Brady is Commencement Speaker

U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), Sam Houston State University's spring commencement speaker, may be a "fresh young face" serving only his second term. But he is a "grizzled veteran" when it comes to winning elections.

In 1996 he won four hard-fought elections in one year, a situation caused at least partially by a court-ordered redistricting. He also served six years in the Texas House of Representatives.

Brady will speak at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15, in ceremonies in Sam Houston State University's Johnson Coliseum. More than a thousand students have applied for undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Many of those receiving degrees will be from among Brady's 600,000 8th District constituents in north Harris, Montgomery, Austin, Brazos, Waller and Washington counties, a large portion of the SHSU primary service area. Ceremonies for the Colleges of Education and Applied Science and Criminal Justice are scheduled at 10 a.m. and for the Colleges of Business Administration and Arts and Sciences at 2 p.m.

A native of Vermillion, South Dakota, Brady, 44, earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of South Dakota. Prior to his election to the U. S. House of Representatives, he was a chamber of commerce executive for 18 years.

While serving in the Texas House of Representatives, he was named one of the "Ten Best Legislators" for children and family issues, a "Legislative Standout," and in 1994 was named one of "Five Outstanding Young Texans." He also received numerous awards from victims' rights groups for his criminal justice reform measures.

Education and business are among Brady's top priorities as a congressman. His district includes Texas A&M University, Blinn College, the North Harris Montgomery Community College District, the Compaq Computer Corporation, Blue Bell Creameries, and The Woodlands Research Forest.

Sam Houston State University is a leader in courses taught at the innovative University Center in The Woodlands, which is composed of a consortium of universities.

Brady's focus as a congressman has been to promote Texas in the global marketplace, enhance the state's emerging research and technology economy, and "return a measure of Texas common sense to Washington's environmental laws."

He is the only Texan named to the House International Relations Committee, which oversees U. S. relations with foreign nations, world trade policy and United States intervention abroad. He serves on the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy & Trade and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

In addition, he serves on the House Science Committee, which establishes national policy on science, research and technology, the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, which includes oversight of NASA, and the Subcommittee on Technology.

He also serves on the House Resources Committee which has jurisdiction over the nation's public lands, forest reserves and mining, and addresses environmental issues of importance to Texas such as wetlands, endangered species and property rights, and the Subcommittee on Energy & Mineral Resources.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
April 28, 1999
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