Senate Members

The Honorable Robert Duncan
Commissioner
R-Lubbock, District 1

Robert Duncan is a partner with the Lubbock law firm of Crenshaw, Dupree and Milam, and state senator from Lubbock, representing the 28th district that covers an area from Lubbock to El Paso to Odessa and Big Spring. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1992 to 1996; he was elected to the Senate in 1997. In 1995, Duncan was named by the National Republican Legislators Association as 1995 National Legislator of the Year. He is a native of Vernon and earned undergraduate and law degrees from Texas

The Honorable Kenneth Armbrister
D-Victoria, District 18

Sen. Armbrister has been a member of the Texas Legislature since 1983, first serving in the House, and then as a Senator beginning in 1987. Currently, he chairs the Criminal Justice Committee, and is vice chairman of both the Natural Resources and Economic Development committees. He also serves on the Special Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring and the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Agriculture.

Prior to his election to the House, he was a police captain, and a former vice president of the Victoria Independent School District board. He is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and the FBI National Academy. The senator is general manager of Triple D Security, a private security company in Victoria.

The Honorable John Carona
R-Dallas, District 16

Sen. Carona began his legislative career in the House of Representatives in 1990, serving until his election as a state senator in 1996. He currently is vice chairman of the Human Services Committee, and serves on the Finance and Economic Development committees and the Economic Development Subcommittee on Tech & Business Growth.

Carona serves as president of a Dallas-based capital management firm. Prior to this position, he founded a statewide property management, construction and mechanical services company. He is active with the Dallas Plan Commission, and has served on advisory committees of the Dallas Independent School District, YMCA board of directors, Friends of Fair Park, and the Kiwanis Club. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.

The Honorable Rodney Ellis
D-Houston, District 13

Sen. Ellis is serving his fifth term as a senator and in 1999 was elected President Pro-Tempore by his fellow senators. He also serves as chairman of the Jurisprudence Committee and on the Senate Intergovernmental Relations and Administration committees.

Prior to his election as senator, Ellis served as chief of staff to the late U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland. In addition, he served three terms as a Houston city councilman. Ellis is an attorney and investment banker. He graduated from Texas Southern University, obtained a master's degree at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and his law degree is from The University of Texas School of Law, where he serves on the Foundation Board.

The Honorable Eddie Lucio
D-Brownsville, District 27

Sen. Lucio began his legislative career as a state representative in 1986. In 1991 he was elected to the Senate, and he currently chairs the Senate Committee on Border Affairs. He has also serves on the Natural Resources and State Affairs committees and on the State Affairs Subcommittee on Infrastructure.

Prior to his election to the Legislature, the native of Brownsville was the youngest person elected county treasurer and then served as Cameron County Commissioner. He is a graduate of The University of Texas-Pan American and is an advertising executive.

The Honorable Bill Ratliff
R-Mt. Pleasant, District 1

Sen. Ratliff has been a member of the Senate since 1989. He chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Education and Natural Resources committees as well as on the Special Commission on 21st Century Colleges and Universities and the Education Subcommittee on Higher Education.

The senator has his own civil engineering consulting firm in Mt. Pleasant, and is a past president of the American Consulting Engineers Council. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, and a former president of the Mt. Pleasant Industrial Foundation.

The Honorable Florence Shapiro
R-Plano, District 8

Sen. Shapiro began her service in the Texas Senate in January 1993. Currently she serves as chairman of the State Affairs Committee, and as a member of the Criminal Justice and Administration committees, the Legislative Budget Board and Legislative Audit Committee. In the interim, she is serving on the Attorney General's School Violence Task Force and the Lt. Governor's Advisory Council on the Digital Economy.

The senator is the owner and president of Shapiro and Company, an advertising and public relations agency. Prior to her election to the Senate, Shapiro served as mayor of Plano and on the Plano City Council, president of the Texas Municipal League and president of the Plano Economic Development Board. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.