A quick glance into the office of Texas House Representative Dan Branch reveals that the man is as much about family as he is business. Family photographs line shelves along side history books, Texas memorabilia, and well worn volumes of the state budget- all of which serve to remind Dan of the Texas values he fights to protect. As the father of five children and the recipient of undergraduate degrees and a law degree, Dan understands firsthand the importance of a quality education.

Since his election in 2003, Dan has become a leader on education and budget policy issues. In past sessions, he served on the House Public Education Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee. In 2011, he was reappointed Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education by Speaker Joe Straus, and reelected Co-Chair of the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation by his North Texas colleagues in the House. In addition, Speaker Straus appointed Dan to serve as Co-Chair of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence, and Transparency.  Dan also serves on the Legislative Budget Board, as well as the Calendars, Elections and State Sovereignty Committees.

As a constant champion for advancements in education, Dan has made the education of our future workforce his top priority. While he's been a leader in the fight to rein in Robin Hood, Dan’s concern for taxpayer relief extends far beyond his work in education finance.  Under Governor George W. Bush he chaired the Texas Public Finance Authority, an agency tasked with overseeing billions of dollars in state financial investments. As a result of his commitment to reduced spending, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were saved.

Dan is still working to push taxpayer dollars back into the community. He has used the expertise gained during his years on the Appropriations Committee to support North Texas projects and institutions that make the metroplex a more attractive place for businesses and families.

Dan continues to serve the community by reaching across party lines to impose stricter punishment for urban crimes such as vehicle break-ins, to encourage university research, and reform our public and higher education systems.

From his conservative values to his black cowboy boots, Dan Branch is Texan through and through. As a lawyer, small businessman, legislator, family man, and husband for the last 26 years to his wife Stacey, Dan doesn't just protect Texas values, he tries to live them each day.

Political Leadership Experience

Chairman, House Committee on Higher Education
Dan heads the committee charged with overseeing all postsecondary institutions in Texas. This session, the committee helped Dan pass major reforms that will shift the focus and funding for higher education towards increasing graduation rates. In addition, the committee passed thoughtful reforms to the TEXAS Grant program, ensuring that needy students who are academically prepared for college are given first priority in receiving funds and also found ways to reduce the cost of college textbooks.  Last session, the committee heard testimony related to increasing the number of national research universities in Texas, reforming the Top 10% rule, creating more law and medical schools, tuition reform, community college funding and other issues. During the interim, Dan will continue to lead the committee in identifying and developing additional targeted improvements to our higher education system.

Co-Chairman, Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency 
Dan will serve with Senate Higher Education Chair Judith Zaffirini, along with 10 additional members from the House and Senate, during the interim to hear testimony from state and national higher education experts to identify best practices and develop thoughtful, balanced legislative solutions for the 83rd session.  

Member, Legislative Budget Board
Sole Dallas County member appointed to panel that includes the Speaker and Lt. Governor, which directs state finances.

Co-Chairman, Dallas Area Legislation Delegation
Reelected by House Colleagues from 11 North Texas Counties to coordinate strategies to advocate for metroplex interests.

Member, House Calendars Committee
Dan served on the committee charged with setting the order of bills for debate on the House floor each day.

Member, House Elections Committee
Dan worked with fellow committee members on bills to eliminate voter fraud and implement election law changes related to the federal MOVE act while keeping the Texas presidential primary date intact.

Member, House Select Committee on State Sovereignty
This select committee heard testimony related to joining an interstate healthcare compact, proposing a federal constitutional amendment for a balanced budget process and ensuring that foreign law doctrines are not implemented on Texas soil.

Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, Aspen Institute
Chosen for the Class of 2008 along with 23 other elected leaders under age 50 with reputations for intellect, thoughtfulness and a commitment to civil dialogue. The two-year fellowship provides educational and leadership training meant to produce a more bipartisan approach to America's most important domestic issues such as health care, education and the environment.

Former Member, House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence
Dan joined committee members in deliberating over bills related to the judiciary, the Office of the Attorney General, as well as legislation aimed at improving the operation of the civil judicial system.

Former Chairman, House Select Committee on Higher and Public Education Finance
Dan led the committee charged with reengineering school finance funding for Texas. The committee issued a report to the 81st Legislature entitled Education: Priority One, which recommended a series of initiatives to improve college and workforce readiness by better aligning public and higher ed. funding with the state's educational goals. 

