Harold Dutton Jr. | |
---|---|
Member of the TexasHouseofRepresentatives from the 142nd district | |
Assumed office January 8, 1985 | |
Preceded by | El Franco Lee |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] | February 17,1945
Political party | Democratic |
Residence(s) | Houston,Texas,U.S. |
Alma mater | Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Harold Vernon Dutton Jr. (born February 17,1945) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives representing District 142. He was first elected in 1984 and is one of the longest-serving members of the Texas House of Representatives. [2] [3]
In 2015 an amendment written by Dutton to House Bill 1842 gave the Texas Education Agency the power to take over failing school districts. The agency used that authority in 2023 to take over the Houston Independent School District,of whose failings Dutton has been a longtime critic. [4] [5] Dutton has continued to support the Houston Independent School District takeover. [6]
In May 2021,Dutton supported a bill that would restrict the ability of transgender children to participate in sports aligning with their gender identity. Members of his party called it an act of retaliation,as an unrelated education bill supported by Dutton was killed on the House floor the night before he came out in support of the transgender bill. [7]
In May 2023,Dutton broke ranks with his party to vote in favor of a bill to ban gender affirming care for trans minors. [8] [9] He would later vote Present Not Voting on the impeachment of Ken Paxton.
Dutton is Catholic,a member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Freedmen’s Town. [10]
Four of Dutton's known children are sons who were borne by his ex-wife,Phyllis Faykus-Dutton. Faykus-Dutton was divorced from him in 1995 but did not get child support payments from him on a regular or sufficient basis;in 2007,she tried to have him sent to prison over this issue. She was unable to get him sent to prison,but was awarded nearly $16,000 in child support back payments as well as $8,000 for her attorney's fees. [11]
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas,and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities in addition to some unincorporated areas. Like most districts in Texas,it is independent of the city of Houston and all other municipal and county jurisdictions. The district has its headquarters in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in Houston.
Sheila Jackson Lee was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district,from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of the Democratic Party and served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council before being elected to the House. She was also co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation.
John Abney Culberson is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019. A Republican,he served in Texas's 7th congressional district in large portions of western Houston and surrounding Harris County. In his 2018 re-election campaign,he was defeated by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher. He subsequently began work as a lobbyist.
Norvell Kay Granger is an American politician from the U.S. state of Texas serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 12th congressional district since 1997. She is a member of the Republican Party,and was chair of the United States House Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024.
Kevin Patrick Brady is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes northern Houston,including The Woodlands. He retired after the 2022 election cycle.
Gregory Wayne Abbott is an American politician,attorney,and jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party,he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.
North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston,Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area,it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financial and academic issues from the late 1980s until 2013. On July 1,2013,it was closed by order of the state and absorbed into the Houston Independent School District (HISD).
Peter Graham Olson is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 2009 to 2021. His district included much of southern Houston,as well as most of the city's southwestern suburbs such as Katy,Pearland,and Sugar Land. He is a member of the Republican Party. On July 25,2019,Olson announced that he would retire at the end of his term. He was succeeded by fellow Republican Troy Nehls.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in Texas have some protections in state law but may face legal and social challenges not faced by others. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Texas in 2003 by the Lawrence v. Texas ruling. On June 26,2015,the Supreme Court of the United States ruled bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges.
The Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) is the largest chamber of commerce in the Houston area. The Partnership is an economic development organization for the Greater Houston area. The Partnership works to make Houston greater by promoting economic development,foreign trade and investment,and by advocating for efficient and effective government that supports,rather than impedes,business growth. The Partnership also convenes key stakeholders to solve the region's most pressing issues. The Partnership was formed in 1989 in a merger of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce,the Houston Economic Development Council and the Houston World Trade Association. Today,the Partnership serves the 12-county greater Houston region and represents a member roster of 900 businesses and institutions. Members of the Partnership account for one-fifth of all jobs in Houston. They engage in various initiatives,committees and task forces.
Steve Hixson Toth is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15,The Woodlands area.
Sylvester Turner is an American attorney and politician who was the 62nd mayor of Houston,Texas and is currently a U.S. representative-elect for Texas's 18th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party,Turner was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until 2016. He attended the University of Houston and Harvard Law School. Turner ran for mayor of Houston in 1991,losing in the runoff election to Bob Lanier. He lost again in 2003,coming in third and thus missing the runoff.
Tony Dale Tinderholt is an American politician who is Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Arlington,Texas currently representing District 94. On January 13,2015,Tinderholt succeeded Diane Patrick,a four-term representative whom he unseated in the Republican primary election on March 4,2014.
Ronald Eugene Reynolds is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who represents District 27 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2010. Reynolds is the first African American elected to represent Fort Bend County in the Texas House of Representatives since the Reconstruction era.
Briscoe Cain is an American attorney and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 128.
Thomas John Oliverson is an American politician and anesthesiologist who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 130.
Shawn Nicole Thierry is an American politician. She is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives,after an August 30,2024 switch from the Democratic Party,representing the 146th District. She won the November 2016 general election and was sworn into office on January 10,2017. She lost her re-election bid for her Texas House seat on May 28,2024 after being defeated by Lauren Simmons by 65% to 35% in the Democratic primary runoff. Thierry was an unsuccessful candidate for the 57th Civil District Court in 2010.
Daniel Reed Crenshaw is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the United States representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Bryan Lee Slaton is a former pastor and American politician. A member of the Republican Party,Slaton represented the 2nd district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. Slaton also works for his family business,Slaton Financial Services.
The Houston Independent School District takeover is a 2023 takeover of the state's largest school district by the Texas Education Agency,replacing the superintendent and elected board of trustees with a board of managers and a new superintendent appointed by the Texas commissioner of education.