FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
DONNA HOWARD TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION
Popular Austin Lawmaker Asks Community to Take Next Steps With Her Toward Common Ground For Texas
(AUSTIN) — State Representative Donna Howard, the former critical care nurse and Eanes ISD school board member who has become a leader in the Texas House for improved health care delivery, educational excellence, and protecting the air we breathe, today said that she will run for another term to represent House District 48.
“I am confident that the community that has given me such strong support will take the next steps with me as we continue to work toward finding common ground for Texas,” Howard said. “In the face of unprecedented budget constraints because of the worldwide financial collapse, we need to work together even harder to find innovative solutions to the enormous challenges we face.”
Howard said she will continue to push a common-sense agenda aimed at protecting Central Texas’ air quality, guaranteeing equitable resources for public schools and higher education, and ensuring responsible spending.
Since winning in a landslide victory in the 2006 special election, Howard has become a leader at the State Capitol on air quality issues and efforts to address the state’s historic nursing shortage. She has also worked to bring more transparency to the Lower Colorado River Authority, reform the property tax appraisal system, and improve the fiduciary management of the state’s Permanent School Fund.
On the House Higher Education Committee, Howard has taken the lead on finding ways to maximize the award of state financial aid to the neediest students who are also the most prepared for college. As vice chair of the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee, she continues to explore initiatives to preserve the state’s unique parks and cultural attractions, as well as our state historic sites and artifacts, while also promoting the arts in Texas.
Born and raised in Austin, Howard graduated from Reagan High School and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing (1974) and a master's in health education (1977), both from the University of Texas. She has worked as a critical care nurse at Brackenridge and Seton hospitals, served as the first hospital-based Patient Education Coordinator in Austin, and helped get the Seton Good Health School off the ground. She has also been president of the Texas Nurses' Association (District 5) and a Health Education instructor at UT.
A recognized leader on public education issues, Howard was an elected member of the Eanes ISD board in West Austin from 1996 to 1999, co-founded Advocates for Eanes Schools, and helped start the Texas Education Crisis Coalition, a grassroots group of parents and community leaders. She and her husband, Austin attorney Derek Howard, have three children, all educated in Austin area public schools.
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