Senfronia Thompson

Senfronia Thompson
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 141st district
In office
1972
Personal details
Born (1939-01-01) January 1, 1939
Booth, Texas
Political party Democratic
Residence Houston, Texas
Alma mater Texas Southern University, University of Houston
Profession attorney, educator

Senfronia Thompson (born January 1, 1939) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 141st District since 1972.

Thompson is the former Dean of Women Legislators in Texas. She has been elected to 20 terms in office.[1] Thompson also advises the United Negro College Fund in Texas.

Biography

Thompson was born in Booth, Texas and raised in Houston.[2]

She holds multiple advanced college degrees. A Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master's degree in education from Texas Southern University; a Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law; and a post-law degree, Master of Law in International Law from the University of Houston. Thompson has two adult children, one grandson, one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter.[1]

She represents HD 141, which covers northeast Houston and the Humble area. In 1983, Texas Monthly magazine classified Thompson, along with Kae T. Patrick of San Antonio and Erwin Barton of Pasadena, as "Used Furniture", meaning among the most inconsequential of legislators in that particular session.[3]

Thompson is the dean of women legislators, having served longer in the legislature than any other African-American woman in Texas history. A Houston attorney, Thompson is serving her twentieth term in the Texas House of Representatives.[1]

Beer Distributor Controversy

In 2015, Thompson sponsored legislation (House Bill 3389) limiting the right of craft brewers in Texas to directly market their product in an effort to bolster the three-tier distribution system. The National Institute on Money and State Politics noted that Thompson accepted campaign donations of $34,000 from the Beer Alliance of Texas and over $20,000 from Licensed Beverage Distributors and over $15,000 from Wholesale Distributors of Texas.[4][5][6][7][8]

Tesla Direct Sales Controversy

In 2015, House Bill 1653 bill was submitted to the Texas State Legislature and would have granted Tesla Motors the legal ability to sell cars directly to consumers in Texas.[9][10][11] However, the bill died in committee when the deadline for consideration passed at midnight on May 14th. Rep. Thompson criticized the bill stating, "I can appreciate Tesla wanting to sell cars, but I think it would have been wiser if Mr. Tesla had sat down with the car dealers first."[12][13][14] Rep. Thompson incorrectly assumed that Tesla Motors was run by "Mr. Tesla"; in fact Tesla Motors was founded by Elon Musk, who named the company after the famed engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, who died in 1943. Thompson has received over $20,000 in campaign donations from the Texas Automobile Dealers Association.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Senfronia Thompson. Biography Texas House of Representatives. 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013
  2. "Senfronia Calpernia Thompson". Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  3. Paul Burka (July 1983). "The Ten Best and The Ten Worst Legislators". Texas Monthly. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  4. Matt Levin (March 19, 2015). "Houston lawmaker's bill threatens Texas' craft beer industry". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. Katharine Shilcutt (March 17, 2015). "Senfronia Thompson Introduces Bill to Reduce Craft Beer Distribution". Houstonia. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  6. Robert Scott (March 17, 2015). "New beer bill could have negative impact on Texas breweries". KXAN. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  7. Senfronia Thompson (March 17, 2015). "HB3389" (PDF). Texas Legislature. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  8. 1 2 National Institute on Money in State Politics. "THOMPSON, SENFRONIA". Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  9. R.G. RATCLIFFE (April 13, 2015). "Tesla Pokes Its Nose Into the Auto Dealers' Tent". Automotive News. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  10. Jim Malewitz (February 19, 2015). "Legislation Would Let Tesla Sell in Texas". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  11. Hannah Lutz (February 20, 2015). "Tesla could open up to 12 Texas stores if legislation passes". Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  12. Ben Geier (May 18, 2015). "Tesla was just dealt another setback". Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  13. "Deadline Kills Scores of High-Profile House Bills -- For Now". NBCDFW. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  14. Autoblog Staff (March 19, 2015). "Deadline kills Tesla direct sales bill in Texas House". Retrieved May 20, 2015.

External links

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