State Representative Senfronia Thompson will be roasted and toasted by her friends, colleagues and supporters for her 30 years of service on Saturday, October 5, 2002, at 7:00 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel (Astrodome), 8686 Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas. This festive, memorable event entitled “Celebrating a Treasure: Honoring 30 Years of Dedicated Service,” is co-chaired by Bruce Gibson of Reliant Energy and Mark Stiles of Trinity Industries. The City of Houston’s Mayor Lee P. Brown serves as the Honorary Chairperson.
Often called the “Wo-Dean” or “Madame Chair,” Representative Thompson has served longer in the State Legislature than any other woman or African-American in Texas history. She has been in the forefront of every campaign against discrimination in the last three decades.
“Over her tenure of 30 years, State Representative Thompson has passed, organized coalitions, and supported numerous pieces of legislation for the City of Houston. Most recently, Representative Thompson was the primary sponsor of new legislation that enhances the pension benefits for City of Houston employees,” said Mayor Lee P. Brown. He added, “She has often been the voice for the frequently underrepresented. State Representative Senfronia Thompson is truly a treasure.”

Her voting record has reflected strong support for women, minorities, businesses, labor, consumers, reform advocates, domestic violence victims, the elderly, teachers and civil libertarians. Currently Thompson is the fourth ranking person in the State House. She is ranked in the top five legislators passing bills to law. Serving her sixth term as chair of the Judicial Affairs Committee, she also serves on the agenda-setting Calendars committee, the Insurance Committee, and numerous other commissions, committees, and organizations.
Thompson, born in Booth Texas, was raised in Houston. She represents Northeast Houston, northeast Harris county and Humble, Texas. Like most representatives, Thompson (Dem.) is an attorney, however she is her 15th term in the Texas House of Representatives. She was first elected following court-ordered, single-member districts in urban counties and the Sharpstown Scandal in 1972.

There were six female members of the Class of ‘73 and several have made outstanding contributions to public service. Rep. Kay Bailey of Houston (now a U.S. Senator) was the first Republican woman elected to the Texas House. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas, the only other African-American woman elected to the Legislature in 1972, now serves in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Sarah Weddington of Austin argued the Roe v. Wade case that guaranteed a woman’s right to choose a safe, legal abortion. In addition, Ann Richards, an aide of Weddington’s would become the second female Governor of Texas.
Thompson is known as an outspoken member, and she seems to be drawn toward tough issues. In her first term, she denounced a colleague for sexist and racist remarks directed towards her. Her speech on the House floor would later be immortalized in a “He Called Me His Mistress,” Practicing Texas Politics [2nd ed.]).

Yet, beneath her “get tough” demeanor lies a work ethic that has caused her to be the recipient of enough awards over her long, political career, to fill a room. Just in the year 1995 alone, Rep. Thompson served as chair of Texas’ largest bipartisan urban caucus - the Harris County Delegation; she was named “Woman of the Year” by the Texas Women’s Political Caucus, a bipartisan organization; named one of the “25 Most Distinguished Women Leaders” by the Houston News Pages; received the Texas Council on Family Violence highest award, the Mary Polk Legislative Leadership Award; presented with the Bettie Naylor Lifetime Achievement Award by the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby; listed as one of the three most influential legislators in family law by the Family Law Section of the State Bar for the third of five, consecutive sessions; and she was Southern Methodist University’s keynote speaker at the 31st Annual Women’s Conference, with her speech following First Lady Hillary Clinton. Thompson’s ability to speak intelligently and passionately about issues she feels strongly about has caused her to be in demand across the country as to speak on hate crimes, racial profiling, probate law, and women’s issues.

In 1997, Thompson was placed in the Top 5 of the most successful bill-passers in the House of Representatives when she authored or was House sponsor for 32 bills that were signed into law. Among those bills were ones that included an expansion of grandparent’s visitation rights, allowing stockholders to designate beneficiaries and avoid the probate court system, and the Model School Records Flagging Act to aid the recovery of abducted children. In 1999, Thompson passed more than 45 bills which were signed into law, and was presented with a special Rosa Parks Award by the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and was honored by the women legislators at the biennial Susan B. Anthony Day celebration.
Recently, she again ranked in the Top 5 legislators who were able to get bills passed into law. Texas Monthly Magazine named her one of the “10 Best Legislators” by and she received several awards, ranging from the NAACP and the Cathedral of Hope to the Independent Insurance Agents and the Silver Haired Legislature.

During the last session, she passed more than 50 bills into law, including The James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act, racial profiling, contraceptive parity, increases in the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents, and raising the state minimum wage.
Other legislative issues she is credited with bringing to pass includes alimony in Texas, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the sexual offender fee to help fund rape crisis centers and numerous bills to strengthen child support collection, care for the elderly, and the promotion of efficiency and uniformity in the court system. One of her most personal victories came in 1977. Unable to persuade her colleagues to increase funding for Texas’ public Black colleges, she used her own resources to convince the U.S. Justice Department to sue Texas for racial discrimination in higher education funding, hiring and admissions. The case was settled four years later in 1981 with millions of dollars in funding for Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University.
Still, she has embarked on particularly difficult skirmishes on behalf of average citizens - combating environmental racism in northeast Harris County, encouraging the interests of historically underutilized minority businesses, leading the charge for the Pleasantville sound wall along Loop 610, and transit funding for Humble. Perhaps the one case with the most historical roots took place when Thompson relentlessly sought to to convince the Legislature, and then, the State to protect the farm of Jessie Johnson, an elderly, Black East Texan from state foreclosure because of a 124-year old state mistake. Her proposed constitutional amendment, the “Jessie Johnson Amendment,” won by more votes than any other ballot proposal that year.
In 2001, Rep. Thompson passed a constitutional, comprehensive hate crimes bill, named in memory of James Byrd, Jr., the East Texas African-American who was dragged to death by White Supremacists. She also was the driving force behind the ending of racial profiling for police stops and searches. The grand celebration for her three decades of community service is a way for her constituents and other supporters to say thanks for a job well-done. Call 713/522-7770 for more information.