Brian Birdwell

Brian Birdwell
Texas State Senate, District 22
Incumbent
In office
2010 - Present
Term ends
January 10, 2017
Years in position	3
Party	Republican
Compensation
Base salary	$7,200/year
Per diem	$150/day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	July 2010
Next election	November 8, 2016
Term limits	N/A
Personal
Profession	Retired Army Officer
Websites
Office website

Brian Birdwell is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 22 since 2010.

Birdwell was elected in a July 2010 special election to fill the unexpired term of Senator Kip Averitt.

Birdwell graduated from Lamar University, as the Distinguished Military Graduate of the Army ROTC program. He is also a graduate of Command and General Staff College, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Birdwell is a decorated Army veteran, and has received many honors due to his dedicated service to his Country. During his service, Brian served in numerous locations around the world, including South Korea, Germany, Central America and the Middle East. In 1990, Brian was deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm during the first Gulf War. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Exceptional Meritorious Achievement. In 2001, Brian served as the military aide to the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. When the Pentagon was attacked on September 11, 2001, Brian sustained life threatening burns when he was thrown from his office chair and into the flames. For his wounds at the Pentagon, he was awarded the Purple Heart, and upon retirement received the Legion of Merit Award.

Birdwell attributes his recovery and healing since 9/11 to his Christian faith. Birdwell's experience on 9/11 inspired he and his wife to launch Face The Fire Ministries, a non-profit organization that supports critical burn survivors and wounded servicemen and women and their families. Brian and his wife have also written a book, Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith, in which they chronicle their life changing experiences.

District 22

Birdwell represents District 22, which includes Bosque, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Hill, Hood, Johnson, McLennan, Navarro, and Somervell Counties.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Birdwell served on the following committees:

Texas Committee Assignments, 2013
• Economic Development
• Government Organization
• Higher Education
• Veteran Affairs & Military Installations, Vice-chair

2011-2012

Birdwell served on the following Texas Senate committees:

Texas Committee Assignments, 2011
• Veteran Affairs & Military Installations, Vice-chair
• Higher Education, Vice-chair
• Economic Development
• Government Organization

Elections

2012

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012

Birdwell won re-election in the 2012 election for Texas State Senate, District 22. Birdwell ran unopposed in the May 29 primary election and defeated Tom Kilbride (L) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.

Texas State Senate, District 22, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Brian Birdwell	85.2%	188,544
	Libertarian	Tom Kilbride	14.8%	32,786
Total Votes				221,330

2010

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2010

Birdwell won re-election upopposed to the 22nd District Seat in 2010. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.

He was originally elected via special election in June 2010 to fill the unexpired term of Kip Averitt.

Texas State Senate, District 22 2010 General election results
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Brian Birdwell (R)		134,231	100%

Campaign donors

2012

Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.

2010

In 2010, Birdwell received $468,039 in campaign donations. The largest contributors are listed below.

Texas State Senate 2010 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Brian Birdwell's campaign in 2010
Texans For Lawsuit Reform	$55,000
Perry, Bob J	$30,000
Lockwood, Stephen	$25,000
Perry, Doylene	$10,000
Texas Association Of Realtors	$10,000
Total Raised in 2010	$468,039

Scorecards

Empower Texans Fiscal Responsibility Index

Empower Texans produces the Fiscal Responsibility Index as "a measurement of how lawmakers perform on size and role of government issues." The index uses "exemplar votes on core budget and free enterprise issues that demonstrate legislators' governing philosophy." Legislators are graded along a standard grading scale, receiving grades A through F based on their performance during the legislative session.

2011

Brian Birdwell received a grade of A+ on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index.

• 2011 Taxpayer Champion. Birdwell was named a "2011 Taxpayer Champion," which is "the top award presented by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility to legislators based on their rating on the most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index."

Personal

Brian and his wife Mel reside in Granbury, TX. Their son Matt is currently attending Texas Tech University.

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign web site
• Official Senate website of Brian Birdwell
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
• Brian Birdwell on Facebook
• Face the Fire Ministries

References

Political offices
Preceded by Kip Averitt	Texas Senate District 22 2010-present	Succeeded by NA