieved on 2010-5-6.
7. ^ "Tier One university bill is signed, uniting old foes Retrieved on 2010-5-6.
8. ^ "DISD Taking anti-dropout effort into ex-students' homes City and school officials visit youths as part of statewide drive" Retrieved on 2009-5-8.

External links

• "Representative Dan Branch". Texas State Directory. http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist108/bio/branch.htm. 
• "Dan Branch". Official Campaign Website. http://danbranch.com/. 

Preceded by Kenn George

Texas State Representative from District 108 (Dallas County) 2003–

Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Branch, Dan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 5, 1958
Place of birth
Date of death
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