District 18

Brenham, TX

B.S., Texas Christian University

Business Owner

House Member, 2001 - 2014;
Senate Member: 2014 - present

Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst is a sixth generation Texan with ancestral roots dating back to the Texas War of Independence. Married to her high school sweetheart Jim, she is a dedicated mother and small business owner. Born and raised in Senate District 18, she attended public schools before graduating from Texas Christian University, where she was an Academic All-American four-year letter winner with the Lady Frogs golf team.

In 2014, after seven successful terms in the Texas House, she was elected to the Texas Senate in a special election, becoming only the 17th female to serve in the Texas Senate since 1845.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, Senator Kolkhorst sets public health policies and oversees physicians and licensed health professionals. Senator Kolkhorst lead the State of Texas through the COVID-19 pandemic and created new initiatives improving women's health and maternal mortality rates. She has worked with hospitals to see they provide better care for high-risk pregnant women and newborns, and created an innovative funding method for newborn screenings in Texas. In 2022, the Senator was also appointed to Chair the Special Committee on Child Protective Services to work closely with advocates to protect abused children and reform our foster care system.

Additional committees Senator Kolkhorst serves on in the Texas Senate include the Senate Committees on Finance; Business & Commerce; Natural Resources and Economic Development; Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs; the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee; the Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund Advisory Committee; the Texas Windstorm Advisory Board and most recently, the Legislative Budget Board.

Senator Kolkhorst is known for achieving significant public policy changes that impact the lives of every Texan, such as lowering the price cap for insulin, increasing homestead property tax exemptions, and enacting constitutional protections for patient visitation rights during a pandemic. Known by her colleagues for being a hard worker, Kolkhorst has also passed legislation that impacts every code of Texas law, ranging from increased government transparency to fighting human trafficking. A longtime voice for private property rights, Senator Kolkhorst has worked with land owner groups to stop eminent domain abuse.

A recipient of the Legislator of the Year Award from the Sheriffs Association of Texas, Senator Kolkhorst is a vocal supporter for peace officers and first responders. Along with helping to secure over $6 billion for border security, Senator Kolkhorst has worked with local law enforcement to shut down criminal smuggling networks and develop sensible solutions to the mental health crisis that crowds our jails.

Senator Kolkhorst and her husband are blessed with two children, Lois Kate and Jake. A frequent volunteer at her church, Senator Kolkhorst also enjoys hobbies such as hunting, fishing and gardening.

• Health & Human Services — Chair

• Business & Commerce

• Finance

• Natural Resources & Economic Development

• Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

• Joint Interim Committee to Study Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

• Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board