Konni Burton

Konni Lyn Burton (born April 15, 1963), is an American businesswoman in Colleyville in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate from District 10. Backed by the Tea Party movement, Burton on January 13, 2015, succeeded Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who vacated the state Senate after her unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the 2014 Texas gubernatorial election.^[1]

Background

Burton was born in Kerrville in Kerr County in West Texas, but was raised in Banquete, an unincorporated community in Nueces County near Corpus Christi, where her father was the school principal and her mother was his secretary. She attended the University of North Texas in Denton, from which she received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and met her husband, Phillip Glenn Burton (born 1962), who is also a UNT graduate. When the couple moved to Tarrant County, Burton worked for Olmstead-Kirk Paper Company but later launched Weddings Ltd., her own wedding consulting business.^[2]

Staunchly pro-life, the Burtons adopted two daughters through the Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, where they were active volunteers. The Burtons belong to the Calvary Lutheran Church in Richland Hills in Tarrant County; she is a former member of the church council.^[2]

Political life

Burton's political involvement began service on the steering committee of the Tarrant Tea Party. She also served as a national vice-president of the Tea Party. When then-state Senator Dan Patrick of Houston, the current lieutenant governor, formed a Tea Party Caucus preceding the 82nd legislative session, Burton was asked to serve on the advisory committee.^[2]

In her two primary elections for the state Senate against former State Representative Mark M. Shelton, Burton carried the open endorsement of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who called her "a selfless, unwavering warrior for the conservative cause".^[3] Area legislators Jonathan Stickland, Matt Krause, Bill Zedler, and Giovanni Capriglione, and Glen Whitley, the county judge of Tarrant County, also endorsed Burton in the race.

The Republican primary turnout in Senate District 10 in 2014 exceeded that of the Democrats by 21,531 votes.^[4] Burton then defeated the Democrat community organizer Libby B. Willis, who carried Wendy Davis's support, 95,484 votes (52.8 percent) to 80,806 (44.7 percent). The remaining 1.4 percent of the vote went to minor party candidates.^[5]

She took office wearing cowboy boots bearing the phrase "Stand for Life," a fashion statement mirrored after Wendy Davis' choice of pink tennis shoes during 2013's abortion bill filibuster. ^[6][7]

Burton also caused a stir by challenging some longstanding practices in the Texas legislature. She barred taxpayer funded lobbyists from her office and authoring legislation to ban the practice.^[8]

Controversies

SB 242

On November 16, 2016, Burton introduced SB 242.^[9] According to the bill, a parent would be entitled to all of a school district's written records about their child's "general physical, psychological or emotional well-being", and an attempt by a school employee to conceal or encourage a child to withhold information would be grounds for discipline.^[10][11] Burton says she introduced the bill in response to a policy by the Fort Worth School District, later rescinded, which barred schools from disclosing a student's transgender status to parents.^[12] According to Burton, the bill does not require schools to volunteer the information to parents, only to release it to parents who request it.^[12]

The bill was met with condemnation from the LGBTQ community and advocates.^[13][14] According to Equality Texas, "the legislation would essentially destroy protected communications between a student and an educator. SB 242’s stated intent would force the outing of LGBTQ students."^[15] According to the Austin Chronicle Burton refused to field questions from the press in regard to SB 242, directing them instead to her website.^[16] Burton had previously tweeted a response to the reporter that wrote the article at the Austin Chronicle, referring to her as an "Anti reader" with the hashtag #readingishard.^[17]

References

Members of the Texas Senate
83rd Texas Legislature (2013) President of the Senate: David Dewhurst (R) President Pro Tempore: Steve Ogden (R)
Kevin Eltife (R)    Bob Hall (succeeding Bob Deuell) (R)    Robert Nichols (R)    Brandon Creighton (R)    Charles Schwertner (R)    Sylvia Garcia (D)    Paul Bettencourt (succeeding Dan Patrick) (R)    Van Taylor (succeeding Ken Paxton) (R)    Kelly Hancock (R)    Konni Burton (R) (succeeding Wendy Davis (D)    Larry Taylor (R)    Jane Nelson (R)    Rodney Ellis (D)    Kirk Watson (D)    John Whitmire (D)    Don Huffines (succeeding John Carona) (R)    Joan Huffman (R)    Lois Kolkhorst (succeeding Glenn Hegar) (R)    Carlos Uresti (D)    Juan Hinojosa (D)    Judith Zaffirini (D)    Brian Birdwell (R)    Royce West (D)    Troy Fraser (R)    Donna Campbell (R)    Jose Menendez (succeeding Leticia Van de Putte) (D)    Eddie Lucio Jr. (D)    Charles Perry (R)    José R. Rodríguez (D)    Craig Estes (R)    Kel Seliger (R)
Republican (20)    Democratic (11) Texas Legislature Texas House of Representatives Texas State Senate