Dennis Bonnen

Dennis Bonnen
Born	Dennis Higgins Bonnen (1972-03-03) March 3, 1972 Angleton, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Businessman, politician
Years active	1997–2021 (politics)
Known for	Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives (2019–2021)

Dennis Higgins Bonnen (born March 3, 1972) is a businessman and political figure from the United States who held the position of Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives between 2019 and 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Bonnen served as the representative for District 25 in the Texas House from 1997 until 2021. In 2013, he was appointed Speaker Pro Tempore by then-Speaker Joe Straus, presiding over sessions in Straus's absence. Bonnen was elected Speaker in January 2019 and chose not to run for re-election in 2020.

Early life, education, and career

Hailing from Angleton, Texas, Bonnen was diagnosed with dyslexia during his childhood and attended a specialized school that employed phonics-based learning methods. He completed his secondary education at Angleton High School in 1990 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from St. Edward's University in Austin in 1994. Early professional experiences included working in Congressman Greg Laughlin's office in Washington, D.C., employment with the Can Manufacturers Institute, managing a computer enterprise named MDS, and involvement in the Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign.

In December 1995, Bonnen declared his intention to run for the Texas House to replace retiring Representative Jack Harris. His campaign focused on reducing regulatory burdens on businesses and schools while advocating for increased autonomy for educational institutions regarding curriculum and budget decisions. He also promoted tougher student discipline policies and supported abolishing parole by reinstating work farms for offenders. After narrowly finishing second in the initial Republican primary, Bonnen prevailed in the runoff election and defeated Democrat Tim Miller in the November 1996 general election, becoming the youngest legislator at that time.

Legislative career

Throughout his tenure as a legislator, Bonnen maintained active engagement with constituents, delivering keynote addresses at events such as the Brazoria County Peace Officers Association awards ceremony in 1997 and the Brazoria County Youth Conference. He stood against allegations of excessive force at the county detention facility, opposing state-level legislation he perceived as infringing on local governance. Running unchallenged in 1998, he secured reelection for more than twenty years, building a reputation as a resolute lawmaker. His personal experience with dyslexia informed several of his policy efforts.

Bonnen successfully championed legislation enabling Brazosport College, Midland College, and South Texas College to offer select four-year degree programs beginning in 2003, with pilot status removed by 2007. That same year, he authored Texas House Bill 1098 to repeal Governor Rick Perry's executive order mandating HPV vaccinations for sixth-grade girls; this bill passed with veto-proof majorities.

House leadership

In 2013, Speaker Joe Straus named Bonnen Speaker Pro Tempore, assigning him to preside during Straus's absences throughout the 83rd to 85th Texas legislative sessions (2013–2018). He chaired the Ways and Means Committee and previously led both the Sunset Advisory Commission and the House Special Purpose Districts Committee. Additionally, he served on committees responsible for higher education governance and natural resource oversight. Conservative organizations rated him positively in 2013—Eagle Forum awarded him an 87% rating while Young Conservatives of Texas gave him a 66% score.

In 2015, Bonnen sponsored emergency legislation supported by Governor Abbott aimed at retaining Texas National Guard troops along the border, boosting Department of Public Safety staffing levels, and creating a transnational crime center dedicated to data analysis. He opposed publicly funded breakfast initiatives in schools but co-sponsored measures strengthening school security marshal programs and extending franchise tax exemptions for specific businesses. He voted in favor of prohibiting texting while driving and mandating drug testing for unemployment claimants. His support extended to laws restricting state enforcement of federal gun regulations, permitting concealed carry on college campuses, and reducing required training hours for concealed handgun licenses—the latter enacted with significant legislative backing. He abstained from voting on term limits legislation, which ultimately did not pass. Bonnen authored HB 1914 to lengthen intervals between parole hearings for serious offenses such as capital murder and aggravated sexual assault. In 2018, he earned an A rating from the National Rifle Association.

Speakership

On November 12, 2018, Bonnen declared that he had secured 109 votes to become the Texas House Speaker, exceeding the required 76. He was unanimously chosen by the Texas House on January 8, 2019. In his inaugural address, Bonnen emphasized his commitment to school finance reform for the 86th legislative session, along with priorities such as school safety, fighting human trafficking, and property tax reduction. The Texas House approved House Bill 3, an $11.6 billion education funding package that allocated $4.5 billion toward educational reforms, $2 billion for increasing teacher salaries, and more than $5 billion aimed at lowering property tax burdens for Texans. Bonnen also advocated for measures that provided extra resources to support students with dyslexia.

Additional legislation focused on resolving the backlog of untested rape kits, controlling the rise of property taxes, and improving emergency preparedness and disaster management. On June 21, 2019, Bonnen joined Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to announce the deployment of an extra 1,000 Texas National Guard members to the border in response to an influx of migrants.

In 2019, Bonnen became embroiled in controversy after Michael Quinn Sullivan of the conservative organization Empower Texans secretly recorded him making disparaging remarks about fellow legislators and offering press credentials in exchange for targeting moderate Republicans. On October 22, 2019, Bonnen announced he would not run for re-election, paving the way for new leadership in the House. A subsequent investigation by the Texas Rangers found no evidence of legal misconduct on his part.

Issues

Bonnen advocated for legislation banning sanctuary cities in Texas, legalizing open carry, permitting concealed carry on university campuses, implementing Voter ID requirements, allowing religious groups to refuse marriage services, mandating investigations into public corruption by the Texas Rangers, and requiring colleges to financially support student centers promoting family and traditional values. In 2019, he supported House Bill 3 which allocated $4.5 billion toward education, including $2 billion designated for teacher pay increases and $5 billion aimed at property tax relief. He also voted in favor of HJR 38 to propose a constitutional amendment prohibiting a state income tax; this measure passed the House with a vote of 100–42. In June 2019, Texas Monthly recognized Bonnen as a Best Lawmaker for his leadership during Texas’ 86th Legislative Session. The Conservative Roundtable of Texas awarded him a 94% rating on their Conservative Effectiveness Index in 2017 and a perfect score of 100% in both 2015 and 2012.

Other activities

Outside his political career, Bonnen ventured into banking during the mid-2000s and rose to become president, CEO, and chairman of Heritage Bank in 2008. He maintained this position until Heritage Bank was acquired by Third Coast Bank in 2019; afterward, Bonnen assumed the role of vice chairman at Third Coast Bank. In 2023, he co-established Second Floor Strategies, a strategic consulting firm.

Bonnen has received multiple accolades: he was named one of Houston Business Journal’s "40 Under 40" in 2009, inducted into the Angleton Independent School District Hall of Fame in 2013, and honored as the Brazosport Friend of the College for 2014-15.

External links

• Official campaign website
• Texas House member profile
• Dennis Bonnen profile at the Texas Tribune

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