Geanie Williams Morrison (born October 6, 1950) is a Texas state representative from

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she has represented District 30 since January 12, 1999.

Personal life

Morrison attended Victoria College. She has two children and two grandchildren with her husband Jack.

Career

Before serving in the House of Representatives, Morrison served as the executive director of the Governor's Commission for Women. She was appointed by then-Governor

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to the Texas Commission for Volunteerism and Community Service and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission.

Legislative career

Morrison was the first chairperson of the Environmental Regulation Committee when it was created in 2015. As part of her work on the committee, she championed a bill that weakened environmental protections in an effort to encourage employers to move to Texas or to stay in the state. In 2018, she was elected to the 86th legislature with 74.7% of the vote, beating Robin Hayter. Morrison served on the Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee, the Environmental Regulation Committee, the Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety Committee, and chaired the Local & Consent Calendars Committee. She represented parts of Aransas, Calhoun, De Witt, Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria counties. Morrison had a primary challenger but was unopposed in the 2020 general election. She briefly was in the running to become Speaker of the House for the 87th legislature, but withdrew after only a week, throwing her support to

Dade Phelan Matthew McDade Phelan (born September 18, 1975) is an American real estate developer and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 21. He has served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since January 2021. ...

. Later, she put her name back into contention for the speakership. Her office was involved in removing a statue of a confederate soldier in 2020. In 1999, Morrison introduced legislation creating the

Safe-haven law Safe-haven laws (also known in some states as "Baby Moses laws", in reference to the religious scripture) are statutes in the United States that decriminalize the leaving of unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that th ...

. This law decriminalizes the leaving of unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that the child becomes a ward of the state in order to eliminate child abandonment. Morrison's legislation became a blueprint and by 2008 similar laws were adopted across the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Geanie 1950 births Living people Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Women state legislators in Texas 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Members of the Junior League