Former Member, House Appropriations Committee
Dan was the first freshman appointee from Dallas County since 1967. Over three sessions of the Legislature, Branch helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for our local public school systems, community colleges and other institutions of higher education, such as UT Southwestern Medical School, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas. Branch also secured critical funding for downtown Dallas and for numerous area transportation projects, such as the Woodall Rodgers deck park.

Former Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
First appointed to this subcommittee in 2003, and re-appointed in 2005 and 2007, Dan and the subcommittee drafted the largest portion of the state budget. During the budget crisis of 2003, Dan was instrumental in preventing budget cuts in the Foundation School Program and in providing public schools with $1.2 billion in additional resources. In 2005, Dan developed and obtained the initial funding for a Graduate Medical Education (GME) formula, which has helped reduced the shortage of medical residency slots in Texas.

Former Chairman, House Appropriations Interim Subcommittee on Graduate Medical Education
During the 2003-2004 Interim, Branch served as chairman of the 16-member interim sub-committee tasked with determining the funding needs for Texas' graduate medical education programs (post-medical school internships and residencies). In 2005, Branch led the effort to create a formula funding system for Texas' graduate medical education programs. In 2007, Branch led the effort to further enhance graduate medical education funding, and increase healthcare for low-income Texans.

Former Member, Texas Public Finance Authority, Served Terms as Chairman, Vice Chair & Secretary
Governor George W. Bush sought out Dan Branch to lead the agency that oversees billions of dollars in state financial investments. From 1995-2001, Dan worked closely with the staffs of both Governor Bush and Governor Perry, as well as the "Wall Street" financial community to save hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars through timely re-financings of state debt.

Former Judicial Clerk, Texas Supreme Court
Dan served as a judicial court clerk and briefing attorney under The Honorable Jack Pope, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Former Staff Aide, United States Senate
Dan worked under the late Senator John Tower from Texas, and in 1984 was appointed by Senator Tower to lead the Texas Victory Committee, a statewide effort to build support for the Republican ticket.

Recent Legislative Honors & Awards

Ten Best Legislators - Texas Monthly

Legislative Power Ranking - 3rd of 150 - Capitol Inside

Award of Excellence - Texas Association of Business

Best of the Texas Legislature - All Decade Team - Capitol Inside

Excellence in Service to Education - Texas Center for Education Policy

Tech Titan Award - Dallas Business Journal

Legislative Leaderboard - The Dallas Morning News

Tier One Award - Greater Houston Partnership

Community College Champion - Texas Assn. of Community Colleges

Wind Champion - Texas Wind Coalition

Taxpayer Advocate Award - Texans for Fiscal Responsibility

Private Sector Experience
 

Shareholder, Winstead PC
A prominent national law firm, Dan represents regional and national clients in commercial real estate transactions and corporate matters. In addition to the Dallas office, Winstead PC has offices in Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston, The Woodlands, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C.

Chairman, Board of Directors, John G. Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University
 
Co-founder, Langley & Branch
For nearly a decade, Dan's Dallas law firm concentrated in the areas of commercial real estate, litigation, and high-level public policy issues. Winstead acquired the firm's practice in 1999.

State Bar of Texas

District of Columbia Bar

New York Bar

American Bar Association

United States Court for the Northern District of Texas

Graduate, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Dan received his law degree from Southern Methodist University where he served as an editor of the law review. Additionally, he is an alumnus of Georgetown University's Institute on Comparative Political & Economic Systems.

Civic Leadership Experience

Chairman, Board of Directors, SMU John Tower Center for Political Studies

Trustee, The Fund for American Studies

Legislative Advisory Committee, Southern Regional Education Board

Host Committee Member, National Conference of State Legislatures 2011 Legislative Summit - San Antonio 

Executive Board Member, Boy Scouts of America/Circle Ten Council 

Past President, The Dallas Assembly

Texas Delegation, 2000 & 2004 Republican National Convention

Board Member: Texas Education Reform Foundation, Southwestern Medical Foundation and Dallas Summer Musicals

Member: Dallas Breakfast Group, The Dallas Assembly, National Conference of State Legislatures Education Committee, American Legislative Exchange Council Education Task Force

Social Media Channels

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Dan Branch's Profile on Texas Tribune